THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS - When left-hander Jaime Garcia takes the ball for the Cardinals in Game 2 on today, he will become the first Mexican-born pitcher to start in a World Series since the Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
And while Garcia said Wednesday the milestone was an honor, he wasn't aware the situation even existed until Tuesday.
"I just found out yesterday," said Garcia, who was born in the border town of Reynosa and grew up in Texas. "I'm thrilled to hear that and I'm going to go out there and represent the team, my family and not only my hometown but the whole country of Mexico."
He may have to go some to match Valenzuela's performance, though. In his only World Series appearance, Valenzuela pitched a complete game to beat the New York Yankees in a series the Dodgers won in six games.
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Garcia would be in line to return for Game 6 at Busch Stadium, if there is one. He went 9-4 with a 2.55 ERA during the regular season in 15 starts at Busch and was just 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA on the road.
Rhodes does his job
After 20 years in the majors and 900 games on the mound, Arthur Rhodes finally got his first chance to pitch in the World Series.
He did his job, too. Brought in to face left-handed slugger Josh Hamilton, Rhodes retired last year's AL MVP on a lazy fly to center for the final out of the eighth inning, keeping the Cardinals ahead by a run.
What a wild journey it was for Rhodes, 41, a lefty swho igned a $4.1 million, one-year contract before the season with the Rangers, of all teams. But they released him on Aug. 8 and he signed with St. Louis three days later.
Texas is responsible for almost all of his salary this year. So the Rangers really paid for that out - in more ways than one.
Going nuts
The Rally Squirrel has quickly become incredibly popular, ever since a couple of the critters showed up at Busch during the NL playoffs' first round.
"It's been nuts," St. Louis announcer Mike Shannon said, so to speak. "Even in Hollywood, they wouldn't dream up something like this."
A person dressed in a squirrel costume has even sprung up. He wears jersey No. 11 - as in, the Cardinals are trying to win their 11th World Series championship. The new mascot was at an event Wednesday where first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden honored military veterans.
Inside pitch
• The first-pitch temperature at Busch Stadium was 49 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like 43. That's five degrees colder than it was at the start of the NHL Winter Classic in Pittsburgh last January.
• With rain falling throughout the day, the protective tarp was not removed from the infield until less than two hours before game time, preventing batting practice.
