Baseball truly is a game of inches, as Detroit left fielder Craig Monroe barely failed to make a diving catch of David Eckstein's game-winning hit in a 5-4 St. Louis win Thursday night. A Monroe catch would have kept the game tied, and perhaps Detroit would have come through to tie the World Series at two games apiece. Now the Cardinals lead the Series three games to one, and the Tigers must pull off a big win in St. Louis Friday night. The good new is: in the last 30 years, 15 World Series teams have fallen behind 3-1 and nine have pulled off a victory in Game 5. On the downside, only three of those nine Game 5 victories came on the road, a task that Detroit must execute tonight. The Tigers may take some inspiration that two of those three Game 5 wins on the road took place in St. Louis, courtesy of Kansas City in 1985 and Boston in 1967. And three of those nine teams to stave off elimination in Game 5 went on to capture a World Series title. Twice it's been the Cardinals losing the Series after going up 3-1. That was the case in 1985, when the Royals won Game 5 in St. Louis and claimed two more victories at home to win their first and only title. Also turning the trick on the Cardinals were these same Detroit Tigers, who fell behind 3-1 in 1968 before left-hander Mickey Lolich went the distance at Tiger Stadium for a 9-3 Game 5 victory. Then the Tigers won twice more in St. Louis. Lolich returned on two days' rest in Game 7 and went nine for a five-hitter and a 4-1 Series-clinching win.