MLB

If you weren't swept up in "Honkbal" fever during the 2013 World Baseball Classic, you're officially behind the curve. Team Netherlands made a surprise run through the early rounds of the tournament to the semifinals in San Francisco and proved they can become an international baseball power.

Maybe their success shouldn't have been such a surprise. The Kingdom of the Netherlands encompasses the Netherlands, Curacao, Aruba and other islands of the Netherlands Antilles, and some of baseball's best young talent calls those places home.

Allen Craig was one of the most prolific hitters for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013.  His production at the plate, specifically with runners in scoring position, was a key component in the successful season for the team.  An injury in early September sidelined the first baseman, forcing the Cardinals to rely on young power hitter Matt Adams.

Keep it locked here as we bring you live coverage of the 2013 World Series!

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The 2013 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox has started off with two excellent games—each team has stolen a victory—and the rest of the series should prove to be just as intense.

Here are the keys for each team to bring home the championship hardware for their respective city.

All stats via MLB.com.

The Boston Red Sox stormed out of the gates in Game 1, taking advantage of some mistakes to grab an early World Series lead. The St. Louis Cardinals fought back to win Game 2 at Fenway Park, which sends the Fall Classic to St. Louis all square at one.

It doesn't come as a surprise that the two evenly matched teams are deadlocked after two games. In fact, it wouldn't be a shock to see them tied after six games as well. They were the best teams in their respective leagues this season and are now battling for the ultimate prize.

The Boston Red Sox took Game 1 in dominant fashion, and the St. Louis Cardinals used opportunistic base-running to win Game 2.

Now, the 2013 World Series is tied at 1-1.

A pair of dramatic games has put the series in toss-up position, as neither team has a true advantage.

The question is, what adjustments much each team make to earn the advantage in the World Series?

The first two games of the 2013 World Series have been like night and day, with the Boston Red Sox taking Game 1 and the St. Louis Cardinals taking Game 2.

The Red Sox won 8-1 in the first game of the series, getting to Adam Wainwright early and often.  In Game 2, the Cardinals were able to make the most of a key seventh inning, scoring three total runs in the 4-2 win.

Game 3 of the 2013 World Series will be played on Saturday night, and if this game is anything like we've seen through the first two, it should be quite a fun one to watch.

The Boston Red Sox were able to take Game 1 quite easily, winning 8-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 2 was a different story, however, as the Cardinals were able to win 4-2 thanks to a wild seventh inning.

With the World Series tied at 1-1, both the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have some big questions that need answering as the series heads to Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals were able to tie up the series on Thursday night, winning 4-2 over the Red Sox despite a two-run home run from David Ortiz to put Boston up in the sixth inning.  

22-year-old Michael Wacha became the 17th-youngest pitcher to win a World Series game when he defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 on Thursday night.

The rookie was still highly effective, despite lacking the outstanding command he demonstrated in his previous three postseason starts; he ultimately allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over seven impressive innings.