Sunday, October 3, 2004
NL: Dodger comeback a fitting ending
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers have spent many recent Octobers watching postseason baseball on television.
This year, they'll be playing.
Steve Finley's grand slam capped a seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Los Angeles won the NL West by beating the San Francisco Giants 7-3 on Saturday.
"We do it the Hollywood way - that's for sure," closer Eric Gagne said. "It's amazing."
The Dodgers qualified for the postseason for the first time since winning the wild card in 1996.
Now, they'll look to win their first postseason game since upsetting Oakland in the 1988 World Series. The Dodgers will play at St. Louis if Houston wins the wild card, or at Atlanta if San Francisco wins the wild card.
The 39-year-old Finley, acquired by the Dodgers from last-place Arizona at the trade deadline, was only too happy to come to the plate in such a spot.
"I was dreaming about it, and it happened," Finley said.
Astros 9, Rockies 3
HOUSTON - Roy Oswalt became the NL's first 20-game winner, and Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio each homered twice, giving Houston the wild-card lead.
The Astros' 17th straight home victory gave them a one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants.
With a victory in the regular-season finale today or a Giants loss, Houston will clinch the NL's final playoff spot - an improbable thought almost a month ago when Houston was four games below .500 and seven games behind the Cubs.
If the Astros lose and the Giants win today, the teams would play Monday afternoon in San Francisco to determine the wild card.
Kent hit a two-run shot off Adam Bernero in the fifth for his 278th home run as a second baseman, breaking Ryne Sandberg's major-league record.
Braves 8, Cubs 6
A season that started with such high hopes for the Cubs wound up with them being eliminated from playoff contention by their fifth straight loss. The Cubs led the NL wild-card race by 1 1/2 games before dropping seven of eight.
Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano couldn't hold a 6-2 lead, and J.D. Drew hit a two-run triple in the eighth to lift the Braves.
The NL East champion Braves won, but starter John Thomson - scheduled to open Game 2 of the divisional series - left after three innings with a stiff back.
