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SPORTSWednesday 14 October

Cubs win NL Division Series, beat Cardinals 6-4 in Game 4

By ANDREW SELIGMAN Chicago Cubs players celebrate after winning Game 4 in baseball’s National League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in
AP Sports Writer Chicago. The Cubs won 4-6.
CHICAGO (AP) -- For
the Chicago Cubs and Associated Press
their ever-hopeful fans, this
bash was a long time in the matchup. The Mets took a after that home run, they to two runs and five hits the innings after outpitch-
making. 2-1 lead into Game 4 Tues- were really screaming af- rest of the way. Trevor Ca- ing former teammate Jon
Kyle Schwarber, Anthony day night. ter Schwarber’s monstrous hill picked up the win and Lester in a dominant se-
Rizzo and Javier Baez hom- No team was hotter down shot leading off the sev- Rondon worked the ninth ries opener. And the Car-
ered and the young Cubs the stretch than Chicago, enth. The ball seemed to for the save. dinals, playing without
clinched a postseason se- which finished third in the disappear, possibly clear- Hammel settled down after catcher Yadier Molina (left
ries at Wrigley Field for the majors with 97 wins after ing the videoboard in right giving up a two-run homer thumb), failed to advance
first time ever, beating the five straight losing seasons. or hitting the Budweiser sign to Piscotty on the game’s in the postseason after win-
St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Tues- The Cubs knocked out the above it. fourth pitch. He also singled ning at least one series the
day to win the NL Division two teams that finished The late drives by Rizzo in a run with two out in the previous four years.
Series in four games. ahead of them in the NL and Schwarber along with second before Baez con- They scored two in the sixth
Only once since they last Central, beating Pittsburgh Baez’s three-run homer nected against Lackey, the to tie it. Tony Cruz drove in
brought home the World in the wild-card game and off John Lackey in the sec- man the Cardinals were a run with a two-out dou-
Series in 1908 had the Cubs sending St. Louis home af- ond came after Chicago counting on to keep their ble off Trevor Cahill but
won a playoff series and ter it led the majors with 100 set a postseason record season going, to make it got thrown out at home
never before had they fin- wins. with six long balls in Mon- 4-2. by Jorge Soler trying to
ished off the job at their The banged-up Cardinals day’s win. Lackey gave up four runs score on Brandon Moss’ RBI
century-plus-old ballpark. had reached the NLCS in And with the ball flying out and four hits over three single to right.q
But with a raucous, towel- the last four years. again, the Cubs won for
waving crowd jamming Rizzo’s solo drive to right the 12th time in 13 games.
the Friendly Confines, the off losing pitcher Kevin Cubs starter Jason Ham-
North Siders gave genera- Siegrist in the sixth put Chi- mel allowed two runs and
tions of fans exactly what cago back on top 5-4 after three hits. He exited after
they wanted. St. Louis scored two in the giving up a leadoff walk
Closer Hector Rondon top half. toJhonny Peralta in the
struck out Stephen Pis- As if the fans were roaring fourth. Seven relievers com-
cotty on a pitch in the dirt, at the top of their lungs bined to hold the Cardinals
and catcher Miguel Mon-
teroscooped the ball and
made the tag to end it.
That sent the Cubs stream-
ing out of the dugout to
start a wild celebration.
‘’They deserve it,’’ Rizzo
said in the middle of the
party. ‘’Hopefully, this is
just a taste of what’s to
come.’’
Up-and-comers all season,
first-year manager Joe
Maddon’s bunch of wild-
card Cubs had arrived.
The Cubs are headed to
the NL Championship Se-
ries for the first time since
2003. They beat Atlanta
in the NLDS that year, but
then lost in seven games
to the Marlins. Chicago
dropped those final two
at home, including the in-
famous Bartman defeat in
Game 6.
Chicago will face the win-
ner of the Los Angeles
Dodgers-New York Mets