If it’s not the greatest, it’s easily top ten. The only Series game I’ve seen that compares is Game Six in 1986, but (a) I’m a Mets fan so I’m partial and (b) if I’m honest with myself, it was only one half-inning of that game that was memorable. If you missed it last night, do penance by carving out eight minutes for the video recap below. The first six innings were among the sloppiest ever played in the World Series; the last five were a Rocky movie. Absorb this:

Cardinals 1st team in postseason history to score in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th inning in a game. Been done twice in regular season last 25 yrs

In other words, amid unbearable pressure, you saw the Cards pull off something last night that’s more unusual than a perfect game. They trailed five different times before coming back to win, the first time that’s happened in the Series. In two different innings, Texas was one strike from winning. I still think ’86 was the most miraculous ending ever to a Series game, but St. Louis’s comeback was more impressive by any measure. They had to do it from two runs down twice and they did it without benefit of any Buckneresque misplays. (Although Nelson Cruz should have caught Freese’s triple.) Simply astounding. You’ll never see another game like it.

Game Seven tonight. Good lord. Exit question for baseball junkies: Which Series games historically were arguably better than this? Game Eight in 1912, Game Seven in 1924, Game Seven in 1960, Game Six in 1975. What else? Click the image to watch.