|
Suzuki hit five homers and drove in 10 runs in his last four
games. He raised his season totals to 32 homers and a
team-leading 103 RBIs.
Moises Ballesteros added an RBI single for the Cubs (92-70), who
finished as the top NL wild card. Chicago will host San Diego in
the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 of the best-of-three
series is Tuesday.
The Cardinals, at 78-84, finished in fourth place in the NL
Central and out of the playoffs for the third straight season.
Assad (4-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and
striking out six while walking one. Michael Soroka got two outs,
then Jordan Wicks scattered three hits over the final three
innings for his first save.
Kyle Leahy opened for the Cardinals with three scoreless
innings, allowing one hit. John King (2-1), the second of four
St. Louis relievers allowed one run while getting four outs.
Suzuki lined a solo homer off King to the left-center bleachers
leading off the bottom of the fifth. The Cubs added an unearned
run in the seventh when Ballesteros singled and scored Kevin
Alcantara from second.
Key moment
With a Thomas Saggese on second in the ninth, Wicks struck out
Jordan Walker and Jimmy Crooks to end the game.
Key stat
Suzuki joined Shohei Ohtani (three times) and Hideki Matsui with
the fifth 30-homer, 100-RBI season by a Japanese-born player in
the majors.
Up next
The Cubs host the San Diego Padres in the best-of-three NL Wild
Card series beginning Tuesday.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
