Allen Craig hit the go-ahead homer and Chris Carpenter pitched six solid innings on three days’ rest as the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series with a 6-2 Game 7 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Friday.

Game 6 hero David Freese added a two-run double to give him a record 21 RBIs in the postseason as the Cardinals won their 11th World Series title by winning the final two games to overcome a 3-2 deficit.

Freese was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series and became only the sixth player to win MVP honors in the League Championship Series and World Series in the same year.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa won his third World Series crown overall and second in the past six years with St. Louis.

Texas became the 12th team to lose in the World Series in back-to-back years. The Rangers fell in five games to San Francisco in 2010.

Carpenter (2-0) allowed run-scoring doubles to Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in the first inning before blanking the Rangers over the next five innings. He gave up six hits and two walks and struck out five before leaving after allowing David Murphy’s leadoff double in the seventh.

Four St. Louis relievers held Texas without a hit over the final three innings, with Jason Motte retiring David Murphy on a fly ball to left for the final out.

Craig started in left field in place of an injured Matt Holliday and hit a one-out homer to right off Matt Harrison (0-2) in the third inning to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead. Harrison allowed three runs and five hits in four innings.

The Cardinals added two runs without a hit in the fifth inning when Yadier Molina was walked with the bases loaded by Scott Feldman, and Rafael Furcal was hit by a pitch from C.J. Wilson. Molina added a run-scoring single in the seventh.

Freese hit his two-run double in the opening inning one night after helping the Cardinals reach Game 7 with a game-tying double with two outs in the ninth and a walk-off homer two innings later.