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NLCS: St. Louis wins 3-1.
St. Louis' Jordan Groshans and Jared Thomas hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the second inning -- two of five long homers hit by the River Walkers -- and it went on to wrap up trip to the World Series with an 8-4 win over Twin Cities at Metropolitan Stadium (1977).
St. Louis won the best-of-five series 3-1.
The two second-inning homers came off Snow Cats starting pitcher Keith Brennan.
Robbie Mackie got Twin Cities on the board in the bottom of the fourth, drawing a lead-off walk from Walkers rookie starter Lenyn Crisp and scoring on a Drew Bowser double.
By the time the Cats scored again, they were down 7-1.
Jose Segura and Groshans both hit two-run homers off reliever Keegan Jensen in the sixth to make it 6-1.
Pinch-hitter Alek Rodriguez reached on a error by Bowser at shortstop inn in the seventh and scored on a Jose Ramirez double off reliever Nicio Rodriguez.
Twin Cities did try to make it interesting.
Will Banfield hit a two-run homer off Travis Krogman to make it 7-3.
Mackie doubled off Jose Alvarado in the eighth, and scored on a Bowser single.
It was 7-4.
Ramirez got that run back with a homer off Jesse Gaither in the ninth.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa, who got the final two outs of the eighth, worked a scoreless ninth to seal the win, and earn his first win of the 2030 postseason.
Crisp pitched 4.2 innings, allowing the one run on three hits. He struck out eight and walked three.
Yeison Santos finished the fifth and worked a scoreless sixth.
Santos (1-0) would earn the win.