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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS -- Jim Edmonds got the St. Louis Cardinals'
clinching party off to an early start.
|  | | The Cardinals were in celebration mode at Busch Stadium after clinching the NL Central Division Championship on Wednesday. |
The Cardinals became the first team to earn a playoff spot this
season, winning the NL Central on Wednesday night when Edmonds'
third-inning grand slam sent them to an 11-6 win over the Houston
Astros.
"You get the grand slam to start the game going and you just
hope everybody else can follow," Edmonds said. "You don't want it
to be close. You want to get it over and relax."
A sellout crowd at Busch Stadium saw the Cardinals win the
division title for the first time since 1996, manager Tony La
Russa's first year with the team.
Fans were on the feet when Tim Bogar lined to second baseman
Fernando Vina for the final out. As fireworks exploded overhead,
the Cardinals rushed to celebrate on the mound.
La Russa won his seventh division crown, doing it four times in
Oakland and once with the Chicago White Sox.
"The latest is always the best one," La Russa said. "I
guarantee it."
Ray Lankford homered the next pitch from Chris Holt after
Edmonds' slam, giving the Cardinals a 5-0 cushion. Lankford and
Craig Paquette each homered twice as St. Louis won for the eighth
time in nine games.
The Astros, who had three straight NL Central championships, had
their five-game winning streak stopped.
"I just got off the field as quick as possible," Bogar said.
"I didn't want to watch the celebration. This is the last thing I
wanted, to watch them celebrate."
Edmonds has a career-high 41 homers, eight more than his
previous best in 1995. His power has helped fill the void left by
Mark McGwire.
McGwire, who was on the disabled list for two months and limited
to 79 games by a severe case of tendinitis in his right knee, has
been reduced to pinch-hit duties since his return Sept. 8. He's
3-for-8 with two homers.
McGwire was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. He has said
it's extremely doubtful he'll be able to play first base when the
playoffs begin in the first week of October -- it will be his first
postseason appearance since 1992 with Oakland.
Big Mac was at the center of the celebration, roaming the
clubhouse in search of teammates to spray with champagne. And he
was happy not to be the focal point for once.
"This is what baseball is all about," McGwire shouted. "This
is what I've been trying to preach the last couple years. It's a
team sport."
Richard Hidalgo hit his 41st home run for Houston. Jeff Bagwell
scored his 147th run, breaking the Astros record set by Craig
Biggio in 1997.
A crowd of 38,653, watching in 59-degree weather, was the 34th
sellout of the season for the Cardinals, breaking the team record
set in 1988.
The fans saw St. Louis set and tie several long-ball records.
The Cardinals:
Hit consecutive homers for the 15th time, matching the NL mark
set by the 1956 Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals missed a 16th time
when Paquette and Lankford connected in the seventh off Brian
Powell, with an Edmonds' strikeout in between.
Hit their 11th grand slam, extending the team's single-season
record.
Hit their 228th homer, breaking the team record of 223 set in
1998. That was the year McGwire hit a record 70.
Rookie Rick Ankiel (10-7) was also on his game, giving up three
runs -- two earned -- on four hits in seven innings with eight
strikeouts. He held the Astros, who had scored 47 runs during their
winning streak, hitless the first four innings.
Holt (7-15) lasted four innings, giving up eight runs on eight
hits.
"I thought Chris had pretty good stuff," Astros manager Larry
Dierker said. "But every time he got a pitch up, they whacked
it."
Hidalgo hit his fifth homers in nine games at Busch Stadium this
season in the sixth. Houston scored twice in the fifth on Raul
Chavez's bloop single and a sacrifice fly by Keith Ginter in his
major league plate appearance.
Singles by Mike Matheny, Vina and Paquette loaded the bases with
one out in the third.
Edmonds hit a drive over the right-field wall for his second
career grand slam on a 3-2 pitch for the first runs of the game. On
the next pitch, Lankford hit his 25th homer.
Vina added an RBI single in the fourth for the Cardinals and
Edgar Renteria had a run-scoring groundout in the seventh.
Game notes
The Cardinals were a combined 23 games below .500 in the
last three years since winning the NL Central in 1996. ... Edmonds'
homer was his 40th by an outfielder, a team record. He has hit one
as a first baseman. ... Roger Cedeno had two hits for Houston. He's
6-for-6 in the first two games of the series. ... Ankiel has won
only four of his last 16 starts, during which he's 4-4. But the
Cardinals are 11-5 in that stretch. ... The Cardinals, who lost 8-6
in 10 innings Tuesday, haven't lost consecutive games since Aug.
8-9 against the Marlins.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 2
Oakland 0
Oakland 4
Baltimore 0
(2nd game)
Cleveland 2
Boston 1
Cleveland 5
Boston 4
(2nd game)
Chi. White Sox 13
Detroit 6
Toronto 7
NY Yankees 2
Seattle 5
Tampa Bay 4
Anaheim 7
Kansas City 4
Texas 6
Minnesota 4
Montreal 4
Florida 2
Pittsburgh 7
Philadelphia 6
NY Mets 6
Atlanta 3
Milwaukee 3
Chicago Cubs 2
St. Louis 11
Houston 6
San Diego 15
Colorado 11
Los Angeles 1
Arizona 0
San Francisco 4
Cincinnati 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mark McGwire says reaching the postseason is what baseball is all about.
wav: 124 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jim Edmonds knew early that the Cardinals could be a championship team.
wav: 111 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tony La Russa is excited to clinch a playoff berth in front of the home fans.
wav: 94 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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