Did you know? NLCS Game 1: STL 3, LA 2
A look at some notable facts and figures from the St. Louis Cardinals' 3-2 victory in 13 innings over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium on Friday.
• Carlos Beltran drove in all three of the Cardinals' runs, with a two-run double in third inning and a walk-off single with one out in the 13th. In his postseason career, Beltran is 51-for-148 (.345) with 12 doubles, 16 home runs, and 34 RBIs. This October, the outfielder has driven in nine runs in six games.
• The 13-inning game was the longest NLCS contest since 2004, when the Cardinals beat the Astros, 6-4, in 12 innings. St. Louis has reached extra innings eight times in the postseason. The Dodgers have gone to extras in nine October games. Friday was the franchise's longest postseason game since a 14-inning win over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series.
• Beltran and Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig each completed double plays with an outfield assist from right field. Beltran threw out Mark Ellis at home to end the 10th. Puig doubled off Jon Jay at first base to end the seventh.
• Dodgers starter Zack Greinke struck out 10, becoming just the third pitcher to do so against the Cardinals in the postseason. In the 1944 World Series, St. Louis Browns hurlers Jack Kramer (Game 3) and Denny Galehouse (Game 5) each accomplished the feat.
• The Cardinals were 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position, while the Dodgers were 1-for-10. During the regular season, St. Louis led the Majors with a .330 average with runners in scoring position.
• Juan Uribe drove in the Dodgers' only runs with a single in the third. Uribe has driven in 22 runs in 35 career postseason games. The third baseman has six RBIs this October.
• Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson, who pitched a scoreless ninth, has not allowed an earned run over 15 2/3 innings in his postseason career.
• Andre Ethier returned to the Dodgers' starting lineup in center field for the first time since Sept. 13. Ethier, dealing with a left ankle injury similar to shin splints, singled in his first at-bat and finished 1-for-5. He was removed during a double-switch in the 13th.
• The Cardinals improved to 6-6 in Game 1 of the NLCS. In St. Louis' last 11 NLCS appearances, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the series six times.
• Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford had his eighth career multi-hit game in the postseason. This October, Crawford is 8-for-23 (.348) with three homers, five RBIs and six runs scored in five games.
• The Dodgers are playing in their third NLCS in the last six years (2008 and '09) and their 10th overall NLCS. They have a 5-4 all-time series record in the NLCS and are looking to advance to the World Series for the 19th time in franchise history. Los Angeles is 59-63 in the postseason since moving west in 1958.
• The Cardinals are playing in their 12th NLCS, their third straight. St. Louis also went to the NLCS in three straight seasons from 2004-06. This is the franchise's eighth appearance in the NLCS since 2000. The Cardinals' 12 NLCS appearances are second only to the Yankees' 15 in the AL.
• The Cardinals and Dodgers last met in the NLCS in 1985, with St. Louis prevailing in six games.