David Freese and Matt Adams belted two-run home runs and Adam Wainwright went the distance on Wednesday as the St Louis Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 6-1 to reach baseball's National League Championship Series (NLCS).
Freese again came up big in the post-season to help the Cardinals return to the NLCS for the third straight year.
The victory in the decisive game five of the National League Division Series gave the Cardinals a 3-2 series triumph and sent them into a best-of-seven clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a place in the World Series.
The Cardinals, who won the NL Central division title, are 8-1 in elimination games over the past three years. They'll enjoy home field advantage against the Dodgers and will host Los Angeles in game one of their series on Friday.
St Louis won the last two games against Pittsburgh with the help of strong pitching.
Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of Monday's tight 2-1 victory, and Wainwright followed with a strong performance, scattering eight hits - all singles - with a walk and six strikeouts as he pitched his first complete playoff game. He had led the majors with five complete games in the regular season.
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