Cardinals Defeat Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A win on the final day of the season was not enough for the St. Louis Cardinals, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Matt Carpenter homered and Randal Grichuk keyed a six-run seventh-inning with a two-run double to lead the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 Sunday.
But the Cardinals (86-76) were eliminated while still on the field when San Francisco (87-75) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 and earned the second NL wild card.
St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday was brought into the game momentarily to play left field in the ninth inning. He was given a standing ovation and taken out before the first pitch. The Cardinals announced Friday they plan to decline his 2017 option and allow him to become free agent.
St. Louis was a big league-best 100-62 last year but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series. The Cardinals never led the NL Central at any point this season and finished with a losing record at home (38-43) for the first time since 1999.
After making the playoffs for three straight years, Pittsburgh dropped from 98-64 to 78-83.
Yadier Molina had three hits for the Cardinals, who won their last four games. Stephen Piscotty singled in Molina to break a 4-4 tie in the eighth.
Carpenter, who drove in four runs, hit his 21st homer of the season, a three-run drive in the sixth inning off Antonio Bastardo for a 4-2 lead.
Adam Wainwright allowed two runs and six hits in six innings. Jonathan Broxton (4-2) won despite allowing two runs in one inning of relief.
Juan Nicasio (10-7) gave up three runs without recording an out in the seventh.
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PACK THE PLACE
A crowd of 44,615, the 19th sellout of the season, watched the final game.
St. Louis drew 3,444,490, second to the Los Angeles Dodgers in major league home attendance. It was the fifth highest attendance total in franchise history and the 13th successive year the team has drawn at least three million.
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