St. Louis – This was a mismatch of epic proportions. This was Charlie Brown pitching against the 1927 Yankees. This was the San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10 in Super Bowl XXIV. This was the Titanic vs. the iceberg.
This was the New York Mets’ big bats vs. the soft underbelly of the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen Sunday night in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium.
The Mets won 12-5 to tie the series 2-2 after pounding out 14 hits, including four homers.
Coming into the game, the Mets had been held scoreless for 12 consecutive innings, dating to the sixth inning of Game 2. But the heart of their order pummeled the Cardinals.
Carlos Beltran hit two solo homers. In 11 LCS games, he has hit seven homers, tied for fifth all-time in LCS history.
Carlos Delgado, playing in the postseason for the first time, hit a three-run homer in the fifth and a bases-loaded double in the sixth.
David Wright broke out of his 0-for-10 slump with a solo homer in the third inning.
Delgado and Beltran have each hit three homers in the NLCS, trying the Mets’ record for a championship series. Rusty Staub hit three in 1973 against Cincinnati.
“What we did was put (Saturday’s) game behind us, and we went out there with a clean slate, with a good approach,” Delgado said. “We were different from (Saturday). We took a lot of pitches. We made their guys work.”
Beltran, whose 11 career postseason homers is tied for ninth all time, is having the time of his life.
“Every time you can contribute in the playoffs it’s a great feeling,” he said. “I’m just so happy that we won this ballgame and now we can go back home.”
The Mets’ victory guaranteed them a return to Shea Stadium for Game 6, scheduled for Wednesday night.
Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes gave manager Tony La Russa what he hoped for by keeping his team in the game early. In four innings he gave up two mistakes – the solo homers to Beltran and Wright in the third.
But after La Russa yanked Reyes, the roof caved in on the Cards’ middle relievers. La Russa chose right-hander Brad Thompson to face the switch-hitting Beltran and the left-handed Delgado in the fifth, instead of bringing in left-handed Randy Flores. The result was disastrous. Thompson gave up three runs on three hits while getting just one out.
In the sixth, right-hander Josh Hancock faced five batters, gave up five runs on three hits and two walks, and got the hook.
And when lefty Tyler Johnson finally ended the Mets’ six-run sixth, Cardinals fans did something very New York-like by unloading on the home team with a Bronx cheer.
“It was a rough night, especially for the two right-handers,” La Russa said. “They were kicking themselves and beating themselves up in the clubhouse. … They just didn’t make good pitches. They can get all of those guys out making good pitches.”
Overshadowed by the Mets’ pyrotechnics was the performance of starter Oliver Perez, pitching in his first postseason game. Perez, 3-13 with a 6.55 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Mets during the regular season, wasn’t great, but good enough to get the victory. Even when he gave up the two homers in the third, he kept his cool.
“It was nice to see him get his wits about him and not overreact and not get away from himself,” Mets manager Willie Randolph said.
The Cardinals hit three homers of their own – one each by David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds and Yavier Molina – but those weren’t enough to offset the Mets’ powerhouse performance. The teams combined for seven homers, setting a league championship record.
Staff writer Patrick Saunderscan be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
