Rookie pitcher John Maine dominated, Jose Reyes hit a leadoff home run and the New York Mets beat the St Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Wednesday to force the National League Championship Series to a decisive seventh game.
Reyes had three hits and two stolen bases, Shawn Green boosted the lead with a fourth-inning RBI single and Paul Lo Duca let the loud Shea Stadium crowd of 56,334 exhale with a two-run single in the seventh off Braden Looper that made it 4-0.
As a result, who goes to the World Series was to be decided yesterday, when the Cardinals planned to send Jeff Suppan to the mound to save their season. The Mets, carefully piecing together their pitching following injuries to Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, were to start erratic lefty Oliver Perez on three days' rest.
PHOTO: EPA
Darting in and out of trouble twice in the first three innings, Maine outpitched reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. Maine allowed two hits in the first and none after that, pitching five-and-a-third shutout innings, striking out five and walking four.
"I went to him before the game, and I said, `I wouldn't want anybody else but you. Let's go!'" Mets catcher Lo Duca said. "He was amazing."
When it was time to come out, he was circled on the mound like a conquering hero: Reyes patted him on the back and David Wright patted him on the shoulder. Maine acknowledged the standing ovation with only a small wave as he walked to the dugout.
"I try not to put too much pressure on myself," Maine said. "I just try to pound the strike zone and get them to put it in play."
Chad Bradford, Guillermo Mota, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner finished, with Wagner allowing a two-run, two-out double to So Taguchi in the ninth.
In a rematch of Game 2 starters who didn't get decisions, Carpenter was nearly as good, just not enough on this night. He gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings, dropping to 0-1 in his two playoff starts.
The Mets had an advantage yesterday: The past 11 home teams that won Game 6 of an LCS or World Series to stave off elimination have won Game 7, too. The last time a home team dropped Game 7 after winning Game 6 was 1975, when Boston lost to Cincinnati's Big Red Machine.
But St Louis has this going for them: No team in Major League Baseball history has won more do-or-die Game 7s than the Cardinals, who are 9-4 in those instances. In fact, they captured their most recent pennant by beating Houston in Game 7 in 2004.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series. Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner lasted four innings, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited Kershaw to seven games last season, and his 2025 debut was delayed as he recovered from multiple offseason surgeries. O’Hoppe had two hits with
RSS