2004 National League Division Series

Infobox LDS


year = 2004
champion1 = St. Louis Cardinals (3)
champion1_manager = Tony La Russa
champion1_games = 105-57, .648, GA: 13
runnerup1 = Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
runnerup1_manager = Jim Tracy
runnerup1_games = 93-69, .574, GA: 2
date1 = October 5–October 10
television1 = ESPN (Game 1)
FOX (Game 2-4)
announcers1 = Jon Miller and Joe Morgan (Game 1)
Joe Buck and Tim McCarver (Game 2)
Thom Brennaman and Tim McCarver (Game 3-4)
champion2 = Houston Astros (3)
champion2_manager = Phil Garner
champion2_games = 92-70, .568, GB: 13
runnerup2 = Atlanta Braves (2)
runnerup2_manager = Bobby Cox
runnerup2_games = 96-66, .593, GA: 10
date2 = October 6–October 11
television2 = ESPN (Games 1-2, 4)
ESPN2 (Game 3)
FOX (Game 5)
announcers2 = Dave O'Brien , Jeff Brantley, and David Justice (Game 1-3)
Jon Miller and Joe Morgan (Game 4)
Josh Lewin and Steve Lyons (Game 5)
umpires2 = Dale Scott, Greg Gibson, Chuck Meriwether, Bruce Dreckman, Gerry Davis, Brian O'Nora (Cardinals-Dodgers)
Tim McClelland, Phil Cuzzi, Wally Bell, Fieldin Culbreth, Joe Brinkman, Tony Randazzo (Braves-Astros)The by|2004 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2004 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 5, and ended on Monday, October 11, with the champions of the three NL divisions – along with a "wild card" team – participating in two best-of-five series. They were:

*(1) St. Louis Cardinals (Central Division champion, 105-57) vs. (3) Los Angeles Dodgers (Western Division champion, 93-69): Cardinals win series, 3-1.
*(2) Atlanta Braves (Eastern Division champion, 96-66) vs. (4) Houston Astros (Wild Card, 92-70): Astros win series, 3-2.

"The higher seed (in parentheses) had the home field advantage. Although the team with the best record was normally intended to play the wild card team, the Cardinals played the Dodgers, rather than the wild card Astros, because the Cardinals and Astros are in the same division."

The St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Cardinals became the National League champion, and lost to the American League champion Boston Red Sox in the 2004 World Series.

Matchups

t. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

St. Louis wins the series, 3-1

Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros

Houston wins the series, 3-2

t. Louis vs. Los Angeles

Game 1, October 5

Busch Stadium II in St. Louis, MissouriLinescore
Road=Los Angeles|RoadAbr=LAD
R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=1|R7=0|R8=0|R9=1|RR=3|RH=9|RE=1
Home=St. Louis|HomeAbr=STL
H1=1|H2=0|H3=5|H4=1|H5=0|H6=0|H7=1|H8=0|H9=X|HR=8|HH=9|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Woody Williams (1-0)|LP=Odalis Perez (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Tom Wilson (1)|HomeHR=Larry Walker 2 (2), Albert Pujols (1), Jim Edmonds (1), Mike Matheny (1)|

Odalis Perez faced Woody Williams in Game 1. Albert Pujols got the Cardinals started with a solo homer to make it 1-0 in the 1st. Then in the 3rd, Perez reached his limit after surrendering five two-out runs. Larry Walker's solo homer made it 2-0. Then Edgar Rentería doubled in two runs before scoring on Jim Edmonds's two run homer. That made it 6-0 Cardinals. Then Mike Matheny homered to make it 7-0 in the 4th. Williams pitched six solid innings and the bullpen held the Dodgers until Jason Isringhausen could nail down the save in the 9th.

Game 2, October 7

Busch Stadium II in St. Louis, MissouriLinescore
Road=Los Angeles|RoadAbr=LAD
R1=1|R2=0|R3=0|R4=2|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=3|RH=6|RE=1
Home=St. Louis|HomeAbr=STL
H1=0|H2=3|H3=0|H4=0|H5=3|H6=0|H7=2|H8=0|H9=X|HR=8|HH=11|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Danny Haren (1-0)|LP=Jeff Weaver (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Jayson Werth (1), Shawn Green (1), Milton Bradley (1)|HomeHR=|

Jeff Weaver faced Jason Marquis in Game 2. The Dodgers gave Weaver a lead when Jayson Werth homered in the 1st to make it 1-0. But Weaver's luck would start to run out in the 2nd. His error allowed the Cardinals to tie the game and set up Tony Womack for a big triple that gave the Cardinals the lead. Then he would score on Larry Walker's double. The Cardinals now had a 3-1 lead. But back-to-back homers by the Dodgers to lead off the 4th tied the game. Marquis was removed in favor of Cal Eldred. With Weaver still pitching in the 5th, the Cards put up three runs, the final two driven in by Mike Matheny's RBI hit. Matheny would also come through in the 7th with another two run hit. The Cardinals' solid bullpen held the Dodgers as they cruised to another 8-3 win.

Game 3, October 9

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLinescore
Road=St. Louis|RoadAbr=STL
R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=5|RE=0
Home=Los Angeles|HomeAbr=LAD
H1=0|H2=0|H3=2|H4=1|H5=0|H6=1|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=4|HH=7|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=José Lima (1-0)|LP=Matt Morris (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=|HomeHR=Shawn Green 2 (3)|

With time running out, the Dodgers called on Jose Lima for Game 3. Opposing him would be Matt Morris. Both pitchers kept the game quiet until the 3rd. The Dodgers would take the lead for only the second time in the series with a two run double by Steve Finley. Then Shawn Green followed with a leadoff homer in the 4th. Lima would keep the Cardinals silent all night and Green would homer once again the 6th to make it 4-0. Lima would pitch a complete game five hit shutout to give the Dodgers their first postseason win since the clinching Game 5 of the 1988 World Series.

Game 4, October 10

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLinescore
Road=St. Louis|RoadAbr=STL
R1=0|R2=1|R3=1|R4=3|R5=0|R6=0|R7=1|R8=0|R9=0|RR=6|RH=8|RE=0
Home=Los Angeles|HomeAbr=LAD
H1=1|H2=0|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=2|HH=3|HE=1
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Jeff Suppan (1-0)|LP=Wilson Alvarez (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Albert Pujols (2), Reggie Sanders (1)|HomeHR=Jayson Werth (2)|

All the momentum the Dodgers might have had disappeared in Game 4. Jeff Suppan faced Odalis Perez and Jayson Werth would strike against Suppan with a one out homer in the 1st to make it 1-0 Dodgers. But Reggie Sanders would homer as well to tie the game in the 2nd. Then a base hit by Edgar Rentería gave the Cardinals the lead in the 3rd. But the Dodgers would tie the game on a sac fly by Adrián Beltré. However, Wilson Alvarez would face Albert Pujols with two men on in the 4th and surrender a three run homer to give the Cardinals a commanding 5-2 lead. Then Pujols would single home Larry Walker to give the Cardinals a 6-2 lead in the 7th. That marked the end for the Dodgers as Alex Cora struck out to end the series in the 9th.

Composite Box

2004 NLDS (3-1): St. Louis Cardinals over Los Angeles DodgersLinescore
Road=St. Louis Cardinals
R1=1|R2=4|R3=6|R4=4|R5=3|R6=0|R7=4|R8=0|R9=0|RR=22|RH=33|RE=0
Home=Los Angeles Dodgers
H1=2|H2=0|H3=3|H4=3|H5=1|H6=2|H7=0|H8=0|H9=1|HR=12|HH=25|HE=3Total Attendance: 216,615 Average Attendance: 54,154|

Atlanta vs. Houston

Game 1, October 6

Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaLinescore
Road=Houston|RoadAbr=HOU
R1=0|R2=0|R3=4|R4=0|R5=3|R6=0|R7=1|R8=0|R9=1|RR=9|RH=13|RE=1
Home=Atlanta|HomeAbr=ATL
H1=1|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=1|H6=1|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=3|HH=7|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Roger Clemens (1-0)|LP=Jaret Wright (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Carlos Beltrán (1), Jason Lane (1), Lance Berkman (1), Brad Ausmus (1)|HomeHR=Andruw Jones (1)|

Roger Clemens faced Jaret Wright in Game 1. Clemens would allow a run to score in the bottom of the first on Johnny Estrada's sac fly. Wright cruised through the first two inning but ran into trouble in the 3rd. Brad Ausmus's leadoff homer tied the game and after two quick outs, Carlos Beltran singled. Jeff Bagwell followed with the go-ahead double. Then Lance Berkman homered to put the Astros up 4-1. In the 5th, the Astros got two more on Beltran's two run homer to make it 6-1. The bullpen gave way and allowed yet another run to make it 7-1. But the Braves would scratch out runs in the 5th and 6th on a homer by Andruw Jones and an RBI groundout by Marcus Giles. But no more could be done against the Astros as they tacked on two more to win Game 1 9-3.

Game 2, October 7

Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaLinescore
Road=Houston|RoadAbr=HOU
R1=1|R2=0|R3=1|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|R10=0|R11=0|RR=2|RH=4|RE=1
Home=Atlanta|HomeAbr=ATL
H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=1|H8=1|H9=0|H10=0|H11=2|HR=4|HH=14|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Antonio Alfonseca (1-0)|LP=Dan Miceli (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Jeff Bagwell (1), Raul Chavez (1)|HomeHR=Rafael Furcal (1)|

The Astros jumped off to an early 2-0 lead off Braves starter Mike Hampton thanks to two solo homers by Jeff Bagwell in the 1st and Raul Chavez in the 3rd. Hampton would leave in the 7th with an injured arm having allowed only two runs. In the 7th, Astros starter Roy Oswalt, who was working on a shutout, began to falter as he allowed a pinch hit double to Dewayne Wise. Then Rafael Furcal would single him home to make it 2-1. In a bizarre incident, the Astros' bullpen phone stopped working and someone had to check the status of their relievers. It caused a delay that Braves manager Bobby Cox protested. This occurred after Oswalt gave up his only run of the game. The bullpen would save the inning and the game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the 8th. Then Adam LaRoche would tie the game with an RBI double with the Astros five outs away from taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. As the game moved to extra innings, Charles Thomas would single with one out in the bottom of the 11th. After Eli Marrero struck out, Thomas stole second. Then Rafael Furcal would hit a game winning two run homer to tie the series at one game a piece.

Game 3, October 9

Minute Maid Park in Houston, TexasLinescore
Road=Atlanta|RoadAbr=ATL
R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=2|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=3|R9=0|RR=5|RH=8|RE=0
Home=Houston|HomeAbr=HOU
H1=0|H2=0|H3=2|H4=0|H5=2|H6=3|H7=1|H8=0|H9=X|HR=8|HH=11|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Brandon Backe (1-0)|LP=Paul Byrd (0-1)|SV=Brad Lidge (1)
RoadHR=Johnny Estrada (1), Andruw Jones (2)|HomeHR=Carlos Beltrán (2)|

John Thomson faced Brandon Backe in Game 3. Thomson would leave the game in the 1st with a strained muscle on his left side after surrendering a double and a walk with one out. Paul Byrd came on in relief and got out of the inning. But in the 3rd, Carlos Beltran put the Astros on top with a two run homer. In the 4th, the Brave issued their response with a homer from Johnny Estrada and an RBI hit by Byrd. The game was now tied at 2. The Astros, however, would waste little time in taking back the lead. Jeff Kent would hit an RBI double off the scoreboard and would later score on Morgan Ensberg's RBI hit. It was now 4-2 Astros and Byrd was gone. Against Antonio Alfonseca in the bottom of the 6th, the Astros put two men on and Alfonseca would leave in favor of Tom Martin. He could do little to stop the rally as three runs would score and he could record no outs. It was now 7-2 Astros. Then a sac fly in the 7th by Mike Lamb made it 8-2. But the Braves would not go quietly. The Braves would put their first two men on in the 8th and, after two strikeouts, Andruw Jones hit a three run homer to cut the lead in half. But Brad Lidge would hold down the opposition in the 9th for the win.

Game 4, October 10

Minute Maid Park in Houston, TexasLinescore
Road=Atlanta|RoadAbr=ATL
R1=0|R2=2|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=3|R7=0|R8=0|R9=1|RR=6|RH=10|RE=0
Home=Houston|HomeAbr=HOU
H1=0|H2=5|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=5|HH=13|HE=0
RSP=|HSP=
WP=John Smoltz (1-0)|LP=Russ Springer (0-1)|SV=
RoadHR=Adam LaRoche (1)|HomeHR=Craig Biggio (1)|

With their backs to the wall in Game 4, the Braves sent Russ Ortiz to the mound to face the Roger Clemens. The Braves would get off to a good start with a two run second inning thanks to three straight hits to open the inning. But the Astros would strike back against Ortiz. They would put two men on for the face of the Astros franchise, Craig Biggio. He would then hit a three run homer to give the Astros a 4-2 lead. Then Carlos Beltran would double and score to make it 5-2 Astros. Behind Clemens, the Astros were closing in on their first ever postseason series win. But Clemens left the game in favor of Chad Qualls. However, Qualls would surrender the lead when he gave up a three run homer to Adam LaRoche to tie the game in the 6th. The game was now tied and the life was sucked out of the crowd. The game remained 5-5 until the 9th when the Braves would take the lead thanks to J.D. Drew's RBI single. But the Astros would put the winning run on for Jeff Kent. But John Smoltz would get Kent to ground into a double play to send the series back to Atlanta.

Game 5, October 11

Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaLinescore
Road=Houston|RoadAbr=HOU
R1=0|R2=2|R3=1|R4=0|R5=0|R6=1|R7=5|R8=3|R9=0|RR=12|RH=17|RE=1
Home=Atlanta|HomeAbr=ATL
H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=2|H6=0|H7=1|H8=0|H9=0|HR=3|HH=9|HE=1
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Roy Oswalt (1-0)|LP=Jaret Wright (0-2)|SV=
RoadHR=Carlos Beltrán 2 (4), Jeff Bagwell (2)|HomeHR=Rafael Furcal (2), Johnny Estrada (2)|

Roy Oswalt took on Jaret Wright in the clinching Game 5. In the top of the 2nd, the Astros took a 2-0 lead on a groundout and a sac fly. Then Carlos Beltran homered in the 3rd to make it 3-0. But the Braves brought the game back to life with a pair of homers by Rafael Furcal and Johnny Estrada in the 5th. But Beltran's second homer in the 6th made it 4-2. When Chris Reitsma took the mound in the 7th, the Astros were able to put the series away with a five run explosion. The most notable hit was Jeff Bagwell's two run homer. And in the 8th the Astros added insult to injury with three more runs, an inning capped by Beltran's two run single. Dan Wheeler would come on the shut the door on the Braves in the 9th. Chipper Jones's flyout to left gave the Astros the win in Game 5 and gave them their first ever postseason series win. After 43 years and multiple losses to the Braves in the playoffs, the Astros exorcised the demons and moved on to the NLCS.

Composite Box

2004 NLDS (3-2): Houston Astros over Atlanta BravesLinescore
Road=Houston Astros
R1=1|R2=7|R3=8|R4=0|R5=5|R6=4|R7=7|R8=3|R9=1|R10=0|R11=0|RR=36|RH=58|RE=3
Home=Atlanta Braves
H1=1|H2=2|H3=0|H4=2|H5=3|H6=4|H7=2|H8=4|H9=1|H10=0|H11=2|HR=21|HH=48|HE=1Total Attendance: 222,490 Average Attendance: 44,498|

Notes