So, with the Texas Rangers leading the Cardinals three games to two in the World Series, the Cardinals have the Rangers right where they want them.

Seven of the last nine times a team has returned home trailing 3-2 after five games in the Series, the home team has won both Game 6 and Game 7.

The Cardinals have been involved in three of those occasions, the latter two on the down side, losing at Minnesota in seven games in 1987 and at Kansas City in 1985 after taking 3-2 leads into a Game 6 on the road.

The Anaheim Angels won Games 6 and 7 in 2002 from San Francisco, the Arizona Diamondbacks did the same to the New York Yankees in 2001, Minnesota won 6 and 7 from Atlanta in 1991 and the New York Mets captured Games 6 and 7 to overcome Boston in 1986. The one exception: Toronto over the Braves in 1992.

And then there was 1982. The Cardinals have played this game before.

On a rainy, cold night much like tonight augurs to be, the Cardinals and John Stuper beat the Milwaukee Brewers 13-1 in a game twice delayed by rain, once for 2 hours ,13 minutes.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, of course, went without a topcoat or hat, and the game ultimately dragged to a conclusion exactly five hours after it started. The Cardinals went on to win Game 7 the next night, 6-3.

With Major League Baseball's reasonably new rule of suspending postseason games stopped by rain, the likelihood of such a lengthy delay tonight would be slim.

A dire forecast might induce MLB to postpone the game before it even starts and Texas manager Ron Washington, for one, wouldn't necessarily be opposed to that, rather than the game have a stop-and-start motif.

"We want to make sure the conditions are correct," said Washington on Tuesday, "and if we have to wait a day, then we have to wait a day. But if it's at all possible ... I want to play."

Nonetheless, those with long memories may have flashbacks tonight.

The Cardinals' history of winning sixth games when down three games to two is estimable. In five previous situations, they have won four times. They won against Milwaukee and Boston (1946) at home and at Detroit (1934) and New York (1926).

Only in 1930 did they lose at Philadelphia.

In the other three instances — against Boston, Detroit and the Yankees — they also won Game 7 of the World Series.

But their last two encounters with Game 6 of a World Series haven't worked out that well, as the Cardinals lost the famed Don Denkinger Game 6 at Kansas City in 1985 and Game 6 at Minnesota in 1987.

As far as Cardinals manager Tony La Russa's record in World Series Games 6 ... well, there isn't any.

All of La Russa's previous five World Series — two wins and three losses — have lasted five or four games. His 1989 Oakland Athletics swept San Francisco but were swept the next year by Cincinnati. The A's also lost to Los Angeles in five games in 1988.

La Russa's Cardinals teams lost in four games against Boston in 2004 and beat Detroit in five games in 2006.

Tonight's Game 6 will be the first in any kind of postseason series at new Busch Stadium. It will have to go some, though, to match the last Game 6 played in St. Louis.

That was Game 6 of the 2004 National League championship series against Houston when Jim Edmonds smacked a two-run, game-winning homer in the 12th inning to get the Cardinals to Game 7, which they won the next night with Edmonds making a key diving catch in left-center field.

Perhaps Matt Holliday, three for 18 with four strikeouts and three double plays grounded into, will be this year's Edmonds.

Holliday, most often the Cardinals' cleanup man this year, won't have the indignity of having Albert Pujols walked three times intentionally ahead of him, including once with no one on base, as he did Monday. Holliday will be hitting fifth tonight with switch-hitting Lance Berkman fourth.

Pujols' three very free passes Monday tied a World Series record for one game held by Boston's Rudy York (against the Cardinals) in 1946 and San Francisco's Barry Bonds (against Anaheim) in 2002.

But, unlike what happened to Pujols on Monday, all three intentional walks in each of the other two cases occurred with at least one other runner on base in scoring position.

The Cardinals, despite the recent 30-year history of seven-game Series, aren't in the most enviable circumstances, of course, in this one. But they do have to win just two games in a row at home.

They have won at least two in a row at home this year on 16 different occasions.

COMING HOME DOWN 3-2

In the 10 most recent World Series where a team trails 3-2 and goes home for the final two games, the home team has won seven times.

 

Year / Down 3-2 / Opponent / Result

2003 ... at New York ... Florida ... Florida wins series 4-2

2002 ... at Anaheim ... San Francisco ... Anaheim wins series 4-3

2001 ... at Arizona ... NY Yankees ... Arizona wins series 4-3

1992 ... at Atlanta ... Toronto ... Toronto wins series 4-2

1991 ... at Minnesota ... Atlanta ... Minnesota wins series 4-3

1987 ... at Minnesota ... St. Louis ... Minnesota wins series 4-3

1986 ... at NY Mets ... Boston ... NY Mets win series 4-3

1985 ... at Kansas City ... St. Louis ... Kansas City wins series 4-3

1982 ... at St. Louis ... Milwaukee ... St. Louis wins series 4-3

1981 ... at NY Yankees ... LA Dodgers ... LA Dodgers win series 4-2