The Pittsburgh Pirates tied their National League Division Series Friday afternoon, with 23-year-old rookie Gerrit Cole shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 Friday afternoon, going six innings and only giving up one run and a hit with five strikeouts.
"I just trusted myself and tried to keep it as simple as I could," said Cole, who also notched an RBI in the game. "You just try and clear you mind after every pitch and just look forward."
The Pirates will send Francisco Liriano (16-8 with a 3.02 ERA) to the mound, who earned the win in the 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card, giving up only one earned run, striking out five, keeping a loud and electrified home crowd on their feet as they enjoyed their first playoff game since 1992.
"Just trying to please the fans as much as I can, be myself and make some good pitches and just give them the win they want," said Liriano.
The St. Louis Cardinals will go with right-hander Joe Kelly, who was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation in July and went 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA for the season. Kelly was 5-1 with a 2.07 ERA on the road, including holding Pittsburgh to seven hits and one earned run in two starts at PNC Park.
"It's going to be fun," said Kelly. "That's what playoff baseball is about. You dream about it as a little kid. It's going to be a great time. The atmosphere is going to be electric, obviously. And I think our side is looking forward to it."
TV Schedule
You can catch Game 3 of the St. Louis Cardinals - Pittsburgh Pirates National League Division Series Sunday at 1:30 p.m EST on TBS.
Live Stream (video)
Live stream coverage can be seen on MLB.tv (subscription required).
Live Stream (audio)
Live stream coverage can be heard MLB.com Gameday Audio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.
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