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Score and situation: Behind the best individual performance in World Series history*, by Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals crushed the Texas Rangers 16-7 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Both teams had combined for eight runs in the first two games.

Update: On Twitter, @EricPaulWright dropped the name Don Larsen, who of course pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in 1956, as being someone who had a better World Series game than Pujols. I admit to thinking only of offensive performances. I won't do a re-write, but he obviously makes a great challenge.

Leading lads: Pujols gave 'em something to talk about, all right, hitting three home runs to tie Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for a World Series record. Ruth did it twice, in 1926 and 1928, Jackson did it in 1977. By going 5 for 6, Pujols tied Paul Molitor's 1982 record for hits in a World Series game. He also drove in six runs to — yes — tie a World Series record for RBIs (a mark shared by Hideki Matsui in '09 and Bobb

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This is a picture of Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers clearly tagging St. Louis Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday in the back during a play at first base in the top of the fourth inning on Saturday night.

Well, looks were deceiving to umpire Ron Kulpa (you can see his shadow on the right of the photo), who called Holliday safe at first. The Cardinals took advantage of the break, scoring four runs in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead on the Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series. Texas came back with three runs in the bottom half.

The Cardinals went on to win 16-7, which takes some of the edge off Kulpa's mistake, but it doesn't get him off the hook. Here's what Kulpa said afterward, via the Twitter of Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: {YSP:MORE}

Kulpa: "I saw a replay when I walked off the field, and the tag was applied before his foot hit the bag."

When asked why he didn't seek assistance from another umpire, Wilson reported that Kulpa said he won't ask for help on that type of

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OK, it was one thing for Fox broadcaster Tim McCarver, off the top of his head, to state during Game 1 of the World Series that S-T-R-I-K-E was a "five-letter word." Such a mistake easily can be filed under the "we all make them" heading, and McCarver has done worse. But this Colby Lewis graphic — noticed by @FakeNedYost on Twitter and blogged by The Big Lead — yeesh, where do you start?

Well, start with the most egregious, and hilarious, violation: the Kansas City Royals apparently play in Kansas now. {YSP:MORE}

[Download the free Yahoo! Sportacular app for iPhone and Android and never leave the game behind]

I don't know if the Royals (or the Athletics, or the Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, for that matter), ever played a random game in the state of Kansas during their respective histories. It's possible. But Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals have played since 1973 is definitely in Missouri — not Kansas. Lewis never even pitched for the Royals. He was their property for a month in

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By putting his team ahead with a pinch-hit RBI single for the second straight night, Allen Craig not only set a World Series record, but he also set himself up to be considered among the most legendary of St. Louis Cardinals.

And then the Texas Rangers caught up to the tortoise-owning Craig and flew past the Cards for a 2-1 victory in Game 2 at Busch Stadium on Thursday night. Texas' ninth-inning rally had reduced Craig's doubly impressive feat into a merely amazing footnote.

Watch Craig come through again

Still, he seemed pretty astonished that the same situation as in Game 1 — tie score, two outs, same pitcher in Alexi Ogando — presented itself again. Even if it came in the seventh inning, instead of the sixth. As he was quoted in the New York Times:

"I couldn't believe that it was the same exact situation against the same guy," said Craig, who lined outside fastballs to right field in each at-bat. "I kind of had to snap out of it and refocus a bit because that doesn't really happen

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Score and situation: Down a run with three outs to go, the Texas Rangers rallied in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen for a 2-1 victory on Thursday night to even the World Series at one game apiece. Not since Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees, had a team trailing in its last at-bat come back to win.

Leading lads: The keystone combination of Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus were having a great game on defense for the Rangers, but they set the table for a comeback on offense in the ninth. Both hit singles and ran the bases aggressively to increase Texas' leverage, putting Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in position to drive them in.

[Related: Rangers' brash ninth-inning rally foils Cards]

The game's starting pitchers — Colby Lewis for the Rangers and Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals — combined to allow a run, seven hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.

Head hangers: {YSP:MORE} Alexi Ogando got another

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Back on Sept. 12, when the St. Louis Cardinals trailed the National League wild card by 4 1/2 games with 15 to play in the season, some slaphappy fan at the MGM sports book in Las Vegas put down $500 of faith in his team.

What were the odds that the Cardinals were going to come back from the brink and make something of themselves and make this dude some cash? Well, not only can we tell you the odds, but we can also tell you what the payoff is.

[Related: Ian Kinsler steals a bag and Game 2 for the Rangers]

The sap true believer, Deadspin reports, wagered $250 at 500-to-1 odds that Team Fredbird would take the NL pennant, along with another $250 — at 999-to-1 odds — that the Cardinals would win the World Series.

Well, the fella (a St. Louisan, Deadspin says) is already $125,000 richer after the Cards upset the Phillies and Brewers in the NL playoffs, and he's three more St. Louis victories away from winning $250,000. Sounds great, doesn't it, cashing in on the old hometown team? But

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For the first eight innings of the World Series, the newfangled infrared "Hot Spot" camera Fox debuted Wednesday night proved itself useless. Even Fox broadcaster Tim McCarver found the device to be "weird."

Unless, that is, you enjoyed the trip down '80s sci-fi movie memory lane, when the camera showed occasional heat-seeking images reminiscent of the aliens in "They Live," along with the "Predator" night vision from, um, "Predator." And that one shot of Lance Berkman's active armpits in the sixth. Never let them see you sweat, Puma.

[Related: Allen Craig is a name to remember after Game 1 heroics]

Until the ninth inning came and, with one out, Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers hit a chopper to third that he claimed had bounced off his left foot — which would make it a foul ball. Only, none of the umpires saw it that way, even after Beltre and manager Ron Washington argued, so he was out. St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte retired the next batter as well, and his team had a 3-2

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Score and situation: The St. Louis Cardinals got another strong effort from their bullpen and just enough offense to win Game 1 of the World Series 3-2 against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night.

[Video: Game 1 highlights | Lookahead to Game 2]

Leading lads: Ace right-hander Chris Carpenter allowed two runs and five hits over — whaddya know?! — six innings. The Cardinals bullpen — Fernando Salas, Mark Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel, Arthur Rhodes and Jason Motte — allowed just a hit and a walk over three scoreless relief innings.

Cardinals pinch-hitter Allen Craig, no doubt cheered on by his famous pet tortoise @TortyCraig, hit a perfectly placed RBI single in the sixth inning against Alexi Ogando that landed just beyond the grasp (pictured) of outfielder Nelson Cruz.

Watch the go-ahead hit

Head hangers: {YSP:MORE} Though he allowed three runs and four hits, Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson struggled again in the postseason, walking six over 5 2/3 innings. Slugger Josh