ST. LOUIS — Manny eventually was going to be Manny.
The Dodgers knew Manny Ramirez wasn’t going to stay in a postseason funk for long, and their patience was rewarded last night in their NLDS-clinching, 5-1 win over the Cardinals.
Ramirez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs after mustering just one hit in his first eight at-bats of the series at Dodger Stadium.
“You’re not going to hold Manny down for long,” teammate Andre Ethier said. “That’s something we knew. He’s still the heart of our lineup. He’s going to figure it out and get the job done. He’s been a good hitter his whole career.”
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The Cardinals’ post-game clubhouse was a virtual ghost town after the surprising sweep.
Albert Pujols refused to speak with reporters, and Game 2 goat Matt Holliday waited nearly an hour — long enough for most of the media to clear out — before he finally emerged.
St. Louis had been a favorite to represent the NL in the World Series after romping to the Central Division title, but Tony La Russa’s team proved to be a huge bust.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” John Smoltz said after his 41st career postseason appearance. “I think we’re going to look back in the offseason and say, ‘I can’t believe we let it get away like this.’ “
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The Dodgers couldn’t say enough about late-season pickup Vicente Padilla, an erratic journeyman who pitched seven shutout innings in his postseason debut last night.
“That’s the best we’ve seen him and the longest we’ve seen him,” manager Joe Torre said.
The Dodgers’ series win was their first against the Cardinals in the playoffs. The Dodgers dropped the NLCS in 1985 and a division series against St. Louis in 2004 in the two previous meetings between the clubs.