words // Brandon Richard

Last night, the St. Louis Cardinals captured their 18th NL pennant with a 12-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers to head back to the World Series. An unlikely Series participant, the Birds won 30 of their last 43 games in the regular season and closed the gap on a 10 1/2 game deficit with just 31 left to play. They clinched a spot in the postseason in their very last game before upsetting the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series. Then, they went on to unseat the favored Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship series for an opportunity to play for their 11th World Series Championship.

In the series, they’ll meet the Texas Rangers, who won big over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday to advance to their second-straight Fall Classic. The Rangers’ run has been a little more along the line of expectations, after an impressive season saw them repeat as American League West Champions. They then put an end to the resilient run of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series before matching up with a game Detroit team swing-for-swing, capping off the series with an emphatic 15-5 victory.

This World Series is sure to be one for the books. If the Rangers manage to pull off a victory, it’ll be the first in franchise history and will send another major sports championship to Texas after the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Finals earlier this year. On the other hand, this isn’t new territory for the Cardinals. St. Louis has won 10 World Series, the second most of all-time, and are looking to create a little more distance between them and the field by capturing their 11th.

To celebrate the achievement of both teams, you can now purchase official 2011 MLB League Championship Gear. The t-shirts, both red-based, were made by Majestic and feature large team logos on the front. New Era is responsible for the hats, which are done in graphite and come complete with League Championship series embroidery. Get your set today at Eastbay.

Who do you think will win this year’s World Series?

Available now: MLB League Championship Gear