MLB: St. Louis 12, Milwaukee 6

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A first-inning home run by David Freese touched off an offensive explosion Sunday that pushed St. Louis past Milwaukee 12-6 and into the World Series.

The Cardinals turned the Brewers aside with nine runs over the first three innings and won the National League Championship Series in six games. St. Louis will host the American League champion Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday.

It will be the 18th World Series appearance for the Cardinals, who have won the championship of major league baseball 10 times. They did so most recently in 2006.

St. Louis also will try to become the fifth wild card team to win the sport's top prize. The Boston Red Sox were the last to pull off that feat seven years ago when they swept the Cardinals in four games.

This year's World Series could be an offensive show. St. Louis scored at least nine runs on three occasions during the NLCS. Texas closed out its ALCS win over Detroit by scoring 15 runs Saturday.

Freese hit a three-run homer to highlight a four-run first inning, Rafael Furcal hit a solo shot for the Cardinals in the second and Albert Pujols kicked off a four-run third with another homer.

Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum lasted only one inning and the Brewers then used six more pitchers in a bid to cool off the Cardinals. St. Louis finished with 14 hits, three of them from Freese.

The Brewers got home runs from Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and Jonathan Lucroy and stayed within a run of the Cardinals through the first two innings. The second St. Louis four-run inning of the night in the third, however, deflated the Brewers.