PITTSBURGH -- Francisco Liriano showed up at PNC Park on Tuesday afternoon in a suit with his suitcase packed for a trip St. Louis. The message reverberated through the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse. After 21 years away from the playoffs, it was time for the best story in baseball to become something more than a novelty act. Liriano tossed seven dominant innings and the Pirates roared past Cincinnati 6-2 in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night then headed to St. Louis for the NL division series beginning Thursday. A.J. Burnett will start for the Pirates in Game 1 against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. "He had the expectancy to win," Pittsburgh centerfielder Andrew McCutchen said. "When he showed up with his suit on, that got me hyped up." St. Louis likely wont face Liriano until Game 3 at the earliest, though Lirianos teammates believe his performance set the tone for what they hope is an extended October stay. In front of a black-clad crowd savoring its first post-season game since 1992, Russell Martin hit two home runs, Marlon Byrd also connected and McCutchen reached base four times. "Were for real," McCutchen said. "Were definitely for real." You wont hear the Reds arguing after Liriano continued his mid-career renaissance. The left-hander scattered four hits, struck out five and walked one to win his first playoff game and serve notice the Pirates have no intention of going quietly after spending two decades at the bottom of the standings. "We didnt talk about one and done, we talked about one and run," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Win one and run to St. Louis." Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto struggled in his third start since coming off the disabled list last month. Cueto gave up four runs in 3 1-3 innings and appeared rattled by a raucous ballpark that taunted him by chanting his name. "He couldnt get the ball where he wanted," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Usually he can throw that ball through the eye of a needle. Tonight he was up." The 36-year-old Byrd, acquired by the Pirates in late August from the New York Mets, celebrated the first post-season at-bat of his 12-year career -- 1,250 games -- by sending Cuetos fastball into the seats to give the Pirates the lead in the second inning. The shot sent another jolt through an already electric crowd, which began singing "Cue-to, Cue-to" in unison when Martin stepped in. "This is 20 years of waiting. Youre seeing it all come out in one night," Martin said. "Hopefully we can keep this atmosphere till late October." The catcher followed with a drive into the bleachers in left field. The Reds never recovered, ending a 90-win season with a six-game losing streak. Three of those losses came at home against the Pirates in the final series of the season that determined the site of the win-or-die game. "Its unfortunately been a bit like deja vu," first baseman Joey Votto said. "Really disappointing." Baker backed Cueto before the game, saying his ace "thrives on this environment." Maybe, but the right-hander never looked comfortable at a place where he has been nearly unhittable. Cueto, who came in 8-2 at the ballpark by the Allegheny River, even lost his grip on the ball while standing on the mound as the crowd serenaded him. A moment later, he lost his grip on the game. Martins 405-foot shot to left-centre gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead and all the momentum Liriano would require. Signed on the cheap in the off-season after a mediocre 2012 split between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox, Liriano has been reborn in Pittsburgh. He went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA during the regular season, his devastating slider nearly unhittable against left-handers. The Reds proved no match. Votto went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Jay Bruce produced an RBI single in the fourth but Cincinnati never really threatened on a night baseball officially returned to Pittsburgh. "Its definitely a good feeling," Martin said, "but weve still got work to do." Shin-Soo Choo homered in the eighth, a drive to right field that was upheld by video review. It did little more than slightly delay a party 7,660 days in the making. Pittsburghs 94-win regular season reignited a relationship sullied by years of mismanagement and miserable play. When the gates opened two hours before the first pitch, fans -- most of them dressed in black at the urging of McCutchen, an MVP candidate -- sprinted to their seats in anticipation of the clubs first post-season game since Atlantas Sid Bream slid into home ahead of Barry Bonds throw in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the 1992 National League championship series. The victory sent the Braves to the World Series and the Pirates into an abyss that took an entire generation to escape. The first step came with victory No. 82 on Sept. 9. The next came two weeks later when a win over the Chicago Cubs assured a wild-card spot. The most thrilling yet lifted the team with the 26th-highest payroll in the majors ($73.6 million) into a showdown with baseball royalty. The Reds, meanwhile, head into an off-season that could be eventful. Baker has led Cincinnati to the playoffs in three of the last four years but the Reds failed to advance each time. They fell to the San Francisco Giants in five games -- after leading 2-0 -- in the division series in 2012 and were swept in the same round by Philadelphia in 2010. This time, they didnt even make it that far. Cincinnati spent most of the season as the third team in a three-way race with the Pirates and the Cardinals for the NL Central title. Theyll end the year as the first one heading home. "Its very difficult to come down to one game, especially the way we played," Baker said. "We got outplayed big time." Cueto, who made three different trips to the disabled list this season with a strained lat, was pressed into service when projected starter Mat Latos discovered bone chips in his right (throwing) elbow. On the surface, it seemed like an upgrade. It wasnt. The Pirates made it 3-0 on sacrifice fly in the third by Pedro Alvarez and Cueto was pulled when Starling Marte doubled with one out in the fourth. Marte sprinted home on local boy Neil Walkers double off reliever Sean Marshall and Walker scored on a fielders choice by Byrd to make it 5-1. When Martin hit a drive to left off Logan Ondrusek in the seventh, the party seemingly unthinkable for a team that lost 105 games in 2010 began. Martins long ball marked only the second multihomer playoff game in team history. Bob Robertson hit three in Game 2 of the 1971 NLCS. NOTES: Martin is the first catcher to homer for three different teams in the post-season. He previously connected for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and the New York Yankees in 2012 ... Liriano is the first Pittsburgh left-hander to win a playoff game since John Candelaria in Game 3 of the 1979 World Series ... The Reds have lost four straight playoff games and 11 of their last 13 ... Pittsburgh is the first home team to win since the new wild-card format was introduced last season ... The Pirates went 10-9 this year against St. Louis. ... Byrd is the oldest player to homer in his first post-season at-bat, according to STATS. jerseys from china ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. cheap jerseys . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. http://www.factorycheapjerseys.com/[/ur... . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. [url=http://www.factorycheapjerseys.com/]cheap nfl jerseys . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. wholesale jerseys . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Tigers starting staff has been nearly unhittable in the American League Championship Series. Yet, the Tigers find themselves down, 2-1, to the Boston Red Sox. Doug Fister hopes for some run support on Wednesday when the Tigers and Red Sox play Game 4 of the ALCS at Comerica Park. Boston snatched control of the best-of-seven set on Tuesday, as Mike Napoli broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run off Justin Verlander in the seventh inning, and John Lackey and the Red Sox bullpen made the blast stand up in a 1-0 victory. The Red Sox had mustered a mere three hits and one run for the series entering the eighth inning of Sundays Game 2, when David Ortiz brought Boston back to life with a game-tying grand slam and the AL East champs rallied for a thrilling 6-5 win. They managed only four hits and struck out 10 times in eight innings against Verlander (0-1). Lackey (1-0) was splendid during his 6 2/3-inning stint, holding the Tigers to four hits and striking out eight without a walk. Three relievers finished off the shutout, with Game 2 winner Koji Uehara shutting the door with a four-out save. "John Lackey was outstanding," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He held his stuff throughout the entire time he was out there. Just very good work by every guy that went to the mound today." Of the previous 31 occasions, the team with the 2-1 advantage has gone on to win the series 23 times. And since the ALCS converted to a best-of-seven format in 1985, 17 of 22 teams to take a 2-1 series lead have moved on. Detroit went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position for the game, with Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez each going 2-for-4 in the loss. "Today I thought Lackey and (catcher Jarrod) Saltalamacchia were absolutely terrific, game calling, pitch making," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "(Alex) Avila and Verlander were exactly the same. It was just tremendous pitching and both guys called a great game. And that pretty much sums it up.dddddddddddd" Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and failed to reach base in a postseason game for the first time as a Tiger and just the third time in his career, ending a 31-game, postseason-record streak. "Gotta swing at better pitches," Cabrera said. Prince Fielder, meanwhile, hasnt had an RBI in his last 57 postseason at- bats. Amazingly, the Tigers .231 average this postseason is the second-best mark of the four teams still alive. Their 23 runs, however, are the lowest total. Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer and Verlander have combined for a sparkling 0.86 ERA in this series. Now Fister gets the call in his second start this postseason. Fister allowed three runs in six innings as the Tigers beat Oakland 8-6 in Game 4 of the Division Series on Oct. 8. He gave up six runs and 11 hits while lasting just 3 1/3 innings in a 10-6 home loss to Boston on June 21, but held the Red Sox to four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 victory at Fenway Park on Sept. 2. "I think a lot of it is the fact of just executing - keeping the ball down, mixing pitches and not getting in any sort of routine," Fister said. "Their hitters are very smart, very intelligent. And you know, weve seen each other a lot." Boston, meanwhile, will turn to righty Jake Peavy, who hasnt pitched since helping the Red Sox eliminate the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of the ALDS back on Oct. 8. Peavy surrendered a run in 5 2/3 innings of that one. Having pitched parts of the last five seasons for the Chicago White Sox, Peavy is quite familiar with the AL Central champion Tigers and is 4-5 lifetime against them with a 4.83 ERA. "I do know those guys well," Peavy said. "It comes down to (Wednesday) night, executing the game plan that we think were going to go with and get those guys out. Its a huge challenge with the way they swing the bat." The Tigers were 4-3 against the Red Sox in 2013, winning three of four at Comerica Park in June. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '