ST. LOUIS -- It was the night that made Adam Wainwright a star, Jeff Suppan a National League Championship Series MVP and Yadier Molina an October hero.

The 83-win Cardinals reached the 2006 postseason with the second-fewest victories ever for a playoff team at the time, and 12 teams in the Majors had a better record that season. St. Louis wasn’t a favorite in any of its series that October, but it emerged with the World Series trophy. And the Cardinals’ run through October was highlighted by Game 7 of the NLCS, an epic 3-1 victory over the Mets in Queens.

Before we relive the ins and outs of that thrilling game, let’s jump to the ending -- specifically, the pitch that froze New York.

With a 3-1 lead and on the verge of a World Series appearance, rookie closer Wainwright gave up two consecutive singles and a two-out walk to load the bases for Carlos Beltrán, one of the hottest hitters in baseball at the time and a hitter who had notoriously destroyed Cardinal pitching in both the 2004 and '06 NLCS. But Wainwright worked Beltrán into an 0-2 count, and both Wainwright and Molina knew the next pitch had to be the best pitch Wainwright has ever thrown.

The sharp-breaking curveball froze Beltrán for a called strike three. It sent Molina leaping through the rain and out to the mound to celebrate, and it gave the Cardinals their 17th NL pennant in club history.

"I'm not a guy who gets nervous,” Wainwright said after the game. “I can remember only a handful of times in my life when I've been really nervous. This was the most nervous I've ever been in my life.”

To get to that moment, the Cardinals and Mets played through a rain-soaked and captivating game at Shea Stadium, with key moments at every turn.

In the top of the sixth and a 1-1 tie, Mets left fielder Endy Chávez made the catch of his life. Scott Rolen drilled a pitch to deep left field, and Chávez leaped from a full sprint, reached over the wall -- his elbow cleared the top of the padding -- and pulled the would-be homer back. Then Chávez doubled off Jim Edmonds at first base. He received two curtain calls, and Shea Stadium was rocking with the Mets’ momentum.

Suppan pitched seven innings of two-hit ball that night, but his biggest inning was the sixth, after Chávez’s catch. Rolen made a wild throw to first base for an error, then Suppan intentionally walked Shawn Green to load the bases and face Jose Valentin, who struck out swinging. Then Chávez came to bat with his catch still echoing around the park, but Suppan got him to fly out to center on the first pitch.

And Molina, just 24 at the time, hinted at his All-Star future by influencing almost every key turning point of the game. After Molina helped navigate Suppan out of the sixth, the score remained deadlocked going into the ninth. With Rolen on first base, Molina launched the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a go-ahead, two-run home run.

"I just prayed, " Molina said. "I prayed Endy Chávez wouldn't catch the ball."

All Chávez could do was look up and watch the ball soar.