Pujols Crashes the Astros’ Party

They were one strike away.

The Houston Astros had endured 43 previous seasons, eight trips to the postseason without a league title to show for it and a miserable start to this season with 30 losses in their first 45 games.

Now they were one strike away.

Leading the St. Louis Cardinals three games to one in the National League championship series and leading Game 5 at Minute Maid Park by two runs with two out and the bases empty in the top of the ninth inning of Game 5 on Monday night, the Astros needed only to retire shortstop David Eckstein.

They were one strike away.

The sellout crowd of 43,470, almost lost in a sea of waving white towels, reached a decibel level that hurt the ears. On the mound, seemingly in command after having retired the first two batters of the inning, was closer Brad Lidge.

They were one strike away.

But they never got it.

Eckstein hit a sharp grounder that somehow found its way between third baseman Morgan Ensberg, straining to his left, and shortstop Adam Everett, diving to his right. Eckstein wound up with a single, Jim Edmonds followed with a walk, and Albert Pujols crushed the Astros with a towering home run to give the Cardinals a stunning 5-4 victory and keep their season alive.

“I told myself, don’t try to be a hero, don’t try to hit a three-run homer,” said Pujols, who came to the plate 0 for 4 Monday night. “Just try to get a base hit and give Reggie [Sanders, the on-deck batter] an opportunity where we can tie the game.”

Pujols’ reluctance to aim for the spotlight won’t diminish the welcome he is sure to receive when the Cardinals return to St. Louis, where the series will resume with Game 6 on Wednesday and Game 7, if necessary, Thursday.

The emotional meltdown that swept over Minute Maid Park was so pronounced because the fans had been riding a wave of euphoria for two innings after Houston’s Lance Berkman had broken open a tight pitching duel between St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter and Houston’s Andy Pettitte.

The Astros had taken the lead on a run-scoring single by Craig Biggio in the second. The Cardinals had moved ahead on Mark Grudzielanek’s two-run single in the third.

And that’s the way it remained until Berkman, a left-handed hitter, put a Carpenter pitch in the left-field seats to put the Astros on top, 4-2, in the seventh inning.

That was still the score in the ninth inning.

“When the inning started,” said Cardinal Manager Tony LaRussa, “you always know that, no matter how great those guys are, they are human.”

Pujols came to bat and swung awkwardly at the first pitch, a slider.

“I thought it was a good pitch, and I wanted to repeat it,” Lidge said.

Pujols understood the task before him.

“[Lidge] has probably the best slider in the game,” Pujols said.

And back Lidge came. Same pitch. Same speed: 86 miles per hour.

But from Pujols, a dramatically different swing.

As the ball took off in a towering arc, the decibel level of the fans faded to zero. They knew instantly.

Astro left fielder Chris Burke never moved. He knew.

And at the plate, Pujols barely moved. He knew as well.

In the Astro dugout, Pettitte said to no one in particular, “Oh my God.”

The ball flew over the warning track, over the left-field wall, over the seats, over the arched wall behind, over the trestle tracks on top of that wall, and bounced off a window above.

The sound of ball hitting glass was almost audible in the park.

“You saw some magic there, believe me,” LaRussa said.

In the bottom of the ninth, St. Louis reliever Jason Isringhausen retired the Astros in order.

“You’re high as a kite one minute....,” Astro Manager Phil Garner said.

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The series

Houston leads the best-of-seven National League championship series, 3-2.

*--* GAME 1: AT ST. LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 3 GAME 2: HOUSTON 4, AT ST. LOUIS 1 GAME 3: AT HOUSTON 4, ST. LOUIS 3 GAME 4: AT HOUSTON 2, ST. LOUIS 1 GAME 5: ST. LOUIS 5, AT HOUSTON 4 GAME 6: Wednesday at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m. GAME 7: Thursday at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m.* All times Pacific; * if necessary; TV: Ch. 11.

*--*