MILWAUKEE — The booming started early. In the first three innings of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at Miller Park, the St. Louis Cardinals and theMilwaukee Brewers combined for six home runs (a major league postseason record) and 13 runs to chase both starting pitchers with remarkable haste, even for this series.
Milwaukee’s Shaun Marcum? Done after one inning and four runs. Edwin Jackson of the Cardinals? Pulled for a pinch-hitter after allowing three home runs in two innings. The ball often jumps here when the roof is closed, as it was Sunday night, but this was extraordinary.
By the time things calmed down, St. Louis led by five runs. The rest of the 12-6 clinching victory for the Cardinals proved another stressful exercise for Manager Tony La Russa, who broke his own N.L.C.S. record for pitching changes while watching his magnificent bullpen allow only two runs and three hits over the final seven innings — a quality start in reverse.
La Russa summoned relievers so often in this series that they worked more innings (282/3 innings) than his starters (241/3). Only Chris Carpenter, in Game 3, pitched as far as five innings. The 28 changes was one more than La Russa made in seven games against Atlanta in 1996.
The relievers held batters to a .155 average while compiling a 1.88 E.R.A. Still, La Russa said he never relaxed until Jason Motte, the last of the six St. Louis pitchers, struck out pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay swinging on a 99-mile-an-hour fastball to end it. Motte then opened his arms to accept a hug and a lift from catcher Yadier Molina.
“It was 12-6, and I was sweating bullets,” La Russa said in the Champagne-drenched Cardinals clubhouse while Motte accepted a beer shower nearby from several teammates. “The Brewers are very dangerous. Not fun. Every three outs you get are an ordeal, and that’s what you’re up against when you play them.”
Milwaukee hoped to extend the series at Miller Park, where it led the majors with 57 victories. But another poor start by Marcum, who finished the postseason 0-3 with a 14.90 E.R.A., and more sloppiness in the field doomed the Brewers in their first league championship series in 29 years. Milwaukee committed three errors, all in one inning, giving them seven in two games and a record-tying 10 in the series.
David Freese, the young Cardinals third baseman who persevered through two years of ankle problems, slugged a three-run homer in the first inning and batted .545 in the series to win the M.V.P. award. He needed a triple for the cycle when La Russa removed him in a double-switch in the eighth.
“Not too many people get a chance to do this in their hometown,” said Freese, who grew up in Wildwood, Mo. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Almost from the minute the Brewers lost Game 5 in St. Louis, Milwaukee Manager Ron Roenicke vigorously defended his choice of Marcum for Game 6 even though No. 5 starter Chris Narveson had a 1.20 E.R.A. in 15 innings against the Cardinals this season. He refused to consider the ace Yovani Gallardo on three days’ rest, preferring to hold him back for a possible Game 7.
After the game, Roenicke stuck by his choice. “I know it was the right decision,” he said. “I’m not second-guessing anything there.”
Two first-inning mistakes by the Brewers hurt Marcum. Jon Jay should have been out stealing second with Albert Pujols up, but catcher Jonathan Lucroy bounced the throw and second baseman Rickie Weeks couldn’t handle it. Pujols drew a full-count walk before Lance Berkman lined an R.B.I. single to center. Berkman moved up to second when center fielder Nyjer Morgan’s throw to third overshot the cutoff man.
Marcum pounced on Matt Holliday’s squib and shoveled it to Lucroy with his glove to get Pujols. But he hung the next pitch to Freese, who homered to left for a 4-0 lead.
The power rush continued in the Milwaukee first, with the leadoff batter Corey Hart homering. Roenicke brought in Narveson to relieve Marcum and he wasn’t much better, allowing five runs in an inning and two-thirds. Rafael Furcal homered in the second for St. Louis, but Jackson gave up two more, a solo to Weeks and a two-run shot by Lucroy. That made it a one–run game and kept the sellout crowd of 43,926 engaged.
Pujols made it 6-4 by driving his second homer of the series so far into the second deck in left field in the third that he paused for several seconds to admire it. The Cardinals went on to load the bases against the left-handed Narveson and scored another on Nick Punto’s sacrifice fly.
With a chance to break it open, La Russa sent up the right-handed-batting Allen Craig to hit for the ineffective Jackson. The right-hander LaTroy Hawkins relieved, and Craig grounded a two-run single through the middle for a 9-4 lead.
The Cardinal bullpen finished it off from there.
Fernando Salas gave up Yuniesky Betancourt’s run-scoring double over two innings. The lefthander Marc Rzepczynski, normally a one- or two-batter specialist, went two and a third innings and allowed one run before Octavio Dotel, Lance Lynn and Motte combined to retire eight of the last nine batters. The Cardinals would add two unearned runs on three Brewer errors in the fifth, two on one play by third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr., and a run-scoring single by Pujols in the eighth.
“We just couldn’t touch their bullpen,” Roenicke said.
INSIDE PITCH
The crowd gave Milwaukee’s PRINCE FIELDER, a pending free agent, standing ovations before and after he grounded out in the eighth, presumably his final at-bat in a Milwaukee uniform. “It was awesome, because playing here was awesome,” said Fielder, who homered in the first two games of the series but was 1 for 14 from Game 3 on to finish 4 for 20 (.200).
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