LARS NOOTBAAR

Japanese television stuck to its live coverage from Miami for almost two hours after Japan beat the United States 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic.

Lars Nootbaar has become a fan favorite for his pepper-grinder celebration but the move has been discouraged in Japan's high school baseball circuit.

Lars Nootbaar's imaginary pepper-grinder was the talk of World Baseball Classic games in Japan, but the fun-loving gesture by the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder does not appear welcome in Japan's popular high school baseball tournament. When a player for Tohoku High School twisted his two fists together — imitating Nootbaar — after getting on first base Saturday, the umpire told him to stop. Hiroshi Sato, manager for Tohoku High School, defended his player.

Lars Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome. You see people doing it on the trains, across the counter ordering a coffee and of course among the 40,000 fans who have packed the Tokyo Dome to watch Japan play in the World Baseball Classic. “I heard the pepper grinders around the country, their sales have gone up quite a bit this past week.”

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar has suddenly become a popular star playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar just joined Japan's national team for the World Baseball Classic but he is already a big fan of Shohei Ohtani.

Aaron Nola pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Bryce Harper’s homer gave Philadelphia an early lead, and the Phillies held off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 to sweep their National League wild-card series.

The Phillies scored six times in the ninth inning off the stingy St. Louis bullpen, highlighted by a bases-loaded single by Jean Segura, and Philadelphia beat the NL Central champion Cardinals 6-3 in the opening game of their National League wild-card series.

Brendan Donovan hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to lead Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory against the San Diego Padres, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina made history with the first pitch of the game, then the record-setting battery helped the St. Louis Cardinals extend their NL Central lead by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1.

Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 13th inning, Lars Nootbaar added a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals twice used five-man infields to stop the Cincinnati Reds and pull out a 5-3 win on Wednesday night. In his final game in Cincinnati, Pujols shook off going hitless in five at-bats to deliver against Chase Anderson (0-2), driving in automatic runner Paul Goldschmidt with one out. “I know he enjoyed it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Pujols, who plans to retire after the season.

Paul Goldschmidt slugged his 32nd and 33rd homers to highlight a five-RBI performance, Corey Dickerson set a franchise record for consecutive hits and the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols blasted two more homers, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 for a three-game sweep.

Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman homered, and St. Louis scored the winning run when Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets mostly ceded the spotlight at the trade deadline.

Jordan Montgomery blanked his old teammates over five innings and Nolan Arenado drove in the lone run as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 1-0.

Hanser Alberto hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers climbed out of a huge hole in a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nolan Arenado sparked a record barrage of four straight home runs by St. Louis in the first inning, then hit a tiebreaking drive in the ninth that sent the Cardinals over the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6.

The St. Louis Cardinals became the first major league team to ever hit four straight home runs in the first inning when Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carson connected against Philadelphia.

Corbin Burnes pitched seven dominant innings, Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers regained sole possession of first place in the NL Central with a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Paul Goldschmidt homered to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, Corey Dickerson went deep twice, and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Chicago Cubs 14-5.

Make it a very sweet 16 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fresh off setting a franchise record with their 15th straight win, Harrison Bader and the St. Louis Cardinals try to finish off a sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday.

The surging St. Louis Cardinals emphatically matched a team record with their 14th straight win, pounding the Chicago Cubs 12-4 in the second game of a doubleheader behind Tyler O’Neill’s three-run homer and a pair of solo shots by Lars Nootbaar.

The surging St. Louis Cardinals emphatically matched a team record with their 14th straight win on Friday night, pounding the Chicago Cubs 12-4 in the second game of a doubleheader behind Tyler O’Neill’s three-run homer and a pair of solo shots by Lars Nootbaar. Harrison Bader added a solo drive, double and single as St. Louis batters went deep five times in the nightcap to sweep the twinbill and equal a run set in July 1935. Paul DeJong also went deep and Nootbaar added a single for three hits in his first multihomer game as St. Louis pulled away.

Cardinals closer Giovanny Gallegos fanned pinch-hitter Pablo Reyes for the final out and St. Louis won its 10th straight game, increasing its playoff lead by holding off the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each hit one of St. Louis’ four homers, and the Cardinals flashed some fantastic outfield defense in beating the New York Mets 11-4 for their fifth straight victory.

Six St. Louis relievers combined to allow three runs in seven innings, Paul DeJong and Lars Nootbaar homered, and the Cardinals hung on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep.