Cardinals' top defensive plays of the decade

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals have always been known for their solid defense -- infield, outfield, behind the plate and even on the mound.

There are dazzling, jaw-dropping plays every season, which is why this list could go on and on. Nevertheless, MLB.com has narrowed it down to the top 10 defensive plays of the decade. Let’s dive in:

1. Craig’s leaping grab in Game 7
Oct. 28, 2011

After Game 6’s insanity, the Cardinals took the lead against the Rangers in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series. With one out in the sixth inning and St. Louis leading 5-2, Nelson Cruz hammered a ball from Chris Carpenter out to left field. It looked gone. But Allen Craig -- who had homered in the third to break a tie -- wasn’t going to let that happen. The left fielder backed up to the track, timed his leap perfectly and made the catch over the top of the wall. Carpenter was ecstatic on the mound, and Albert Pujols lifted his glove to Craig. Instead of giving the Rangers momentum, Craig stole it and the Cardinals won, 6-2, for the World Series title. Watch here.

2. Beltrán’s double play in Game 1 of the NLCS
Oct. 11, 2013

Game 1 of the National League Championship Series certainly lived up to the hype of the Dodgers-Cardinals battle that would ensue over the six-game series, ultimately won by the Cards. Joe Kelly held the Dodgers to two runs over six innings, while Zack Greinke did the same to the Cardinals' offense through eight frames. Tied 2-2, the game went to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis tripled off Trevor Rosenthal, who then intentionally walked Hanley Ramirez to put two on and one out. When Michael Young lifted a ball to shallow left-center field, Carlos Beltrán called Jon Jay off and caught the ball, so Ellis, waiting on third, decided to test Beltran’s arm. That turned out to be a mistake. Beltrán fired a perfect one-hop throw to Yadier Molina at the plate to nail the would-be go-ahead runner and ended the frame. Beltrán -- who had driven in the Cards’ two runs earlier in the game -- hit the walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th to give the Cardinals the crucial 3-2 win.

3. Carpenter’s diving tag in the World Series
Oct. 19, 2011

Every out counts, especially in the postseason. And in Game 1 of the 2011 World Series, Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter set that tone early. With one out and no one on base, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus hit a grounder to Albert Pujols. The first baseman ranged to his right to field the ball and left first base open for Carpenter to cover. Pujols’ toss was a bit too far ahead for Carpenter to catch it in stride, so the pitcher dove and made a backhanded catch along the way. Carpenter hit the ground, and his outstretched glove reached the bag before the speedy Andrus did. Andrus nimbly avoided stomping on Carpenter as he ran across the base, luckily avoiding any kind of catastrophic injury. Carpenter hopped up from the ground, smiled and went back to work, holding Texas to two runs over six innings in the Cards’ 3-2 win. Watch it here.

4. Holliday’s one-hop strike
Oct. 22, 2011

Matt Holliday wasn’t known for his defense, but in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, he made a powerful throw that ended a Rangers rally and put the Cardinals one step closer to the championship. In the bottom of the fourth, with the St. Louis leading 5-0, Texas scored three runs off Kyle Lohse. And with one out and runners on first and third, the Rangers looked poised for more runs. But when Ian Kinsler hit a fly ball to left field, Holliday was there to catch it. And when Mike Napoli decided to take off for home, Holliday whipped the ball to Molina, who laid a great tag on Napoli to end the inning. The Cards tacked onto their lead after that -- this was the Albert Pujols three-homer game -- and won, 16-7.

5. Wong’s diving stop in LA
Aug. 21, 2018

Kolten Wong’s glovework came in handy in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Dodgers when closer Bud Norris was trying to protect the Cardinals’ 5-2 lead at Dodger Stadium. Justin Turner sent a ground ball up the middle to open the inning, which looked to be a single. Not with Wong playing. The Cardinals second baseman dove to the shortstop side of second base and knocked the ball down at the edge of the outfield grass. As Turner sprinted toward first base, Wong gathered the ball in his hand and threw a 60.9 mph sidearm throw to first base -- 117 feet away -- where Matt Carpenter snagged it and pumped his fist when he got the out call he was hoping for. Wong’s diving stop was incredible, his throw was unbelievable and the play was added to the memorable ones Wong has made during his career.

6. Molina catches Suarez in heads-up play
April 28, 2017

Not many players run on veteran catcher Yadier Molina, because they don’t really have a chance. And even when they don’t run, they still don’t have a chance. In the top of the sixth inning against the Reds, Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn walked Devin Mesoraco. Eugenio Suarez and Scott Schebler had begun to take off with a full count, so they reached third and second base quickly. As Suarez jogged around third and waited for the next play, third baseman Jedd Gyorko snuck up on the bag and Molina fired the ball down the line. When Gyorko laid the tag on Suarez, who was standing off the base, Suarez didn’t even know what hit him. While the Reds runners looked stunned, Molina pumped his fist and jogged off the field. It ended the frame, and the Cards won, 7-5.

7. Cards turn triple play
June 6, 2014

Triple plays are hard to come by, and the Cardinals only had one in the decade. In the bottom of the sixth inning, reliever Seth Maness had loaded the bases with two singles and an error from Matt Carpenter. But Jose Bautista hit a hard liner to second baseman Daniel Descalso, who grabbed it and flipped it to shortstop Jhonny Peralta at second. Then Peralta fired the ball to Allen Craig at first base, and Melky Cabrera had no chance of making it back in time. Although the Cards eventually lost, 3-1, the triple play kept St. Louis in the game rather than letting the Blue Jays extend their lead.

8. Pham’s game-saving catch
June 9, 2017

After returning to Busch Stadium on a seven-game losing streak, the Cardinals were up 3-2 in the top of the ninth against the Phillies and desperate for a win. With Aaron Altherr on third and two outs, Freddy Galvis hit a slicing line drive toward the left-field line. If not for Tommy Pham’s four-star catch to end the game, the Phils would have tied it. Pham covered 50 feet in 3.4 seconds to make the game-saving catch that had a 29 percent catch probability. It was Pham’s first four-star catch that season.

9. Wong’s inning-ending double play
July 6, 2015

Part of Wong’s highlight reel of defensive gems was this inning-ending double play against the Cubs in 2015. To open the sixth inning of a scoreless game, John Lackey allowed consecutive leadoff singles by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. Lackey got the key strikeout of cleanup hitter Miguel Monter to secure one out, and then came the game-changing assist from Wong on Starlin Castro’s sharp grounder. Wong dove to his left to stop the ball, flipped it to his right and then watched as shortstop Jhonny Peralta finished turning the play of the game. The Cardinals won, 6-0.

10. Bader’s five-star grab
April 29, 2018

Harrison Bader usually makes outfield plays look easy, even when Statcast tells us that there was really no way he should have been able to catch that. This one was no different. In the bottom of the second inning of the Cardinals’ 5-0 loss to the Pirates, Josh Bell hit a fly ball to right field to open the frame. Bader was positioned pretty far back in right, but he got a good read and jump on the ball. Still, the catch probability was seven percent, according to Statcast. And still, Bader made the catch. He had 3.5 seconds to go 56 feet, and he dove for the ball that landed in the top of his glove. Bader lifted his glove to show that he had it, then casually threw it to pitcher Luke Weaver, who pumped his right fist in appreciation for Bader.