New York Mets reach World Series with 4-0 sweep of Chicago Cubs
Last Updated: 22/10/15 8:09am
Daniel Murphy homered in his record sixth straight post-season game as the New York Mets reached the World Series for the first time in 15 years by completing a 4-0 sweep of the Chicago Cubs with an 8-3 win on Wednesday night.
Manager Terry Collins' team never trailed for a single inning in taking all four games in the National League Championship Series and New York, seeking its first title since 1986, will play Game 1 of the World Series at either Kansas City or Toronto on Tuesday night.
The Royals lead the American League Championship Series 3-2.
The Mets jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, scoring four runs in the first inning off starter Jason Hammel and two more in the second with first baseman Lucas Duda coming out of a post-season slump with a home run, a double and five RBIs.
Murphy broke the post-season mark set by Houston's Carlos Beltran in 2004 with a two-run drive in the eighth inning, while Travis d'Arnaud also connected.
Rookie starter Steven Matz held the Cubs without a hit through three innings but faced threats in the fourth and fifth innings and yielded a run before giving way to 42-year-old Bartolo Colon.
Colon, who registered the win, pitched out of a fifth-inning jam and was followed to the mound by Addison Reed, Tyler Clippard and closer Jeurys Familia.
Clippard gave up a long two-run homer to Kris Bryant in the eighth inning that made it 8-3, before Familia shut the door in the ninth to spark the Mets' celebration in the middle of Wrigley Field, where the Cubs' 107-year wait for a championship continues.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays got a pitching masterpiece from Marco Estrada in a one-sided 7-1 win to keep their season alive and put the Kansas City Royals' hopes of securing a World Series berth on hold.
Estrada allowed three hits and one run and faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings as Toronto pulled to within 3-2 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.
Chris Colabello gave Toronto the early lead with a second inning solo home run and Troy Tulowitzki broke the game open in the sixth when he lined a three-run double to centre to give the Blue Jays a 5-0 lead.
The Royals will get another chance to clinch their second consecutive trip to the World Series when the series resumes in Kansas City on Friday.
