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Mariners vs. Yankees |
Mets vs. Cardinals
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Thursday, October 12
E-Cards virtually booting away NLCS
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS -- Big Mac is still waiting for his big chance.
Meanwhile, his replacement at first base put the Cardinals in a big
hole.
In Game 1, St. Louis couldn't hit. In Game 2, the Cardinals
couldn't field when it counted.
First, Will Clark booted a leadoff grounder in the ninth. Then
Jim Edmonds, a former Gold Glove center fielder, blew a chance for
a play at the plate that could have stopped the go-ahead run.
"It's a shame. I misplayed a ball and caused us to lose a game,"
Clark said after the Cardinals lost to the Mets 6-5
Thursday night, falling behind 2-0 in the National League Championship Series.
Just after the Cardinals rallied with two runs in the eighth,
Robin Ventura led off the ninth with a sharp grounder to first.
Clark appeared to think the ball would take a higher hop, and it
stayed low, kicking off his foot high into the air.
"I was expecting the ball to come up and it didn't," he said.
"I didn't get a glove on it. It got me on the shoe. Basically,
your routine boot."
Ventura advanced on Benny Agbayani's first sacrifice of the year
and, after former Cardinal supersub Joe McEwing came in as a pinch
runner, Jay Payton singled softly to center off Mike Timlin.
Edmonds, a Gold Glove as recently as 1998 with Anaheim, tried to
make a quick throw, and the ball popped off his glove and bounded
high above his head. McEwing scored without a play and Payton went
all the way to third base.
"With Jimmy's arm, that guy's not going to score," Timlin
said. "Nine times out of 10, he throws him out at the plate. The
ball just got by him. I guess the ball just bounced that way."
As for McGwire, when he finally got to bat in Game 2 of the NLCS, first base was open, and the Mets walked the game's most feared slugger.
"He was hot a couple times," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I
just couldn't get him that spot that would max him out."
McGwire, limited to one at-bat per game by patella tendinitis in
his right knee, didn't get into Wednesday night's series opener, a
6-2 Cardinals' loss.
In Game 2, McGwire got ready to hit three times, then finally
walked up to the plate after pinch-hitter J.D. Drew tied the game
at 5-5 with an RBI double in the eighth.
The sellout crowd of 52,250 rose to its feet when McGwire
stepped to the on-deck circle. But after the walk came the letdown.
"It's not frustrating at all," McGwire said. "If you know the
game of baseball, you take what's given you. I've only been saying
this for about 14 years."
McGwire, who cannot run without pain, was replaced at first by
pinch-runner Darryl Kile. Craig Paquette then struck out, ending
the inning with the score still tied.
"I was yelling at J.D. to stop at first," La Russa said.
"Once he got to second, it's Mac and (Rick) Wilkins. So it came
down to Paquette with a chance to put us ahead, and it's a shame."
The Mets retook the lead in the ninth, and the Cardinals
couldn't come back again.
"This was a great game," McGwire said. "I don't have any
problem with the way things worked happened. That's just the way it
worked out."
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