ST. LOUIS -- By the time David Freese stomped on home plate Game 6 had already been stamped among the greatest thrillers in baseball history.

Twice down to their last strike, the St. Louis Cardinals somehow rallied.

And when Freese completed a startling series of comebacks with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat Texas 10-9 on Thursday night, fans all over got ready to enjoy something they hadn't seen in a long time: Game 7 of the World Series.

"You had to be here to believe it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

It was as great a game as the sport has ever witnessed, rivaling the Carlton Fisk homer in Game 6 of the 1975 Series and Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 Series.

Freese saved St. Louis with a two-strike, two-out, two-run triple off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz that tied it in the ninth. In the 10th, after Josh Hamilton had homered to give Texas a two-run lead, Lance Berkman's two-strike, two-out single made it 9-all.

To Freese, who grew up in the St. Louis area, it all reminded him of a game-ending home run Jim Edmonds hit in the 2004 playoffs.

"Growing up or whatever, and you see stuff like that happen, those become memories," Freese said.

Great, that is, except for Texas. The Rangers were that close to winning their first championship.

"I understand it's not over till you get that last out," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "I was just sitting there praying we got that last out. We didn't get it."

This was just the third time that a team one out from elimination in the World Series came back to win the game, according to STATS LLC. The New York Mets did it with Buckner's mistake and wound up winning the championship. In 1911, the New York Giants rallied past the Philadelphia A's in Game 5, but lost the next game.

Next up on Friday night, the first Game 7 in the World Series since the Angels beat San Francisco in 2002.

After it was over, La Russa wasn't willing to announce his starter for Game 7 -- many believe it will be ace Chris Carpenter on three days' rest. Matt Harrison is set to start for Texas.

Home teams have won the last eight Game 7s in the World Series, a streak that started with the Cardinals beating Milwaukee in 1982.