Cardinals manager Mike Matheny knows the awesome elation that comes with reaching the World Series, and knows even better the putrid taste of defeat.
On the verge of his first World Series in a managerial role, the 43-year-old reflected on what it felt like when his Cardinals were ousted in four games by the Red Sox in the 2004 Fall Classic. Matheny caught 122 games for St. Louis that season, and posted a meagre .473 OPS throughout the postseason.
"It sure left a sharp bite and it's something you just don't forget," Matheny told MLB.com's Chad Thornburg. "It went from being the greatest baseball experience I've ever had in my life -- winning 105 games, and being a team that was one of the best I had ever been around -- to having our lunch handed to us in the World Series and really not playing to the caliber that we were capable of. That was one of the toughest experiences of my baseball career.
"You don't forget that. You don't forget what that feels like. You realize how special the opportunity is and not to leave anything on the table."
