Hey baseball fans!

The 2011 World Series is about to get underway so we’re here to predict the winner of this year’s Fall Classic using the most realistic sports game around, MLB 11 The Show. We recently simulated the matchup between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals and judging by the results, you may want to fasten your seatbelts because it’s going to be a wild ride. Here’s a quick video rundown of the series:

As you can see, the Cards took the early series advantage, winning Game 1 behind the arm of their ace, Chris Carpenter, but the Rangers took back the momentum, and home field advantage, with an important win in Game 2. With the series back in Texas, the Cardinals fought hard behind their big bats, Matt Holiday and Lance Berkman, and retook the lead in the series with a surprising Game 3 victory. There was no panic in Texas, however, as Nelson Cruz continued his red hot postseason with home runs in Games 4 and 5 that propelled the Rangers to back-to-back victories and a 3-2 series lead as both teams returned to St. Louis. With their backs to the wall, the redbirds gave it there all in Game 6, but pitching and defense turned out to play the biggest part as neither team could break through offensively keeping the game scoreless into the late innings. Finally, a clutch, two-out hit by Josh Hamilton gave Texas the lead late in the game, and that was all the Rangers’ stellar bullpen would need, as they nailed down the victory and a World Series title.

A year ago the Rangers came up short in 2010 MLB finale, losing to the San Francisco Giants in five games, but this time around they would not be denied. With 2 home runs and 8 RBIs, Nelson Cruz was named the World Series MVP, helping the Texas Rangers bring home their first World Series crown in franchise history.

Here are the game-by-game scores:

• Game 1: St. Louis 2, Texas 1
• Game 2: Texas 5, St. Louis 2
• Game 3: St. Louis 7, Texas 5
• Game 4: Texas 8, St. Louis 4
• Game 5: Texas 4, St. Louis 3
• Game 6: Texas 1, St. Louis 0

Here are some of the top performers:

Texas Rangers:

• Nelson Cruz: 7-21, 2 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI (World Series MVP)
• Josh Hamilton: 7-24, 1 HR, GW hit in Game 6
• Michael Young: 6-22, 3 2B, 5 RBI
• Mike Adams: 3 G, 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K

St. Louis Cardinals:

• Lance Berkman: 5-20, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Matt Holliday: 6-21, 1 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B, 4 RBI
• Chris Carpenter: 2 G, 15 IP, 3 ER, 12 K

How accurate is MLB 11 The Show? The World Series starts tomorrow—we’ll know soon!

Welcome to The Show!