The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 3-1 on Thursday in game seven of the National League Championship Series, advancing to the World Series.

Yadier Molina's ninth-inning tiebreaking homer and another Game 7 gem by Jeff Suppan helped St. Louis overcome Endy Chavez's astounding grab, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 Sereis victory.

The win sent the Cardinals their second World Series in three years, and they will meet the American League champion Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday in Detroit.

Adam Wainwright wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth, striking out St. Louis nemesis Carlos Beltran to end it.

Molina, a .216 career hitter with only six home runs during the regular season, drove the first pitch he saw from reliever Aaron Heilman into New York's bullpen for a 3-1 lead in the ninth.

Source: Xinhua