ST. LOUIS — In a historic game between longtime rivals, John Lackey outdueled former teammate Jon Lester in a classic pitcher’s duel.
Firing 7 1/3 scoreless innings Friday night, Lackey combined with two relievers for a two-hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-0 for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five National League Division Series.
Lackey, who teamed with Lester for three wins as the Boston Red Sox vanquished St. Louis in the 2013 World Series, allowed both hits and a walk and had five strikeouts. Chicago didn’t manage a hit until shortstop Addison Russell grounded a leadoff single to center in the sixth.
Russell reached third with two outs, but center fielder Dexter Fowler’s towering fly ball was gloved by right fielder Randal Grichuk at the wall, ending the Cubs’ best scoring threat.
After the first inning, Lester matched Lackey pitch for pitch until the Cardinals put it away with a one-out power display in the eighth.
Pinch-hitter Tommy Pham belted a 431-foot homer in his first postseason at-bat. After a walk to third baseman Matt Carpenter that ended Lester’s outing, right fielder Stephen Piscotty greeted reliever Pedro Strop with a two-run homer to the seats in left.
Lester struck out nine in 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, five hits and a walk.
The first-ever playoff game between the NL Central rivals attracted a crowd of 47,830, the second largest in Busch Stadium III history.
St. Louis initiated scoring in the bottom of the first as a playoff newbie and a veteran produced the run. Piscotty slapped a ground-rule double to right with one out and scored as left fielder Matt Holliday lined a single to center.
The Cardinals had other chances to add to their lead but stranded three men at second in the first four innings. Lester fanned eight in the first five innings, including shortstop Jhonny Peralta and Grichuk twice apiece.
Lackey sailed through the first five innings, facing the minimum number of hitters and allowed just one batter to reach base. Right fielder Kyle Schwarber walked with one out in the fourth, but third baseman Kris Bryant rapped into a 5-4-3 double play on the first pitch.
GAME NOTES: The contrast in postseason experience is stark between the teams. St. Louis’ roster has played in 586 postseason games, Chicago’s in 75. … The Cardinals’ 2.94 ERA was the lowest in the majors since the New York Mets posted a 2.91 ERA in 1988. … The Cubs’ 48 road victories were their most in 70 years; the 1945 team won 49.
Mets 3, Dodgers 1
LOS ANGELES — Second baseman Daniel Murphy homered and Jacob deGrom struck out a career-high 13, sparking the New York Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodger in Game 1 of their National League Division Series before a sellout crowd of 54,428 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
DeGrom threw five-hit ball with a walk (intentional) in seven innings. His 13 strikeouts tied Tom Seaver’s franchise mark, which the Hall of Famer set in Game 1 of the 1973 National League Championship Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
DeGrom retired the final 11 batters he faced. He and Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, who struck out 11, became the first two opposing pitchers to strike out at least 10 hitters in a game.
Mets closer Jeurys Familia worked a perfect 1 1/3 innings for the save.
With the win, the Mets took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 2 is Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw lost his fifth straight playoff game. Kershaw (0-1), who is 1-6 in the postseason, was charged with three runs on four hits with four walks in 6 2/3 innings. Kershaw also lost to the Mets for the first time in 10 career starts.
Murphy gave the Mets an early lead, driving a 2-0 Kershaw fastball into the visitor’s bullpen in right for a solo blast to open the fourth inning.
With two outs in the eighth and the bases loaded, third baseman David Wright laced a two-run single up the middle off reliever Pedro Baez to make it 3-0.
The Dodgers scored a run on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI single to left, scoring second baseman Howie Kendrick, who reached on a double, to slice the lead to two runs with two outs in the eighth. However, Familia induced third baseman Justin Turner to line out to first to limit the damage.