Cardinals Finish Off Expos and Mets, 8-2

The chase is over. The St. Louis Cardinals are champions of the National League East, and the New York Mets and Montreal Expos each saw them win it Thursday night.

Danny Cox pitched a five-hitter and Dan Driessen drove home three runs as St. Louis clinched its third title in six years by beating Montreal, 8-2. The Cardinals stopped all speculation about a three-way playoff and ended the Mets’ reign as World Series champions.

Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and about a dozen Mets were among the 48,763 fans at Busch Stadium. The Mets left by the seventh inning, when the Cardinals broke the game open with five runs.

“That was a great way to win,” gloated St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith, spraying champagne with teammate John Morris. “They died a slow death and had to watch it.

“They still think they got a chance,” Smith razzed.

Now, the Mets’ season-ending three-game series in St. Louis means nothing. Instead, it will give the banged-up Cardinals time to rest before beginning the best-of-seven NL playoffs against San Francisco Tuesday night at St. Louis.

Cox earned the starting assignment in Game 1 against the Giants’ Rick Reuschel, with John Tudor of the Cardinals facing Dave Dravecky in the second game.

“That was Danny’s best game since his rookie season,” St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog said.

The Cardinals’ victory also ended Montreal’s hopes of forcing a three-way tie. The Expos, picked by many to finish near last place, will battle the Mets for second place.

“We’re not through yet,” Montreal Manager Buck Rodgers said.

The Mets, meanwhile, became another team that failed to repeat after winning the World Series. The New York Yankees of 1977-78 were the last to accomplish the feat.

“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be,” Carter said. “We had our chances.”

New York and St. Louis each were plagued by injuries and inconsistency this season. The Cardinals hung on to win, however, while Carter and his teammates walked quietly into the celebration around the ballpark.

Driessen, who was batting .218 while subbing most of the month for injured first baseman Jack Clark, hit a two-run double in the fourth inning to make it 3-1 and he hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The Cardinals also overcame several key injuries this year and managed to hang on despite a 33-33 record since July 23, the day they led Montreal by 9 1/2 games and the Mets by 10 1/2.

Had the Expos won, they could have created a three-way playoff by winning three straight against Chicago and having New York sweep St. Louis.

But Cox, who had lost 5 of 6 September starts, was too tough in his second complete game of the season. Facing a Montreal lineup that had hit .447 against him this season, he gave up a run in the first before retiring 16 in a row.

Cox (11-9) struck out four and walked one. The victory was just St. Louis’ seventh in 18 games against the Expos this season.

Jay Tibbs (4-5) lost in his second start since being recalled from the minors on Sept. 14. Tibbs was a late choice by Montreal Manager Buck Rodgers, who exhausted his pitching staff trying to catch the Cardinals.

With the scored tied, 1-1, Smith opened the Cardinals’ fourth with a hard one-hopper that skimmed off third baseman Tim Wallach and trickled down the left-field line for a double. Tom Herr singled Smith to third, and Driessen lined a double to the right-center field alley that scored both runners.

Joe Hesketh relieved after Driessen’s hit and held the Cardinals in check until the seventh, when they poured it on and triggered a white towel-waving celebration in a sea of Cardinal red that included chants of “Go Home, Mets!”

St. Louis scored five runs on two hits and two errors in the seventh against three pitchers. Smith hit a two-run single, Driessen had a sacrifice fly, and Wallach and reliever Jeff Parrett made errant throws that allowed runs to score.

Injured Jack Clark will not start for St. Louis in Game 1 of the National League playoffs against San Francisco, Herzog said.

Clark, who has hit 35 homers and driven in 106 runs, has been out of the starting lineup since Sept. 9 with an injured right ankle. The Cardinals are hopeful Clark can return by late next week.