Edmonds shows flair in spotlight
ST. LOUIS – Jim Edmonds’ nickname is “Hollywood,” a reference to the 36-year-old center fielder’s uncanny knack for coming through when everybody is watching.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa surely had that in mind when he kept putting Edmonds in the lineup against lefties this year, despite a puny .156 batting average against them.
Sure enough, facing Detroit Tigers southpaw Nate Robertson in Game 3 of the World Series, Edmonds put his name in lights yet again.
“He’s got that quality where the bigger the moment, the more likely he’s going to concentrate, not get distracted, and produce,” La Russa said. “He’s done that ever since he’s been here.
“He really is a prime-time guy.”
St. Louis’ elder statesman, prone more to musing about retirement in a season plagued with injury and struggles at the plate, lined a key double down the first-base line off Robertson in the fourth inning Tuesday night for the first runs in St. Louis’ 5-0 victory.
“I’m definitely not 25, so I’m just out there having a good time and enjoying the moment,” Edmonds said.
Getting to this moment was a long road for Edmonds. Post-concussion syndrome from a collision with a wall kept him out of the lineup for a month. His sore foot requires a daily numbing injection designed to last until the end of the game. And his aching left shoulder will require surgery in the off-season.
So it’s far from perfect.
“They’ve got medication for that and a lot of other things,” Edmonds joked. “It’s not necessarily pain-free but it’s a lot of fun.”
Edmonds was so bad against lefties this season that La Russa last month discussed the possibility of platooning the four-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner against tough lefties in the playoffs.
Then again, La Russa knows Edmonds’ history, and he’s been out there throughout the postseason, routinely tracking down fly balls even when he couldn’t help on offense. In the National League Championship Series, Edmonds made a spectacular catch at the wall in the sixth inning of Game 5 to rob the Mets’ Jose Reyes.
Edmonds was only 1 for 15 in the 2004 World Series, a rare postseason power outage. But Edmonds’ second World Series appearance has been a rousing success. He’s 4 for 9 with a team-leading four RBIs and is batting .296 overall in the postseason with two homers and a team-leading 10 RBIs.