custom ad
SportsOctober 11, 2001

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson goes from fearsome to failure in the postseason. He just can't seem to win. Johnson extended his major league record for consecutive playoff losses to seven Wednesday as Woody Williams and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1, tying their NL series at one game each...

By BOB BAUM, The Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson goes from fearsome to failure in the postseason. He just can't seem to win.

Johnson extended his major league record for consecutive playoff losses to seven Wednesday as Woody Williams and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1, tying their NL series at one game each.

Rookie Albert Pujols hit his first postseason homer, a two-run opposite-field shot in the first inning.

"If someone is to blame, I guess I am. I gave up three runs," Johnson said. "It seems like I've been in this position behind a microphone in the postseason every year. ... I pitched the best I could. It wasn't good enough."

The Cardinals' victory came less than 24 hours after Curt Schilling's three-hit, 1-0 masterpiece. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Friday night in St. Louis.

The 35-year-old Williams' allowed one run on four hits in seven-plus innings in his playoff debut.

"One thing our team knew was the guy who was going to take the mound for us has got no fear and is just a dead game competitor," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "So based on what we've seen for two months, we thought he'd give us a chance to win."

Williams was relieved by left-hander Steve Kline after Craig Counsell led off the eighth with a pinch-hit single. Pinch-hitter Greg Colbrunn singled to make Counsell the first Diamondback to reach second in the game.

The runners advanced to second and third on Tony Womack's sacrifice bunt, and Counsell scored when Danny Bautista, pinch-hitting for Steve Finley, grounded out to third.

Luis Gonzalez, 0-for-8 in the series, ended the rally by grounding out.

Helped by Jim Edmonds' diving catch in the ninth, Kline finished for a save in his first postseason appearance.

Miguel Batista, who still will start on Friday, was one of three relievers used by Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly in the ninth. With one out and runners at first and third, pinch-hitter Kerry Robinson hit a one-bouncer to Batista.

But the confused pitcher, who could have caught the runner at third in a rundown or gone for a double play at second, hesitated, and finally threw to first, pulling Mark Grace off the base. Everyone was safe as the Cardinals' fourth run scored.

Williams, 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA after being acquired by St. Louis from San Diego on Aug. 2, shut down an Arizona team that had beaten him twice in three decisions when he was with the Padres this season.

Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!

Consistently getting ahead of hitters, Williams matched his season-high with nine strikeouts and walked one. He held the Diamondbacks hitless until Reggie Sanders' two-out single in the fourth.

"I'll use a term that usually applies to position players. He's a gamer," Brenly said of Williams. "He will give you everything he's got out there. He changed speeds on us just enough to keep us off balance, but more than anything else it was the competitor in Woody Williams that allowed him to pitch the kind of game he did today."

Williams helped himself by leading off the third with a double and scoring a run. He also made a lunging catch of Womack's line drive to start the sixth inning.

Williams said he slightly strained his groin on the play.

"But there was no way I was coming out of the game," he said.

Johnson was a career-best 21-6 this season. His 372 strikeouts were the third-most in baseball history, and he led the majors with a 2.49 ERA.

But the Big Unit fell to 2-7 overall in the playoffs, with his only victories in the 1995 AL division series for Seattle.

"We didn't score a run until he was out of the ballgame, and if you can't score, you can't win," Brenly said. "I think it's unfair to point at that record and infer that somehow it's all Randy's doing. He has pitched well enough in the majority of his postseason games to win if we score any runs for him."

As has often been the case in the playoffs and the regular season, Johnson didn't get much offensive support. He struck out nine and walked one while allowing three runs on six hits in eight innings.

Pujols, whose 3-for-7 performance against Johnson in April gave early notice of the rookie's hitting prowess, hit a 3-2 pitch into the St. Louis bullpen in right field. The two-out, 358-footer to the shortest part of the ballpark followed a walk to Edgar Renteria.

"We play 162 games. It's the same game," Pujols said. "I know there's a little bit more pressure on, but I just came in and tried to do the best I can like I did all year long."

Pujols also singled off Johnson. Placido Polanco singled twice and had an RBI sacrifice fly.

Johnson got out of a serious jam in the sixth. Polanco led off with a single, then third baseman Matt Williams' throwing error put runners at second and third with no outs. Pujols struck out on a pitch that hit his back foot. Polanco ran home, but was sent back to third base because the ball was ruled dead after it hit the batter.

Johnson walked Edmonds on four pitches to load the bases with one out. Craig Paquette struck out for the third time and Miguel Cairo popped out to end the inning.

Notes St. Louis got its leadoff batter on base in four of the first six innings. ... La Russa benched Mark McGwire and J.D. Drew in favor of Cairo and Paquette. Cairo had a career .429 average against Johnson (6-for-14). Drew entered the game in the top of the seventh. ... Even though it was just 85 degrees outside, the roof was closed at Bank One Ballpark. ... Arizona's Matt Williams was hitless in three at-bats and was booed by the crowd for the second day in a row. He is 0-for-7 in the series, including three strikeouts.

Advertisement

Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:

For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.

Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!