The Boston Red Sox picked up where they left off in the 2004 postseason by shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series, 8-1.

The Red Sox have built from the momentum gained from the Game 2 thriller in the ALCS and suddenly the team that finished in last place last year has the lead - and Home Field Advantage - in the World Series.

The Cardinals did not look like a World Series team on Wednesday night and struggled to keep up with the AL Champion Red Sox. Things went wrong for St. Louis from the beginning when playoff star Carlos Beltran went down with bruised ribs after crashing into the outfield wall during a magnificent catch to rob David Ortiz of a home run. Ortiz later made up for it by going deep for a two run homer to help the offense score its 8 runs on the day.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny didn't know what team he was watching - the one that plowed through the National League en route to 97 wins and a pair of series victories in the playoffs - or the one that fell flat against the Red Sox in 2004.

"We had a wake-up call. That is not the kind of team that we've been all season," Matheny said. "And they're frustrated. I'm sure embarrassed to a point."

Boston starter Jon Lester went 7 2/3 innings and allowed no runs while striking out 8. The bullpen had little difficulty locking down the final outs to secure the victory.

The Cardinals will look to get back into a groove in Game 2 at Fenway Park before the squads pack up and fly to St. Louis for Games 3, 4, and possibly 5 depending on whether the Cards are able to lock down a win the next 3 games.