Cardinals clinch 3rd straight NL Central title

It's becoming hard to imagine a postseason that doesn't include the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jason Heyward hit a grand slam and finished a triple shy of the cycle as the Cardinals crushed the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-1 in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader to clinch their third straight National League Central title.

"Tell me another team that is going to lose their ace and their three-hole hitter and is going to win 100 games?" Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter exclaimed while celebrating the title. "It's just not going to happen and we found a way to do it. It seemed like no matter what happened, this team never quit."

With the Cardinals leading 2-0 in the top of the third inning, Heyward launched his second career grand slam to right-center field to increase the lead to 6-0 and put the game out of reach.

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Left-hander Tyler Lyons, who made his first start since Sept. 2, tossed seven shutout frames to help secure the pivotal victory.

St. Louis, which fell 8-2 in the first contest of the twin bill, qualified for the postseason for the fifth consecutive season. Manager Mike Matheny is now also the first manager in major-league history to reach the postseason in his first four years on the job.

The Cardinals also secured home-field advantage for the National League Division Series and NL Championship Series with their 100th victory. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, falls into a wild-card berth and a date with the Chicago Cubs with the loss.