Monday, October 18, 2004
He broke the record for consecutive postseason games with a home run.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Carlos Beltran sent Minute Maid Park into a frenzy. He drove Julian Tavarez a little crazy, too.
In an October he is stamping as all his own, Beltran struck again Sunday. He homered in a record fifth straight postseason game, sending the Houston Astros over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 and tying the NL championship series at 2.
Beltran homered into the Houston bullpen in right field, hitting a tie-breaking drive in the seventh inning. Making it more special, he connected off Tavarez.
Before Game 1, Tavarez made this assessment: "We don't look at the Houston Astros like this is a great team. They are good, but we are better than them. We are the best because we've got 108 wins. We've proved it."
Beltran reached down to golf a 2-2 slider, and matched Barry Bonds' 2002 mark with his eighth home run in a single postseason.
"There's no better feeling," he said.
Jeff Bagwell was the next batter, and the excitable Tavarez threw a fastball over his head. The two players shouted at each other, plate umpire Mike Winters warned against further trouble and play resumed without any problems.
When the inning ended, Tavarez shouted at himself while walking to the dugout. Once on the bench, he tried to rip off the bullpen phone and slammed down a water cooler.
"I just lost my cool," Tavarez said.
Broke the record
Beltran broke the record set by Jeffrey Leonard and tied by Juan Gonzalez in 1996 for consecutive postseason games with a home run.
"Barry Bonds is the best hitter in baseball. I don't think he could have hit that pitch," Tavarez said. "I can't believe he hit it."
Said Astros manager Phil Garner: "This is as good as I've ever seen anybody swing the bat, not just Carlos Beltran."
Beltran is getting more rich with each swing. The switch-hitting All-Star center fielder might be the prime free agent on the market once the season ends -- at this moment, he's aiming for a ring.
"I'm just being relaxed, patient at the plate," Beltran said.
Albert Pujols hit his fifth homer of the postseason for St. Louis, then came close to a go-ahead two-run shot in the ninth against Brad Lidge. But the ball was caught on the warning track, and the Astros' closer struck out Scott Rolen for his second straight save.
19 homers in four games
Lance Berkman also homered for Houston, giving the teams a combined 19 home runs through only four games.
Dan Wheeler wound up with the win, pitching one inning in relief before letting Lidge go two innings for the second straight day.
With Roy Oswalt on the mound, the Astros really liked this pitching match-up. Yet, the right-handed pitcher who led the league with 20 wins was far from his best. He hung around for six innings and didn't strike out a single hitter for the first time since July 2003.
Oswalt went 2-0 against St. Louis this season, then won the clinching Game 5 of the first round in Atlanta. But he seemed too eager and too excited at the start and never found his rhythm.
In constant trouble
Fortunately for the Astros, Jason Marquis wasn't much better. Bumped down in the rotation after getting hit hard by Los Angeles in Game 2 of the opening round, he was in constant trouble.
La Russa kept looking for edges, and a couple of lineup shifts paid off. John Mabry started in place of left fielder Reggie Sanders and hit an RBI single, and rookie catcher Yadier Molina replaced Mike Matheny and threw out Craig Biggio trying to steal, and added a hit.
Houston tied it at 5 in the sixth on Berkman's homer and RBI single by No. 8 hitter Raul Chavez -- he is Oswalt's personal catcher and not known for his hitting, and he cheered himself all the way down the line.
ST. LOUISHOUSTON
abrhbiabrhbi
Wmack 2b4100Biggio lf4010
LWalkr rf3110Lane lf0000
Pujols 1b4233CBeltrn cf3321
Rolen 3b5120Bgwell 1b3121
Edmnd cf3001Brkmn rf2123
Rnteria ss3000JKent 2b3000
Tvarez p0000Lidge p0000
Mtheny c0000Ensbrg 3b4000
Mabry lf3011JVzcno ss4110
Calero p0000RChavz c3011
King p0000Asmus c1000
Luna ss1000Oswalt p2000
YMlina c4010OPlmro ph1000
Isrnghs p0000Wheelr p0000
Mrquis p2010Brntlett ss1000
Tguchi lf0000
Cedeno lf1000
Totals33595Totals31696
St. Louis301100000--5
Houston10200210x--6
DP--St. Louis 1. LOB--St. Louis 8, Houston 6. 2B--Rolen (1), Bagwell (1), Berkman (2), JVizcaino (1). HR--Pujols (3), CBeltran (4), Berkman (3). CS--Biggio (1). S--Taguchi. SF--Edmonds.
IPHRERBBSO
St. Louis
Marquis453322
Calero1 2-332203
King1-300000
Tavarez L,1-1111120
Isringhausen100000
Houston
Oswalt685540
Wheeler W,1-0110001
Lidge S,2200012
Marquis pitched to 1 batter in the 5th. HBP--by Tavarez (JKent). WP--Tavarez. PB--RChavez. Umpires--Home, Mike Winters; First, Angel Hernandez; Second, Ed Rapuano; Third, Tim Welke; Left, Eric Cooper; Right, Gary Darling. T--3:01. A--42,760.