2013 World Series: Matt Holliday Shines For Cardinals

H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

As the St. Louis Cardinals came up short and lost the 2013 World Series to the Boston Red Sox in six games, they were often lacking in the offensive department. That had a lot to do with injuries to Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran, as well as the fact that the Red Sox pitching was just really stinkin’ good. For what it’s worth, for the Cardinals to come up short in the World Series for a lack of offense is going to do little to quiet those annoying Troy Tulowitzki trade rumors this off-season. Speaking of Tulo, his good buddy Matt Holliday did his part in the series to try and jolt some life into the offense.

For the series Holliday batted .286 with four extra base hits. Those included a high impact triple and a stand-alone home run. He drove in five runs. That continues a trend of solid offense in the postseason for Holliday, dating back to that famed 2007 Rocktober run with the Colorado Rockies. That year he cracked five home runs and drove in 10 in fewer games because every series was a sweep (one way or the other).

It is worth mentioning because the ties between Holliday and the Rockies aren’t going anywhere. For one thing, we will always have occasion to ask the “Holliday or CarGo” question due to the fact that the two men were traded for each other. For a while there Carlos Gonzalez ran away with that topic, but Holliday’s production has perhaps turned things. The value in his postseason production cannot be denied either, even if CarGo doesn’t have the chance to even put a resume up for comparison in that category.

And then there are Holliday’s continued friendships with members of the Rockies. It was awesome to see his bald head at Todd Helton‘s retirement press conference. He does remain close friends with Tulo, which will hopefully be nothing more than an item worth mentioning in passing this off-season and beyond. In the end I have nothing but fond memories of Holliday as a Rockie, and I am happy to see him succeed on a big stage as a member of the Cardinals, even if it was on the losing end of things.