Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA ó Ryan Howard took a mighty cut, dropped his bat and admired the shot.
The big slugger didnít go down looking in a clutch spot this time, Roy Halladay overcame a shaky start and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 Saturday night in the opener of their NL division series.
Howard shook off his season-ending strikeout last October in the championship series to hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in a five-run sixth inning, sending Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy.
ěI left last year in the past,î Howard said. ěYou canít let what happened last year affect this year. Itís a fresh start.î
Halladay retired his last 21 batters, and the NL East champions began their all-or-nothing postseason run with a comeback win.
Halladay allowed three runs and three hits, striking out eight in eight innings. He didnít allow a runner after Skip Schumaker led off the second with a single.
ěThatís why heís the best in the game,î Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said.
Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 1
MILWAUKEE ó Yovani Gallardo could barely see the return tosses from catcher Jonathan Lucroy, losing them in the bright light filtering through the windows at Miller Park.
Imagine how the Diamondbacks felt.
Gallardo emerged from the shadows, outpitching Arizona ace Ian Kennedy as the Milwaukee Brewers kept winning at home with a 4-1 opening victory.
Rangers 8, Rays 6
ARLINGTON, Texas ó After Mike Napoli’s two-run single, James Shields threw a pair of wild pitches to the same batter. One of the balls in the dirt sent home the tiebreaking run in a five-run fourth inning for the Rangers in an 8-6 win that evened the AL division series at a game apiece.
Yankees 9, Tigers 3
NEW YORK ó Robinson Cano hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, rookie Ivan Nova pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning in an unusual relief appearance and the New York Yankees shook off a 23-hour rain delay to beat the Detroit Tigers 9-3 in their suspended playoff opener Saturday night.
A day after rain wiped out aces Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia after only 11/2 innings, the game resumed in the bottom of the second. No national anthem, all Yankees.