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Albert Pujols hit a game-tying RBI double and Scott Rolen followed with a two-run home run off a rattled Roger Clemens as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Houston Astros 5-2 in Game 7 of the NL championship series Thursday night.
The Cardinals advance play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, which starts Saturday night in Boston. The Cardinals earned their first trip to the World Series since 1987. The Astros remain without a World Series trip in their 42-year history.
Pujols hit a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line in the sixth inning for his ninth RBI of the series. Rolen followed with his third homer of the series, hitting a first-pitch fastball from Clemens just over the left-field wall and just inside the line.
Roger Cedeno, who had led off the inning with a pinch-hit single and was 10-for-23 in the regular season against Clemens, played a key role in the inning by distracting the pitcher.
Clemens tried three pickoff throws and stepped off the mound three times when Cedeno was at first. He wheeled and stepped off again when Cedeno was at second after a sacrifice by Edgar Renteria.
Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan allowed two runs -- one earned -- and three hits in six innings. He also contributed a squeeze bunt for St. Louis' first run in the third.
Craig Biggio led off the game with his second home run of the postseason and the Astros' second run scored on center fielder Jim Edmonds' throwing error in the third.
Clemens, making his 30th career postseason start, allowed only one hit in the first four innings. He gave up five hits in the next two and was removed after throwing 90 pitches in six innings, giving up four runs and six hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
Marlon Anderson, pinch hitting for pitcher Julian Tavarez, led off the eighth with a double and went to third on Renteria's sacrifice bunt. Walker hit a broken-bat single to left to make the score 5-2 before Rolen hit into a double play to end the inning.
The Cardinals squandered a scoring opportunity in the fifth when Edmonds and Tony Womack singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Womack was picked off by Ausmus, the catcher, when Mike Matheny whiffed on a sacrifice bunt attempt, and Matheny then flied out.
The Astros scored in the first inning for the sixth time in seven games. Biggio, who was batting .179 in the series (5-for-28), was out in front of a 1-2 breaking ball but got enough of it to clear the left field wall just inside the foul pole.
Edmonds kept the Astros from adding more in the second, perhaps saving two runs with a spectacular diving catch of Brad Ausmus' liner to left-center. Jeff Kent drew a leadoff walk and Jose Vizcaino singled with one out before Edmonds, a six-time Gold Glove winner, robbed Ausmus on a drive that was tailing away from him.
Before Edmonds grounded out with one out in the second, he and Ausmus had a brief conversation at the plate.
But Edmonds' throwing error, the Cardinals' first of the postseason, handed the Astros a run in the third for a 2-0 lead. Carlos Beltran, who had walked and stolen his fourth base of the series, advanced to third on Jeff Bagwell's flyout and he scored when Edmonds' throw from medium center arrived just as he was sliding into the bag and the ball skipped into the Houston dugout.
The Cardinals had an errorless streak of 12 games overall, the longest in major league history, extending to the 2002 NLCS.
Suppan also got into early trouble in Game 3 against Clemens. He allowed three runs in the first inning before settling down in a 3-2 loss, the Cardinals' first of the NLCS.
Source: AP
The Cardinals advance play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, which starts Saturday night in Boston. The Cardinals earned their first trip to the World Series since 1987. The Astros remain without a World Series trip in their 42-year history.
Pujols hit a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line in the sixth inning for his ninth RBI of the series. Rolen followed with his third homer of the series, hitting a first-pitch fastball from Clemens just over the left-field wall and just inside the line.
Roger Cedeno, who had led off the inning with a pinch-hit single and was 10-for-23 in the regular season against Clemens, played a key role in the inning by distracting the pitcher.
Clemens tried three pickoff throws and stepped off the mound three times when Cedeno was at first. He wheeled and stepped off again when Cedeno was at second after a sacrifice by Edgar Renteria.
Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan allowed two runs -- one earned -- and three hits in six innings. He also contributed a squeeze bunt for St. Louis' first run in the third.
Craig Biggio led off the game with his second home run of the postseason and the Astros' second run scored on center fielder Jim Edmonds' throwing error in the third.
Clemens, making his 30th career postseason start, allowed only one hit in the first four innings. He gave up five hits in the next two and was removed after throwing 90 pitches in six innings, giving up four runs and six hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
Marlon Anderson, pinch hitting for pitcher Julian Tavarez, led off the eighth with a double and went to third on Renteria's sacrifice bunt. Walker hit a broken-bat single to left to make the score 5-2 before Rolen hit into a double play to end the inning.
The Cardinals squandered a scoring opportunity in the fifth when Edmonds and Tony Womack singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Womack was picked off by Ausmus, the catcher, when Mike Matheny whiffed on a sacrifice bunt attempt, and Matheny then flied out.
The Astros scored in the first inning for the sixth time in seven games. Biggio, who was batting .179 in the series (5-for-28), was out in front of a 1-2 breaking ball but got enough of it to clear the left field wall just inside the foul pole.
Edmonds kept the Astros from adding more in the second, perhaps saving two runs with a spectacular diving catch of Brad Ausmus' liner to left-center. Jeff Kent drew a leadoff walk and Jose Vizcaino singled with one out before Edmonds, a six-time Gold Glove winner, robbed Ausmus on a drive that was tailing away from him.
Before Edmonds grounded out with one out in the second, he and Ausmus had a brief conversation at the plate.
But Edmonds' throwing error, the Cardinals' first of the postseason, handed the Astros a run in the third for a 2-0 lead. Carlos Beltran, who had walked and stolen his fourth base of the series, advanced to third on Jeff Bagwell's flyout and he scored when Edmonds' throw from medium center arrived just as he was sliding into the bag and the ball skipped into the Houston dugout.
The Cardinals had an errorless streak of 12 games overall, the longest in major league history, extending to the 2002 NLCS.
Suppan also got into early trouble in Game 3 against Clemens. He allowed three runs in the first inning before settling down in a 3-2 loss, the Cardinals' first of the NLCS.
Source: AP