Morgan, Brewers take it in 10th

MILWAUKEE -- Nyjer Morgan sent the Brewers to the National League Championship Series on Friday, delivering an RBI single in the 10th inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-2, in Division Series Game 5.

The Brewers will host the St. Louis Cardinals when the NLCS begins Sunday.

Morgan hit a one-out grounder up the middle and Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz tried in vain to stop it with his leg. Carlos Gomez scored from second, sailing across home plate as a wild throw went high, and Morgan was mobbed by jubilant teammates. "He's a joy to have, I'll tell you," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Morgan. "I don't care about all the little issues we have. This guy, I love him on this team. I like him as a really nice young man. He came through big, again, when we needed him."

Gomez was surprised when one of the first people to greet him on the field at raucous Miller Park was Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio. "You have to be smart," Gomez said. "You have to get to the boss first, and then your teammates."

"I've never done that," the owner said. "I was so excited. I could not contain myself." Then he continued to party by high-fiving fans while standing on top of the first-base dugout.

The latest dramatic finish for baseball's best home team gave Milwaukee its first postseason series victory since it won the AL pennant in 1982. "We've heard all about 1982, so it's nice to start our own legacy," Ryan Braun said.

The Diamondbacks' Willie Bloomquist tied the score at 2-2 with a safety squeeze in the ninth inning. "This was a great baseball game today. I'm not happy to be on this end of it. Yet I'm proud of my team and they played true to the way they played all year," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "And the Brewers, they cashed in on their opportunities. What can we say? We had tons of opportunities."