Jayson Werth gave L.A. fans something to cheer about early, launching a solo home run into the right field stands. After walking two in the first inning, Odalis Perez issued a lead off base on balls to Jim Edmonds in the second. Edmonds was thrown out attempting to steal second during Reggie Sanders at-bat or the Cardinals would have taken the lead when Sanders sent a fly ball soaring into the left field stands to tie the game.

Perez also began the third inning with a walk. Albert Pujols grounded out, advancing Larry Walker to second, and then Perez issued another base on balls to Scott Rolen. Edgar Renteria subsequently bounced a grounder through the left side of the infield for a single, scoring Walker and prompting the Dodgers to replace Perez with Wilson Alvarez. Alvarez struck out St. Louis's next two batters to get L.A. out of the jam. In the bottom of the inning, Werth walked and then advanced to third when Steve Finley shot a ground ball into right field. Adrian Beltre then drove in Werth with a sac fly hit down the right field line, so the game was tied at 2 going into the fourth.

While Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan reached base on line drive single into left field, he was spared from spending the fourth running the bases. After fouling off six pitches, Tony Womack hit a fly ball into right field, where Milton Bradley made a sliding catch. Bradley clearly appeared to be in possession of the ball but dropped it while transferring it from his glove before making a sitting throw to Alex Cora. Cora relayed to Shawn Green at first, where Green sent the ball to Cesar Izturis at second to get the force out on Suppan, because the umpire erroneously ruled Bradley had not made a clean catch. Walker moved Womack to second with a ground ball single into center field, and Pujols catapulted a fly ball into the Dodgers' bullpen down the left field line for a three-run homer to put St. Louis up 5-2.

After watching him go one-two-three through the Cardinals lineup in both the fifth and sixth, Manager Jim Tracy evidently was unable to bring himself to pull Yhency Brazoban prior to the seventh even though the 24-year-old rookie never pitched more than two innings at a time in the majors this season. Brazoban issued a lead off walk to Walker. On the first pitch of Pujols's at-bat, Walker stole second. David Ross's throw bounced in front of the bag and went into centerfield, allowing Walker to hop up and take third. Consequently, St. Louis added another run to their lead when Pujols knocked a single into center. Brazoban remained in to give up another walk to Rolen. Ross did not realize he had dropped the first pitch to Renteria, so Pujols was able to take third while the catcher stripped off his mask and looked for the ball. Two pitches later Brazoban plunked Renteria in the ribs, and L.A. sent in Mike Venafro to relieve him. Venafro struck out Edmonds then handed the ball over to Giovanni Carrara. With Carrara pitching, Sanders hit into a double play to end the inning before the Cardinals could run up the score any further.

After Suppan bobbled a ground ball up the middle, Bradley should have been safely on first to lead off the bottom of the inning, but even though he arrived at first before Suppan's throw the umpire called him out. Consequently, the Dodgers did not even get a man on base in the bottom of the seventh. Suppan left prior to the eighth, but L.A. was not able to narrow St. Louis' lead before the game ended.

Instead of remaining in their dugout as is customary in Major League Baseball, the Dodgers joined their opponents on the field to shake hands and congratulate the Cardinals following St. Louis's series winning 6-2 victory. The two teams mixed together in a good-natured red, white, and blue mass on the first base side of home plate. Even in little league, teams normally just file past one another slapping hands after the game, so L.A.'s gesture was a pleasant contrast. We seemed to witness the culmination of a competition between friends rather than another scene of a victor wildly celebrating in front of their conquered foes.