Game 4 of the National League Division Series was full of the drama and excitement that makes playoff baseball so intriguing. After a ten inning, back-and-forth matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves, the NL Central champions rallied to force a decisive Game 5 in Atlanta.
St. Louis rallied to tie the game in the eighth inning before pushing a run across the board in the tenth inning to walk-off against the NL East champions. It was a tense game that was full of lead changes.
The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead after Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the first off of Braves starter Dallas Keuchel.
Atlanta cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third inning, but St. Louis doubled its lead in the fourth when Ozuna hit his second solo homer of the game.
That lead did not last, however, as Atlanta finally got to Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson in the fifth, scoring a run on a Matt Carpenter error and then taking a 4-2 lead after Ozzie Albies hit a two-run blast.
The Cardinals rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th after a Paul Goldschmidt bloop double and a Yadier Molina bloop single that fell just past the outstretched arm of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman.
After a scoreless ninth inning, the Cardinals finally took home the win in the bottom of inning number ten after Kolten Wong doubled, took third base on a fielder´s choice, and then scored on a Molina walk-off sacrifice fly.
It was an exciting game that was everything that is exciting and fun about playoff baseball. Game 5 on Wednesday night in Atlanta will determine which team advances and gains a spot in the National League Championship Series.
