By Nancy Armour
The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Florida Marlins starter Josh Beckett found out very quickly that in a big game like the NL championship series, less is better.

Beckett's adrenaline was racing in the first inning of Game 1, and the Chicago Cubs quickly took advantage. They scored four runs off Beckett, including a two-run homer by Moises Alou.

"I was trying to do too much in the first inning," Beckett said. "Pudge (Rodriguez) cleaned me out a little bit. He helped me focus. After the first inning, in my mind, I was going to do less."

Beckett allowed just one hit over the next four innings. He did run into more trouble in the sixth inning, though, giving up a two-out, two-run homer to Alex Gonzalez that tied the game at 6.

But his teammates eventually bailed him out. Ivan Rodriguez homered and drove in five runs for Florida, and Mike Lowell hit the game-winner, a pinch-hit solo homer in the 11th inning.

The Marlins won 9-8 in 11 innings. Game 2 is Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.

"When you get to this stage of the season, winning the game is the most important thing," Beckett said. "It doesn't matter how you do it."

Besides, Beckett has bigger things to worry about now. Like starting Game 5.

If there is a Game 5, that is.

"Oh, that's true," Beckett said when told there won't necessarily be a Game 5. "Guess I did kind of jump the gun on that."

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THE LONG BALL: The Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins set all kinds of home run records in Game 1 of the NL championship series Tuesday night.

They combined for seven home runs, an NLCS record. Ivan Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera and Juan Encarnacion all homered in the third inning, the first time an NL team has hit three homers in one inning.

The Cubs' nine extra-base hits also was an NLCS record, as was the 17 total extra-base hits.

"I don't know," Marlins starter Josh Beckett said when asked to explain the offensive burst. "It was a bad day for pitchers."

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SPEED TRAP: Marlins manager Jack McKeon is no fan of the radar gun that measures the speed of pitches.

"Some of the young pitchers at times - you not only see it in the major leagues, you see it in high school and college - they all have the tendency to look at the gun to see how their doing and if they can top it," McKeon said before Tuesday's opener of the NLCS.

McKeon said he's never asked for the gun to be shut off so his pitchers won't peek at it when they're on the mound. But he does encourage pitchers to be more attentive to the other aspects, like command and location.

"Our guys have not paid as much attention as they used to," he said of the radar gun.

"I think sometimes it is a detriment, really. But what are you going to do? That's how we scout today. We scout by the gun. We don't scout by how they can get a hitter or how they ball moves. It's how hard you throw."

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SURLY STARTERS: The Cubs pitching staff has had its share of heated moments against opposing teams this season, and Mark Prior makes no apologies for them.

"People have pointed the finger at us as pitchers saying we're instigators. I don't think we have been," Prior said. "There have been a couple of instances and I think they might have been blown out of proportion. But we're an aggressive team."

When the Cubs played in San Francisco in April, Prior hit Barry Bonds in the upper thigh - two days after Kerry Wood hit him twice. An agitated Bonds walked toward Prior, who motioned him on.

And just before the playoffs, St. Louis reliever Steve Kline said he hoped Prior "takes a line drive to the forehead and we never have to see him again." Several of the Cardinals - including manager Tony La Russa - have questioned the Cubs' aggressive pitching style.

Prior said the reputation doesn't bother Cubs pitchers.

"It's not because we're trying to be bad guys or have this bad boy image," he said. "It's what we have to do to be successful."

"We'll throw up and in to get guys off the plate. Whether we want to be considered tough guys or not, that's not for us to decide."

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WANT TO BET?: Judging from a wager between the mayors of Chicago and Miami, both expect to savor a victory in the NLCS. Miami's Manny Diaz is betting a case of stone crabs on the Marlins. Chicago's Richard Daley - normally a White Sox fan - is betting such popular Chicago foods as Connie's Pizza, Eli's Cheesecake, Goose Island Root Beer, nuts and other snacks from Nuts on Clark, Robinson's Ribs, Vienna Hot Dogs and 95 packages of Wrigley Gum - one for every year since the Cubs last won the World Series.