The New York Mets have won the opening game of baseball's National League Championship Series, 2-0, over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Mets starting pitcher Tom Glavine held the Cardinals scoreless through the seven innings he was on the mound. St. Louis starter Jeff Weaver matched Glavine through five innings. But Mets slugger Carlos Beltran smacked a two-run home run in the sixth inning to drive in the only runs of the game.
The second game of the best-of-seven series is also at Shea Stadium in New York late Friday when John Maine will throw for the Mets. Chris Carpenter gets the start for St. Louis.
The American League Championship series resumes Friday afternoon in Detroit, where the next three games of the best-of-seven series will be played. The Tigers need just two wins to close out the Oakland Athletics and reach the World Series for the first time since 1984, when Detroit won the championship, four games to one over the San Diego Padres. The Tigers reached the playoffs this year as the American League wild card team and eliminated the heavily favored New York Yankees in the first round.
Veteran pitcher Kenny Rogers is the starter for Detroit in Game-Three while Rich Harden will take the mound for Oakland.