After offense was much of the story in the first three games, neither the Astros nor the Braves could manage to muster any late in Game 4 as it took 18 innings for the Astros to pull out a 7-6 victory and advance to the NLCS.

Game 4 featured 14 pitchers, with Astros Game 2 starter Roger Clemens finishing the game and earning the victory for Houston.

The Astros were down 6-1 against Braves starter Tim Hudson in the eighth inning when Lance Berkman hit a grand slam to narrow the gap to one. Brad Ausmus tied it in the ninth with another homer. Both teams were then held quiet for another nine innings until pinch-hitter Chris Burke (batting in Berkman's place in the lineup) hit a series-clinching walk-off homer off Atlanta's Joey Devine.

Path to the NLDS: Houston (89-73) finished second in the NL Central and won the Wild Card; Atlanta (90-72) won the NL East by two games?

Managers: Phil Garner, HOU; Bobby Cox, ATL