MOLINA WINS IT IN 10TH AS CARDS TOP BRAVES 5-4 AND FORCE A GAME 5

Yadier Molina pushed the St. Louis Cardinals to a deciding Game 5 of the NL Division Series, poking a tying single in the eighth inning and lifting a sacrifice fly in the 10th to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 Monday.

Molina slung his bat far into the outfield after his winner, and the packed crowd at Busch Stadium roared with the longtime heart of the franchise.

"An elite, special player, that's what he is," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.

Game 5 will be Wednesday back in Atlanta. The Cardinals will have ace Jack Flaherty on the mound, and the Braves will go with Mike Foltynewicz.

Kolten Wong led off the St. Louis 10th with a ground-rule double against Julio Teheran. After Paul Goldschmidt was intentionally walked, Wong advanced on Marcell Ozuna's forceout and easily scampered home on Molina's fly to the front of the warning track in left field.

Wong threw his hands in the air as he ran toward the plate. Molina rounded first base with his bat in hand, then flung it away as the celebration erupted. The 37-yearold catcher discarded his batting helmet as the rest of the Cardinals poured onto the field.

Molina made it 4-all with a twoout single in the eighth that went just off the top of the glove of a leaping Freddie Freeman at first.

Ozzie Albies homered and drove in three runs for Atlanta, and Ronald Acuña Jr. had four hits. But the NL East champions went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, a continuing problem in the postseason over the past two years.

The Braves left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh. Acuña was stranded on third when Josh Donaldson flied out in the ninth.

"We're a hit away from — just some productive outs — from continuing to add on," manager Brian Snitker said.

Ozuna homered twice for St. Louis, and Goldschmidt also connected.