BOSTON — Lance Lynn squeezed through a door leading into the Green Monster, shimmied along a cramped space behind the famed left-field wall and peered out a tiny metal slot in the Fenway Park scoreboard.
“A little snug for me,” the burly St. Louis pitcher said.
Plenty of Cardinals got their first look at the century-old ballpark during a workout Tuesday, a day before they opened the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.
Hardly the first time we’ve seen these old rivals together, however. From Stan the Man and the Splendid Splinter, to Gibby and Yaz, to Pedro and Pujols, the Redbirds and Red Sox have created their own history.
Now, they’re set to meet for the fourth time in “that Octobery kind of air,” as Cardinals Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright described it.
Jon Lester will oppose him Wednesday night, facing a lineup that got a late boost. Allen Craig, who hit a major league-leading .454 with runners in scoring position but hasn’t played since Sept. 4 because of sprained left foot, is set to return.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” said the cleanup man, who will be the Cardinals’ designated hitter.
Weather could be a factor, too. Temperatures are supposed to dip into the low 40s and rain is in the forecast.
Boston was listed as a slim favorite in the matchup between teams that tied for the big league lead in wins. The clubs haven’t met in the regular season since 2008, and Red Sox speedster Jacoby Ellsbury was looking forward to this pairing that some are billing as the Beards vs. the Birds.
“It will be exciting to see some unfamiliar faces,” he said.
David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and many of their scraggly Boston teammates figure to get a good look at the Cardinals’ crop of young arms, led by postseason ace Michael Wacha and relievers Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez and Kevin Siegrist.
Ortiz is the link to the Red Sox team that swept St. Louis in the 2004 Series — Boston never trailed at any point — and ended an 86-year championship drought.
“Obviously I’m aware of the history of the two teams,” Ellsbury said. “Once the first pitch happens, all that goes out the window.”
The Red Sox are trying to win their third crown in 10 years. St. Louis is aiming to take its second title in three years and third in eight seasons.
“Some of us have some pretty bad memories of being here in 2004, and we’re looking to kind of right that ship,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.
Matheny was the Cardinals’ catcher that year, backed up by rookie Yadier Molina. Now Molina is considered the best defensive catcher in baseball, charged with trying to stop Ellsbury and a Red Sox team that’s run a lot in the postseason.
“It’s fun to be part of this history, to be here in Fenway Park, to be part of this Series against Boston,” Molina said.
“It’s different to play here overall. Playing defense, offense, pitching. It’s different, but at the same time it’s fun,” he said.
David Freese grew up in St. Louis and became MVP of the 2011 Series. He heard about Stan Musial vs. Ted Williams in 1946, knew about Bob Gibson facing Carl Yastrzemski in ’67 and recalled watching on TV when Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke fielded Edgar Renteria’s tapper to finish off 2004.
“I remember the comebacker that ended it. The sweep. You don’t expect a World Series to end in four games,” the 30-year-old third baseman said.
Freese said he’d always hoped to get a chance to play at Fenway, and he got his first look Tuesday.
After Matheny stood near the mound and pointed out the particulars of the dirt triangle in center field, Freese stepped in for batting practice. He launched a long drive that hit high off the Green Monster in left-center, the loud thwack echoing all around the ballpark.
“That’s my Wall ball,” he hooted to teammate Matt Holliday.
Good for a hitter, maybe not so great for a pitcher.
“A ballgame can change with one swing of the bat in this ballpark,” Wacha said. “It’s pretty crazy. Crazy dimensions, that’s for sure.”
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