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St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese connects for a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second inning of Game 5 of a National League playoff series on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo)

Before their National League Division Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright called former South Alabama baseball star David Freese "our Mr. October." Because of Freese and Wainwright, the Cardinals will play for the National League championship. Freese hit a two-run homer and Wainwright pitched a complete game as St. Louis defeated the Pirates 6-1 in a winner-take-all postseason game on Wednesday night.

Freese connected off Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, who hadn't given up a homer in six games, in the bottom of the second inning to plate the first runs of Wednesday's Game 5.

"That's what we expect of him," Wainwright said of Freese. "That's what he continues to deliver."

When the Cardinals went all the way in 2011, Freese was the MVP of the World Series and the National League Championship Series and won the Babe Ruth Award as the top player in the baseball postseason. In 36 career playoff games, the former Jaguar is hitting .325 with 13 doubles, seven homers, 29 RBIs and a .611 slugging percentage. His postseason RBI total is 10 more than any other player during that span. In seven postseason elimination games, Freese has hit .360 with 12 RBIs.

"It's a great feeling," Freese said. "It was a frustrating year in a lot ways for me, but it feels really great to win this series, contribute and get back to the LCS."

Freese started the season on the disabled list with a bad back, an ailment that started when he crashed through a gate catching a popup in spring training and landed on the concrete steps of the grandstand. After making the National League All-Star team in 2012, Freese's stats slipped in 2013 to a .262 batting average with nine homers, 60 RBIs and a .381 slugging percentage. In 2012, he hit .293 with 20 homers, 79 RBIs and a .467 slugging percentage.

Wainwright gave up one run on eight hits and one walks while striking out six to beat Pittsburgh for the second time in the series.

The Cardinals will play the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League pennant.

"It's going to be a blast," Freese told The Associated Press. "It's going to be fun -- St. Louis and L.A. going at it."

The National League Championship Series starts on Friday night. The time of the first pitch for Game 1 has not been announced. The best-of-seven series will be televised by TBS.