ST. LOUIS, Missouri, (AFP) - The St. Louis Cardinals rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros in game seven of baseball's National League Championship Series to earn a trip to the World Series.
Albert Pujols ripped a game-tying double in the sixth inning, and Scott Rolen followed with a two-run home run as the Cardinals set up a meeting with American League champions Boston.
Pujols was named NLCS Most Valuable Player, finishing the series with four homers, nine RBIs and a .500 average.
"It's every little boy's dream," Pujols said. "I'm glad to have won the MVP, but that trophy is going to stay right in this (dressing) room because everybody here is MVP."
The Cardinals captured their 16th National League pennant and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1987 and the first time in nine years under manager Tony La Russa.
While the crowd of 52,140 at Busch Stadium were celebrating, Houston's Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell remained in search of a World Series appearance. The longest-tenured teammates in professional sports, the duo has spent the last 14 years with the Astros, who never have reached the World Series.
In a series in which every game was won by the home team, the teams were so evenly matched that they had finished the first six games with identical batting averages of .246, earned run averages of 4.80 and runs scored at 29.
In hopes of getting the crucial away victory, the Astros looked to ace Roger Clemens, who was held out of game six in preparation for a potential decisive series finale. Clemens pitched five strong innings but appeared to tire in the sixth.
Roger Cedeno hit for starter Jeff Suppan and fired a base hit up the middle. Edgar Renteria laid down a bunt, but Clemens retired Larry Walker on a groundout. As he has all season, Pujols came through, this time with a double into the left field corner.
After some discussion, Astros manager Phil Garner let Clemens, a six-time Cy Young award winner, pitch to Pujols rather than walk him.
"Roger has earned the right to put his two cents in on those kind of discussions," Garner said. "We talked about whether we wanted to go ahead and walk Pujols and pitch to Rolen or try to make good pitches on Pujols. We thought we could make good pitches to Pujols."
Before Clemens and the Astros had a chance to regroup, Rolen ripped a line drive just over the left field wall. Rolen, who missed most of September with injuries, was called out for a curtain call by the St. Louis fans.
"I wanted to go to the plate and be as competitive as he was," Rolen said. "I wasn't thinking about a home run. I was thinking about competition. I was thinking that was Roger Clemens on the mound. I was thinking I'm going to go ahead and hit here."
Suppan, who was 1-4 against the Astros in the regular season and lost to Clemens in game three, allowed two runs and three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.
He had some key defensive support in the second inning, when the Cardinals' Jim Edmonds made a diving catch in center field of what would have been a two-run extra base hit.
Kiki Calero, Julian Tavarez and closer Jason Isringhausen held Houston hitless over the final three innings.
Game One of the World Series will be Saturday night at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox, who beat arch-rivals the New York Yankees in seven games in the American League championship series, are starting Tim Wakefield, while the Cardinals are expected to go with Woody Williams.
"It's going to be a blast," Edmonds said. "Boston's a great town. They played so well to beat the Yankees."

10/22/2004 - 08:19 GMT - AFP