Baseball: Pujols Does Trick for Cards

St Louis Cardinals travel to Boston Red Sox for game one of the World Series this evening thanks to a 5-2 win over Houston Astros in the National League championship decider.

For that St Louis were again grateful to Albert Pujols, who gave most of the 52,140 home crowd their voice on Thursday with a game-tying double in the sixth inning. Scott Rolen then secured the most significant win in 17 years with a two-run homer on the next pitch.

Pujols was waiting at home plate for his team-mate and the two men who combined for 247 runs batted-in during the season fell into an embrace. "This is what you dream about as a little boy," Pujols said. "Playing in game seven against the best pitcher in the league for the last 20 years."

Roger Clemens of the Astros had kept them at bay until then, allowing only one run, but he got into trouble in the sixth and the Cards put together their three-run rally. Houston were never closer to reaching a World Series in their 43 years, and never fell harder. They failed to get a run after the third inning or even a hit after the fourth.

So the series finished 4-3 despite Houston converting a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead with the home team, unusually, winning every game. Pujols was voted MVP after hitting .500.

The Cards, with 105 wins the most prolific team in the regular season, have won 10 World Series, the last in 1982, but not been in one since 1987 when they they lost in seven to Minnesota. The year before was Boston's last appearance, although their winning blank goes all the way back to 1918.

Tonight will, however, mark the third time the Cardinals and the Red Sox have met in a World Series, St Louis winning in seven in 1946 and 1967.

Tim Wakefield, Boston's knuckleball pitcher, will start his first game of the post-season this evening and Curt Schilling will begin game two at Fenway Park, so he will not have to bat and risk further damage to his injured ankle.

Pedro Martinez starts game three in St Louis, followed by Derek Lowe who won game seven against the Yankees.

TV: Channel 5, 11.55pm