A 6-foot-6 right-hander drafted 15th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 out of Trinity High School in Manchester, New Hampshire, Carpenter showed promise early in his career. At age 23, he went 12-7 with a 4.37 ERA over 175 innings in his first full major league season in 1998.

The next year appeared to be his breakthrough. Carpenter carried a 3.24 ERA into the All-Star break despite missing much of June with elbow inflammation. But the second half unraveled. His ERA climbed to 6.31, and his season ended when he underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow.

His struggles continued in 2000. Carpenter went 10-12 with a 6.26 ERA, allowed an American League-high 122 earned runs, and was briefly moved to the bullpen in August. He rebounded in 2001, winning 11 games with a 4.09 ERA over 215 2/3 innings, but another major setback followed in 2002. Named Toronto’s Opening Day starter, Carpenter lasted only 2 1/3 innings before shoulder trouble sent him to the injured list. He returned briefly, then suffered additional setbacks before undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum, with pins inserted into his shoulder.

At season’s end, with Carpenter expected to miss the first half of the 2003 season, the Blue Jays removed Carpenter from their 40-man roster and instead offered him a minor-league contract with incentives.[1] Carpenter declined and became a free agent.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, were searching urgently for pitching. The organization was still coping with the loss of Darryl Kile, who passed away during the 2002 season, and the retirement of veteran starter Andy Benes. General manager Walt Jocketty had already re-signed Woody Williams to a two-year, $14.9 million contract. Chuck Finley, whom the Cardinals acquired in a trade with the Indians in July, was also considering a contract offer to return for 2003 (ultimately, he turned down the Cardinals’ offer and chose to retire).

Jocketty also explored trade possibilities with the Expos regarding Bartolo Colon and Javier Vazquez, and with the Giants regarding Livan Hernandez and Russ Ortiz,[2] as well as a potential deal with the Padres that would send Gold Glove second baseman Fernando Vina to the Padres for Brett Tomko and Kevin Jarvis.[3]

Even as Jocketty talked with other teams about potential trade opportunities, he explored the option of adding Carpenter to the Cardinals’ roster. On December 9, Carpenter traveled to St. Louis to have an MRI completed on his shoulder.[4] Three days later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals, who had explored trading for Carpenter during the recent trade deadline, were negotiating a new deal with Carpenter. The paper described him as “a potential swingman for the Redbirds late next season.”[5]

“He’s somebody we’ve liked for a while,” Jocketty said. “I would like to think something could happen soon.”[6]

On December 13, Carpenter, who had earned $3.45 million with the Blue Jays in 2002, signed a $700,000 contract with the Cardinals. Unlike Toronto’s offer, the deal included a major league roster spot. Carpenter would earn the major league minimum salary of $300,000 with a $200,000 bonus if he appeared in a major league game. The contract included a team option for 2004 with a $200,000 buyout.[7]

Carpenter said his decision to sign had little to do with the money. Instead, he was motivated by conversations with former teammates Mike Matheny, Pat Hentgen, and Williams, each of whom had played in St. Louis.

“They all said it was the best city, the best fans, the best organization,” Carpenter said. “It wasn’t a financial decision at all. It was because it was the best situation.”[8]

Despite both the Cardinals’ and Carpenter’s hopes for 2003, he wouldn’t make an impact until 2004. On July 29, after he experienced discomfort in his shoulder during his rehab assignment, Carpenter underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue. In November, the Cardinals declined to exercise their option on Carpenter’s contract, though they expressed hope that they could re-sign him under a restructured deal.

“I think Carpenter is a guy who we think could still help us,” Jocketty said. “We went through the whole rehab process last year, and he has a clean bill of health.”[9]

In December, Carpenter and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year deal and Jocketty announced that he planned for Carpenter to be one of the Cardinals’ starters to open the year.

“I don’t think there’s any concern for him not being ready,” Jocketty said.[10]

Finally healthy for the first time in years, Carpenter proved to be more than ready, going 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA to help the Cardinals win the National League Central Division.

He was even better in 2005, going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA to win the NL Cy Young Award. Carpenter’s 241 2/3 innings included seven complete games, more than anyone in baseball. In the postseason, he went 2-0 in three starts with a 2.14 ERA over 21 innings.

During Carpenter’s nine seasons in St. Louis, he emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers, going 95-44 with a 3.07 ERA. In 2006, Carpenter threw eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the World Series to help the Cardinals capture their 10^th world championship. Five years later, he outdueled Roy Halladay to win Game 7 of the NLDS, then earned the win in two World Series games to help the Cardinals top the Rangers in seven games.

Carpenter was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2016.

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon!

[1] “Blue Jays, Carpenter go separate ways,” Windsor Star, December 13, 2002.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals might be closing gap with Finley,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2002.

[7] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Cards’ chance of keeping Finley is put at 50-50,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2002.

[9] Dan O’Neill, “Cardinals decline option on Vina,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 4, 2003.

[10] Joe Strauss, “Cards still like Carpenter’s tools,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 2, 2003.

The post How Chris Carpenter signed with the Cardinals first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Six unanswered runs later, the Cardinals had a 6-2 victory in World Series Game 7 and the 11^th world championship in franchise history.

“It’s unbelievable, amazing, incredible,” said manager Tony La Russa. “The teams we played in the playoffs were all great teams.”^[1]

Shortly after the madness of Game 6, including David Freese’s game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11^th inning, La Russa turned his attention to Game 7. With Game 6 postponed a day due to weather, the Cardinals planned to pitch ace Chris Carpenter on short rest.

As La Russa recalled in his book, One Last Strike, “It was fun to relive that sixth game, but about the middle of the dinner I started to get distracted, turning my attention to Game 7. Dunc (pitching coach Dave Duncan) and I had decided that Carp was going to start. But just to make sure, I called Dunc later that morning and said, “Let’s discuss the alternatives.” He said, “Carp’s pitching.” And then he hung up on me.”[2]

Game 7 would mark the sixth start of the postseason for the 36-year-old Carpenter. After pitching just three innings in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Carpenter bounced back with a dominant showing in Game 5, throwing a complete-game, three-hit shutout opposite Roy Halladay to send the Cardinals to the NLCS.

Since then, he had picked up two more wins, including Game 1 of the World Series. In Game 5, he allowed two runs over seven innings and received no decision.

“Dave and I had a heart-to-heart with him to gauge just how ready he was to pitch, not mentally but physically,” La Russa said. “He’s the guy our club wants to have out there. He’s our guy.”^[3]

The Rangers, meanwhile, turned to Matt Harrison, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-hander from North Carolina. The 25-year-old won 14 games during the regular season and picked up another during Game 4 of the ALDS. He had taken the loss for the Rangers in World Series Game 3, allowing three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

In the top of the first, the Rangers gave Harrison an early lead, though Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina did his part to limit the damage. After Ian Kinsler led off with a single into left, Molina picked him off for the first out of the game.

“That was huge,” Carpenter said. “Unbelievable. That’s Yadi doing his thing. That’s what makes him so great.”^[4]

Elvis Andrus followed with a walk before Josh Hamilton and Michael Young hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

“He had to settle down,” Hamilton said. “We caught him a little by surprise there in the first, but he did settle down, started getting some guys out.”^[5]

“My command wasn’t great to begin with, but I thought I made some pretty good pitches also, and they hit them,” Carpenter said. “But I felt good, I made some adjustments. I continued to make pitches and do what I needed to do, and fortunately we were able to come back and win the game.”^[6]

That comeback began in the bottom of the first. After Harrison walked Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman, Freese hit a two-run double into left field to tie the game.

“To me,” Berkman said, “that kind of gets lost in the shuffle. They jump out to a lead, and we come right back? At that point, we’re like ‘We’re winning, we’re winning this thing.’”[7]

Carpenter worked around a hit and an error in the second, then threw a scoreless third inning. In the bottom of the third, Allen Craig, in the lineup due to an injury to Matt Holliday in Game 6, homered on a 3-2 pitch.

“It’s phenomenal,” Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire said. “Here’s a guy who was having a great year and then unfortunately broke his kneecap. He’s still got a problem with his knee, but he played through it.”^[8]

Scott Feldman entered the game for the Rangers in the fifth and loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch, and an intentional walk. He issued a six-pitch walk to Molina to bring the go-ahead run home before he was replaced by C.J. Wilson. Wilson hit the first batter he faced, Rafael Furcal, to make the score 4-2.

“Walks hurt us,” Rangers reliever Mike Adams said. “It’s tough to get away with that many walks. You walk people, you pay for it, especially against a team like this. That’s what made the difference in who won the Series. Maybe we tried to be a little too fine, maybe trying to be too perfect and it came back and bit us.”^[9]

With two outs in the sixth, Nelson Cruz hit a deep fly ball to left field. Craig, who already hit a home run, made a leaping catch at the wall to take one away.

“The whole experience was awesome,” Craig said. “Hitting a home run was awesome and I’ve never robbed a home run like that. I was glad to do it in the seventh game of the World Series. It’s all about making the best of your opportunities. You can’t let opportunities slip.”^[10]

In the seventh, another opportunity slipped by the Rangers. After outfielder David Murphy led off the inning with a ground-rule double, veteran left-hander Arthur Rhodes entered the game in place of Carpenter and got Yorvit Torrealba to fly out to center field. Octavio Dotel followed, striking out Kinsler and getting Andrus to fly out to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the inning, Molina added an RBI single to make the score 6-2.

From there, the game was in the hands of the Cardinals’ bullpen. Lance Lynn retired the side in order in the eighth, placing the Cardinals three outs away from the world championship.

Closer Jason Motte took the mound for the ninth inning.

“Sitting at first base with three outs left and thinking about all the things that we went through this year, just how special this group of guys that we have is – to do that and bring another championship to the city of St. Louis is just amazing,” Pujols said.^[11]

Motte started the inning by getting Cruz to fly out to center, then getting Mike Napoli to ground out to third base.

“I just remember standing out in left field and looking up into the crowd,” Craig said. “They’re chanting ‘Let’s go Cards. Let’s go Cards!’ over and over again. It just gives me goose bumps to this day remembering that and feeling that moment.”[12]

After Motte fired a first strike past Murphy, the Rangers outfielder lifted the second pitch to Craig in left field. Craig caught it to clinch the World Series. Molina raced out from behind the plate to embrace Motte and begin the celebration.

“After the final out was made, I turned to Yadi and was like, ‘Hey, come get some, baby!’” Motte recalled. “He was running out, and I remember going to put my arms around him, as he’s jumping in the air, and then next thing you know, I’m getting sideswiped from the rest of the bench! And I completely had blinders on. I hadn’t been looking at anyone else, just seeing Yadi. And I know my joy and my emotion in that moment was pretty awesome, but for me I got to see Yadi’s face. He’s got that smile, running out at me, and it’s one of those things I’ll never forget, baseball-wise. It’s burned into my mind.”[13]

“When it finally happened, it was just pandemonium,” Wainwright said. “You’re just running and you don’t know where to go or who to hug and you just realize you’re going to jump into everyone and hug everyone. You’re going to scream as loud as you can for as long as you can. And that’s what we did.”[14]

The victory capped as unlikely a championship as baseball had ever seen. No team had ever won the championship after being 10 ½ games back so late in the season.^[15] At one point, the Cardinals had a less than 4% chance of even making the playoffs, and Las Vegas was offering 500-to-1 odds on the team winning the World Series.[16]

Somehow, St. Louis defied the odds.

“We’ve got character, that’s why,” Carpenter said. “The personalities in our clubhouse are unbelievable. I’ll never forget them. I’ll never forget this.”^[17]

As the scoreboard flashed graphics declaring the Cardinals World Series champions and confetti fell from the sky, backup catcher Gerald Laird couldn’t believe it.

“Man, Carp, can you believe this?” he said.

“Yeah, I can,” Carpenter said. “This is unbelievable, but we all kept battling and now look at us.”^[18]

With two runs allowed over six innings, Carpenter claimed his fourth win of the postseason without a loss. For the playoffs, he had a 2.72 ERA, including two wins and a 2.79 ERA across 19 1/3 World Series innings.

Freese, the Lafayette High School alum, became the first position player since Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter in 1982 to win both the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year. Along with the World Series MVP trophy, Freese also received a sports car.

“He also shouldn’t have to buy a meal in this town for four years,” Wainwright said.^[19]

“It’s a dream come true,” Freese said. “Every step of the way has been incredible. We really had to work hard for this. We believed. We wanted it, but we stayed humble. We had to fight our way into the playoffs, but once you get in it gives you a special feeling. We just kept our heads down and worked hard.”^[20]

For the Rangers, who had lost to the Giants in a five-game World Series the year prior, the loss was doubly devastating.

“This will never be a good feeling,” Murphy said. “It hurts. It’s hard to go through a full season and play so well and get to Game 7 of a World Series and not get it done. There are so many positive things we can take away from this year but right now it hurts. That’s the easiest way to put it.”^[21]

Ultimately, the Cardinals timely hitting and the Rangers’ untimely walks proved the difference in the series. Texas pitchers walked six batters in Game 7 and a record 41 batters in the series.^[22]

Afterwards, Harrison insisted that the Rangers weren’t feeling a hangover from Game 7.

“We knew we had a chance to put it away and we didn’t,” Harrison said, “but last night was over with. Nobody was saying anything about it when we got here today.”[23]

Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton wasn’t convinced.

“The Rangers played … like a team that knew it had let its best chance to win the World Series slip away,” he wrote.^[24]

With his third World Series title, La Russa became the ninth manager to capture three championships, joining Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, Walter Alston, Joe Torre, Sparky Anderson, Miller Huggins, and John McGraw.[25]

On October 31, after the conclusion of the World Series parade, La Russa gathered his team in the clubhouse for one final meeting. There, he announced something only a small handful of people had known since he made his decision back in August: he was retiring from the game. Craig, who had held onto the baseball from the final out of Game 7, immediately went to his locker to give the ball to La Russa.^[26]

“I think this just feels like time to end it,” said La Russa, the winner of 2,728 games, including a franchise-record 1,408 with the Cardinals.^[27]

Game 7 also proved to be the final game in Cardinal red for Albert Pujols, who signed with the Angels that offseason. It was a heck of a way to end an era.

“They just would not go away,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “They just wouldn’t go away, and that’s the heart of a champion.”[28]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals Rule,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[2] Tony La Russa (2012), One Last Strike, [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 576.

[3] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[4] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[5] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[6] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[7] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 211.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Craig’s Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[9] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Craig’s Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[11] “They Said It,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011, Page 6CC.

[12] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 211.

[13] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 213.

[14] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 213.

[15] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[16] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals Rule,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[17] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[18] Bryan Burwell, “Incredible dream realized,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[19] Derrick Goold, “Banner Year,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[20] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[21] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[22] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[23] Gil LeBreton, “Rangers’ pitching never even came close,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011.

[24] Gil LeBreton, “Rangers’ pitching never even came close,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011.

[25] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[26] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 214.

[27] Joe Strauss, “‘I have no regrets,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 1, 2011.

[28] Kevin Baxter, “Ultimate wild Cards,” Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2011.

The post 2011 World Series Game 7: Cardinals clinch their 11th title first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“The thing about Carp, he was exactly what we needed,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.[5]

While Carpenter’s diving play got him out of the inning, Wilson wasn’t able to escape the sixth for the Rangers. David Freese got things started with a one-out double, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Wilson struck out Molina for the second out, he walked No. 8 hitter Punto on four pitches.

“I’m not going to let him get a hit,” Wilson said. “I know the situation there with the pitcher’s spot coming up.”[6]

With Wilson up to 94 pitches, Rangers manager Ron Washington turned to Alexi Ogando, the 27-year-old all-star who had started 29 of his 31 regular-season appearances. La Russa, in turn, called upon Allen Craig to pinch-hit for Carpenter.

Craig smacked a 1-2 pitch from Ogando into right field, just inches in front of a sliding Cruz, to score Freese and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

“Man, he’s tough,” Craig said of Ogando. “He came right at me with fastballs and I missed the first two. Then that last one, I was trying to get the barrel on it, make the defense make a play.”[7]

“Craig is the best pinch-hitter we’ve got,” La Russa said, “but to come off the bench, in your first World Series, in your first at-bat, against that guy? Wow.”[8]

For his part, Washington refused to second-guess the decision to bring Ogando into the game.

 “He was my best pitcher I felt in that situation,” he said. “You have to give Craig credit. He beat him. We didn’t lose tonight. They beat us.”[9]

Before the Cardinals could claim that win, however, their bullpen needed to fend off the Rangers’ dangerous offense. In the seventh, Cruz singled and Fernando Salas walked Napoli to put runners at first and second with one out. Marc Rzepczynski entered the game and struck out Craig Gentry and Esteban German to end the inning.

In the eighth, Octavio Dotel retired Kinsler and Andrus before left-hander Arthur Rhodes got Hamilton to fly out to center field. In the ninth, Jason Motte retired Young, Beltre, and Cruz in order for his fifth save of the postseason.

“They had the pitching tonight,” Young said. “That was about it. Carpenter was really sharp and their bullpen pitched well. … They made pitches when they had to.”[10]

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “‘La Genius’ lives up to that label,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[3] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[4] David Thomas, “Cardinals build confidence with opening victory,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[6] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[7] Ben Walker, “Craig’s single in 6^th lifts Cardinals to win,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 20, 2011.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[10] Tom Timmermann, “Lumber Slumber,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

“Give up a ground ball right there that scores two runs, that’s unfortunate,” Wilson said. “Other than that, I thought I minimized damage and pitched strategically.”[3]

The Rangers tied the score in the top of the fifth. Adriane Beltre led off the inning with a single, and after Carpenter struck out Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli launched a two-run homer to tie the game.

Texas threatened to tie the score in the sixth. Kinsler reached on an infield pop fly and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Young hit a ground ball that Pujols fielded cleanly. However, with Young racing down the baseline, Pujols’ throw was offline and Carpenter was forced to dive headfirst to catch the relay before landing face-first on the base for the final out of the inning.

“I think we need to work on that one next spring,” Carpenter said. “It was just instinct. He threw the ball, it was a little out of my reach, and I dove. I was like, ‘I’m going to get it,’ and it turned out to work out.’”[4]

After six innings and four strikeouts, Carpenter had allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk.

“The thing about Carp, he was exactly what we needed,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.[5]

While Carpenter’s diving play got him out of the inning, Wilson wasn’t able to escape the sixth for the Rangers. David Freese got things started with a one-out double, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Wilson struck out Molina for the second out, he walked No. 8 hitter Punto on four pitches.

“I’m not going to let him get a hit,” Wilson said. “I know the situation there with the pitcher’s spot coming up.”[6]

With Wilson up to 94 pitches, Rangers manager Ron Washington turned to Alexi Ogando, the 27-year-old all-star who had started 29 of his 31 regular-season appearances. La Russa, in turn, called upon Allen Craig to pinch-hit for Carpenter.

Craig smacked a 1-2 pitch from Ogando into right field, just inches in front of a sliding Cruz, to score Freese and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

“Man, he’s tough,” Craig said of Ogando. “He came right at me with fastballs and I missed the first two. Then that last one, I was trying to get the barrel on it, make the defense make a play.”[7]

“Craig is the best pinch-hitter we’ve got,” La Russa said, “but to come off the bench, in your first World Series, in your first at-bat, against that guy? Wow.”[8]

For his part, Washington refused to second-guess the decision to bring Ogando into the game.

 “He was my best pitcher I felt in that situation,” he said. “You have to give Craig credit. He beat him. We didn’t lose tonight. They beat us.”[9]

Before the Cardinals could claim that win, however, their bullpen needed to fend off the Rangers’ dangerous offense. In the seventh, Cruz singled and Fernando Salas walked Napoli to put runners at first and second with one out. Marc Rzepczynski entered the game and struck out Craig Gentry and Esteban German to end the inning.

In the eighth, Octavio Dotel retired Kinsler and Andrus before left-hander Arthur Rhodes got Hamilton to fly out to center field. In the ninth, Jason Motte retired Young, Beltre, and Cruz in order for his fifth save of the postseason.

“They had the pitching tonight,” Young said. “That was about it. Carpenter was really sharp and their bullpen pitched well. … They made pitches when they had to.”[10]

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “‘La Genius’ lives up to that label,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[3] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[4] David Thomas, “Cardinals build confidence with opening victory,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[6] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[7] Ben Walker, “Craig’s single in 6^th lifts Cardinals to win,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 20, 2011.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[10] Tom Timmermann, “Lumber Slumber,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

The Cardinals opened the 2011 World Series using the same recipe that got them there in the first place: dependable starting pitching, timely hitting, and sparkling relief.

Thanks to a diving play from starting pitcher Chris Carpenter, a two-run single by Lance Berkman, and three shutout innings from the bullpen, the Cardinals beat the Rangers 3-2 in front of 46,406 Busch Stadium fans in Game 1 of the 2011 World Series.

“I feel like we have to win the National League style of game if we’re going to win this thing, and tonight was a National League-style game – 3-2, good pitching, good defense, timely hitting,” Berkman said. “I don’t think we want to get into a gorilla-ball type series with these guys.”[1]

After beating the Brewers in six games in the NLCS, the Cardinals were able to turn to Carpenter, their ace, for the series opener. Through 17 innings that postseason, Carpenter had posted a 3.71 ERA, including a complete-game shutout of the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLDS.

“He’s our guy,” Berkman said. “When he takes the mound, we feel like we’re going to win the game every time.”[2]

The Rangers countered with their own ace, C.J. Wilson. The 30-year-old left-hander had gone 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA in 223 1/3 regular-season innings, but was roughed up in Game 1 of the ALDS when the Rays scored eight runs – six earned – in five innings. Wilson allowed two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in Game 1 of the ALCS, but received no decision in the Rangers’ victory. In Game 5 of that series, the Tigers scored six earned runs over six innings as Wilson took his second loss of that postseason.

In the early innings of Game 1, both Carpenter and Wilson looked sharp. Wilson worked around a two-out walk to David Freese in the second and a leadoff single by Nick Punto in the third. Carpenter, meanwhile, relied on the Cardinals’ defense, as Yadier Molina threw out Ian Kinsler attempting to steal for the first out of the game and Rafael Furcal started a 6-4-3 double play to end the second.

Wilson got into trouble in the fourth when he hit Albert Pujols with a pitch to lead off the inning and Matt Holliday doubled down the right-field line. On a 1-0 count, Berkman hit a chopper past Michael Young at first base to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

“Give up a ground ball right there that scores two runs, that’s unfortunate,” Wilson said. “Other than that, I thought I minimized damage and pitched strategically.”[3]

The Rangers tied the score in the top of the fifth. Adriane Beltre led off the inning with a single, and after Carpenter struck out Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli launched a two-run homer to tie the game.

Texas threatened to tie the score in the sixth. Kinsler reached on an infield pop fly and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Young hit a ground ball that Pujols fielded cleanly. However, with Young racing down the baseline, Pujols’ throw was offline and Carpenter was forced to dive headfirst to catch the relay before landing face-first on the base for the final out of the inning.

“I think we need to work on that one next spring,” Carpenter said. “It was just instinct. He threw the ball, it was a little out of my reach, and I dove. I was like, ‘I’m going to get it,’ and it turned out to work out.’”[4]

After six innings and four strikeouts, Carpenter had allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk.

“The thing about Carp, he was exactly what we needed,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.[5]

While Carpenter’s diving play got him out of the inning, Wilson wasn’t able to escape the sixth for the Rangers. David Freese got things started with a one-out double, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Wilson struck out Molina for the second out, he walked No. 8 hitter Punto on four pitches.

“I’m not going to let him get a hit,” Wilson said. “I know the situation there with the pitcher’s spot coming up.”[6]

With Wilson up to 94 pitches, Rangers manager Ron Washington turned to Alexi Ogando, the 27-year-old all-star who had started 29 of his 31 regular-season appearances. La Russa, in turn, called upon Allen Craig to pinch-hit for Carpenter.

Craig smacked a 1-2 pitch from Ogando into right field, just inches in front of a sliding Cruz, to score Freese and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

“Man, he’s tough,” Craig said of Ogando. “He came right at me with fastballs and I missed the first two. Then that last one, I was trying to get the barrel on it, make the defense make a play.”[7]

“Craig is the best pinch-hitter we’ve got,” La Russa said, “but to come off the bench, in your first World Series, in your first at-bat, against that guy? Wow.”[8]

For his part, Washington refused to second-guess the decision to bring Ogando into the game.

 “He was my best pitcher I felt in that situation,” he said. “You have to give Craig credit. He beat him. We didn’t lose tonight. They beat us.”[9]

Before the Cardinals could claim that win, however, their bullpen needed to fend off the Rangers’ dangerous offense. In the seventh, Cruz singled and Fernando Salas walked Napoli to put runners at first and second with one out. Marc Rzepczynski entered the game and struck out Craig Gentry and Esteban German to end the inning.

In the eighth, Octavio Dotel retired Kinsler and Andrus before left-hander Arthur Rhodes got Hamilton to fly out to center field. In the ninth, Jason Motte retired Young, Beltre, and Cruz in order for his fifth save of the postseason.

“They had the pitching tonight,” Young said. “That was about it. Carpenter was really sharp and their bullpen pitched well. … They made pitches when they had to.”[10]

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “‘La Genius’ lives up to that label,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[3] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[4] David Thomas, “Cardinals build confidence with opening victory,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[6] Drew Davison, “Postseason frustration builds for Rangers’ ace,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 2011.

[7] Ben Walker, “Craig’s single in 6^th lifts Cardinals to win,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 20, 2011.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Quality Start,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

[10] Tom Timmermann, “Lumber Slumber,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2011.

The post 2011 World Series: Game 1 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Heading into the series, the Cardinals recalibrated their bullpen. Jake Westbrook, who had been a starter throughout the regular season and was moved to the bullpen for the NLDS vs. the Phillies, was left off the roster. When Skip Schumaker suffered an oblique injury, his roster spot also went toward reloading the bullpen, as the Cardinals added Kyle McClellan and Lynn, both of whom were capable of pitching multiple innings.

It was just one more step in strengthening a bullpen that the Cardinals upgraded when they traded Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters to the Blue Jays in July for outfielder Corey Patterson, starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, and relievers Octavio Dotel and Rzepczynski.

“What they did at the trade deadline and what we’ve done since then is we’ve gotten pretty deep and they’re not afraid to use us,” Lynn said. “Guys started to figure out their niche out there. Things got smoother.”[1]

Carpenter was coming off a three-hit, complete-game shutout of the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLDS, but he never seemed to get settled in against the Brewers. In the first inning, he walked Mark Kotsay and hit Ryan Braun with a pitch. With runners on first and second and one out, Prince Fielder flied out to center fielder Jon Jay, who ended the inning when he threw out Kotsay as he tried to advance to second.

The momentum of Jay’s double play carried over to the bottom of the first against Brewers starter Yovanni Gallardo, who entered the game with a 1-7 career record and 5.66 ERA against the Cardinals. Rafael Furcal led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second when Gallardo uncorked a wild pitch. Jay doubled to put the Cardinals on the scoreboard, and Albert Pujols followed with a ground-rule double that scored Jay.

Battling his control, Gallardo walked both Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman before Molina hit into a double play that scored Pujols. David Freese followed with the Cardinals’ third double of the inning to make the score 4-0.

“I think I was off the whole game, to be honest with you,” Gallardo said. “Even after that first inning, the four innings after that, I was just struggling. I was battling to put the ball where I wanted to.”[2]

The Brewers immediately cut the Cardinals’ lead in half in the second inning as Rickie Weeks, Jerry Hairston, and Yuniesky Betancourt hit consecutive singles and Gallardo added a sacrifice fly. One inning later, Kotsay homered to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 4-3.

“I got a first-pitch fastball and put a good swing on it,” Kotsay said. “At that point, I thought we had the momentum on our side.”[3]

Carpenter worked around an infield single in the fourth and two walks in the fifth. After five innings and 89 pitches, his night was complete. The Cardinals ace had allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks.

“All night long it was a battle, but you know what? That’s what it’s all about in the postseason,” Carpenter said. “Our bullpen did a phenomenal job to finish it out.”[4]

Salas, who had posted a 2.28 ERA and saved 24 games during the regular season, retired Hairston, Betancourt, and Jonathan Lucroy in order in the sixth. The rookie Lynn followed with a 1-2-3 seventh, getting fly balls from Nyjer Morgan, Corey Hart, and Kotsay.

Lynn returned for the eighth inning, getting Braun to ground out to Nick Punto at second base before Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called on Rzepczynski to face the left-handed Fielder. Rzepczynski struck out Fielder on four pitches before La Russa once again played the match-ups, turning to Motte to get the final four outs of the game.

Motte struck out Weeks to finish the eight, then rolled through the ninth, getting Hairston to ground out before striking out Betancourt and pinch-hitter Casey McGehee to end the game. It was the perfect way to cap a dominant performance from the Cardinals’ bullpen, which held the Brewers hitless over four innings of work.

“To me, the thing that has gone the furthest has been Motte stepping up and being the closer,” Berkman said. “Now we’ve got a guy throwing 100 with a nasty slider. It’s a presence, a force out there.”[5]

For the postseason, St. Louis relief pitchers had held opponents to a .185 batting average.

“We knew their bullpen was good, but when you have guys that are throwing that hard, they don’t walk people, they have good sliders … they’ve got good arms,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.[6]

“The bullpen is feeding off each other right now,” Rzepczynski said. “One guy is going in, getting a guy out, and then another situation calls someone else in. We’re succeeding right now. We’re going to keep it going in this series.”[7]

Though he wasn’t his sharpest, Carpenter earned his second win of the 2011 postseason and his seventh career postseason win, tying a franchise record set by Bob Gibson. Motte was credited with the save.

Freese led the Cardinals’ offensive efforts with three hits, including a pair of doubles. Pujols added two hits and was intentionally walked twice.

With the win, St. Louis was entering Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead.

“They’re way too good over there for us to take victories for granted,” Freese said.[8]

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Bullpen saves the day,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

[2] Tom Oates, “It’s official: Trouble is brewing,” Wisconsin State Journal, October 13, 2011.

[3] Dennis Punzel, “Rally out of reach,” Wisconsin State Journal, October 13, 2011.

[4] Joe Strauss, “High-stakes performance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “High-stakes performance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

[6] Bryan Burwell, “Drama continues,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

[7] Derrick Goold, “Bullpen saves the day,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

[8] Joe Strauss, “High-stakes performance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2011.

The post 2011 NLCS Game 3: Bullpen shines in Cardinals win first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

After the Phillies captured two of the first three games in the series, the Cardinals forced the decisive fifth game when David Freese drove in four runs to power the Cardinals past Roy Oswalt and the Phillies in Game 4. The win forced a decisive Game 5 pitting Chris Carpenter vs. Roy Halladay with a trip to the National League Championship Series on the line.

“It’s going to be as good as it gets,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa promised.[1]

Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay’s Friendship

The two starters had plenty in common. Both were former Blue Jays first-round picks, with Carpenter selected 15^th overall in 1993 and Halladay selected 17^th overall two years later. Both stood 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, with 14 seasons of major-league experience to call upon. Both had won the Cy Young Award (Carpenter once, Halladay twice) and were multiple-time all-stars (Carpenter three times, Halladay eight).

Though their careers had taken different paths since the Blue Jays removed Carpenter from their 40-man roster in the wake of shoulder surgery in 2002, Carpenter and Halladay remained close, taking fishing trips together and even splitting a spring training condominium between their families.[2]

“It’s not just a matchup of two great pitchers,” La Russa said. “It’s their background together. I don’t know if it’s happened in an elimination game like this that two guys who were teammates – minor league and major league – and still maintain a friendship. This may be the first time ever.”[3]

Both pitchers already had started one game in the series. Halladay earned the win in Game 1, striking out eight batters over eight innings. The Cardinals’ only runs had come on a three-run Lance Berkman homer.

Pitching on three days’ rest, Carpenter had struggled in Game 2, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks in just three innings. The Cardinals’ bullpen, however, came to the rescue with six scoreless innings, allowing St. Louis to rally for a 5-4 win.

This time, Carpenter would be pitching on his regular turn in the rotation.

“Not only is Chris a good pitcher but obviously a good friend,” Halladay said on the eve of the game. “I think it’s something we’re both looking forward to. It’s going to be a challenge. Going in, you know what you’re up against. You know how good they are. You know how good Chris is.”^[4]

Chris Carpenter vs. Roy Halladay

Knowing how good Halladay was, the Cardinals made sure to strike early. Leadoff batter Rafael Furcal led off the game with a triple. Skip Schumaker followed with a 10-pitch at-bat that included six foul balls – including five with two strikes – before he doubled into right field to score Furcal and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

That would prove to be enough for Carpenter as the Phillies managed just three hits. Shane Victorino hit a one-out double in the second, but Carpenter got Raul Ibanez to fly out in foul territory and Placido Polanco grounded out to end the inning.

“What you saw was a guy take control of the game when he saw the first batter walk up there, and he didn’t relinquish it at all, at any point,” said Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.[5]

The Phillies’ lone threat came in the fourth inning when Carpenter hit Chase Utley with a pitch and Victorino hit a two-out single through the right side of the infield. Carpenter got the next batter, Ibanez, to fly out to the warning track on a 3-2 pitch.

“Everything he threw looked the same, but he used all of his pitches,” Ibanez said.[6]

Utley reached on an infield single in the sixth for the Phillies’ final hit of the season, but catcher Yadier Molina threw him out one pitch later as he attempted to steal second base.

The Cardinals offense didn’t threaten Halladay again until the top of the eighth, when Carpenter led off with a single up the middle. Furcal reached on an error, and after Jon Jay laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third, Halladay issued an intentional walk to Albert Pujols. With the bases loaded and his team already trailing by a run, Halladay struck out Berkman, then got Matt Holliday to fly out to left to end the inning.

Carpenter was so sharp that he actually recorded four outs in the bottom of the eighth after he struck out pinch hitter Ross Gload but the ball skipped away from Molina, allowing Gload to reach first. Carpenter retired Jimmy Rollins on a ball that glanced off his glove and deflected to second baseman Nick Punto for the final out of the inning.

Returning to the mound once again in the ninth, Carpenter retired Utley, Hunter Pence, and Ryan Howard to send the Cardinals to the NLCS with the franchise’s first postseason shutout since 1987. Somehow making matters even worse for the Phillies, Howard collapsed to the ground with a torn Achilles tendon that would mark a turning point in his career.

Reminiscent of Gibson

Carpenter’s complete-game performance featured 110 pitches, 70 of which were strikes. He struck out three while inducing 17 ground-ball outs.

“I think he’ll remember this forever,” La Russa said, “and so will Cardinals fans.”[7]

To St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, Carpenter’s dominant performance brought to mind the greatest pitcher in franchise history.

“Carpenter delivered the kind of epic, shutdown game reminiscent of the great Hall of Famer Bob Gibson,” Miklasz wrote. “There is no other way to put it. There is no higher compliment. And it is apt, given that Carpenter long ago emerged as the Cardinals’ best starting pitcher since Gibson retired in 1975.”[8]

With the win, Carpenter improved to 6-2 with a 2.94 ERA in the postseason.

For the Phillies, the game represented a heartbreaking defeat after 102 regular-season wins.

“They played better than we did,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “Bottom line, they played better than we did and they beat us.”[9]

In his final performance of the Phillies’ season, Halladay scattered six hits and one walk over eight innings. He struck out seven.

“Halladay was brilliant,” summed up Freese. “Carpenter was simply more brilliant.”[10]

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “Cardinals, fans go all-in to set up a battle of aces,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Old friends meet,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 2011.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Old friends meet,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 2011.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Old friends meet,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 2011.

[5] Bernie Miklasz, “Pitching ace channels Gibby,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 8, 2011.

[6] Matt Gelb, “The bats again come up limp in do-or-die game,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 8, 2011.

[7] Bernie Miklasz, “Pitching ace channels Gibby,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 8, 2011.

[8] Bernie Miklasz, “Pitching ace channels Gibby,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 8, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter comes through,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 8, 2011.

[10] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter comes through,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 8, 2011.

The post Chris Carpenter outduels Roy Halladay: 2011 NLDS Game 5 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

One day earlier, they lost the series opener 11-6 as Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, a graduate of Wildwood’s Lafayette High School, launched a three-run homer as part of a 14-hit Phillies attack.

With Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter on the mound on three days’ rest for Game 2, the Phillies continued to pile up runs. Jimmy Rollins led off the Phillies’ day with a double before Carpenter uncharacteristically walked Chase Utley and Hunter Pence. Howard made those walks costly with a two-run single, and Raul Ibanez added an RBI single of his own to make it 3-0 Phillies after one inning. In the second, Rollins doubled and Pence drove him home with a single into right field.

Carpenter was visibly frustrated by home plate umpire Jerry Meals’ strike zone, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa took the opportunity to complain about the balls and strikes calls during his midgame TV interview.

“I’m not going to lie,” reliever Octavio Dotel said. “I didn’t expect to see (Fernando Salas) warming up in the second inning.”[1]

With their 2005 Cy Young Award winner on the ropes and a 4-0 deficit on the scoreboard, the Cardinals needed to rally against left-hander Cliff Lee, the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and a 17-game winner during the regular season. Incredibly, they started that comeback in the fourth inning, stunning the 46,575 fans who comprised the largest audience in Citizen Bank Park history.[2]

Lance Berkman, whom the Cardinals signed as a free agent prior to the season, led off the inning with a walk. With one out, Yadier Molina reached on an infield single and Ryan Theriot doubled into right field to score Berkman. One batter later, Jon Jay followed with a single into right field that scored Molina.

With the Phillies’ lead cut in half, Nick Punto was called upon to pinch-hit for Carpenter, but Lee struck him out on four pitches. Then, with two outs, Rafael Furcal tallied the Cardinals’ fourth hit of the inning, singling into left to score Theriot and cut the Phillies’ lead to 4-3.

After just three innings, Carpenter was out of the game. He had allowed four runs – all earned – on five hits and three walks. Afterwards, La Russa defended his decision to start Carpenter on short rest.

“We’ve been around a long time. We know the risk,” he said. “You have to prove to your team you’re going to take the best shot. You can’t leave here with a pitcher the caliber of Lee going against them and the club not see Carp out there. We were not going to let (Carpenter) get to a place where he really labored.”[3]

“I didn’t pitch great but we won,” Carpenter said. “That’s the way it goes. That’s all that matters.”[4]

The win was made possibly by an outstanding performance from the Cardinals bullpen. Salas, who was making his playoff debut, entered in the fourth and threw two perfect innings, retiring all six batters he faced.

“Salas set the tone for us,” fellow reliever Arthur Rhodes said. “He came out, threw strikes, picked up Carp. We all followed his lead.”[5]

“Whatever the team needed,” said Salas, who saved 24 games during the regular season before Jason Motte took over the closer’s role. “If it was one inning, two innings, three innings … (I) was willing to pitch early in the game and late in the game. Whatever the team needs.”[6]

With two outs in the top of the sixth, Theriot lined a double into left field and Jay singled for the second time in the game to tie the score, 4-4.

Dotel, who came to the Cardinals in the Colby Rasmus trade in July, retired the side in order in the sixth before St. Louis took the lead in the seventh. Allen Craig, in the lineup as Matt Holliday recovered from a hand injury, sparked the Cardinals’ game-winning rally with a triple into center field. Albert Pujols followed with a line-drive single into left to put the Cardinals on top, 5-4.

From there, the game became a battle of bullpens. Dotel struck out Carlos Ruiz to begin the seventh, then gave way to Marc Rzepczynski. The lefty, another acquisition in the Rasmus trade, allowed a single to Rollins, but Molina picked off the Phillies shortstop to end the inning.

Rzepczynski hit Chase Utley with a pitch to open the eighth inning. Wasting no time, La Russa decided to play the matchups the rest of the way. Mitchell Boggs entered the game and got Pence to hit a ground ball that turned into an out at second base. Taking advantage of the lefty-lefty matchup, Rhodes struck out Howard for the second out of the inning.

With four outs remaining in the game, La Russa turned to Motte, who got Shane Victorino to fly out to end the eighth. Motte returned for the ninth inning and retired all three batters he faced.

Altogether, the Cardinals’ bullpen pitched six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.

If any one of those guys doesn’t do their job, we don’t win that game,” La Russa said.[7]

“We wanted to get into their bullpen,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “The big problem was that their bullpen held us. What did we get? One hit? Two hits after that?”[8]

Lee, who joined Roy Halladay as a co-ace of the best rotation in baseball, took the loss for the Phillies. He allowed five earned runs on 12 hits and two walks.

“They continued to fight,” Lee said. “They got some big hits when they needed to. I wasn’t able to make the pitches I needed to in the situations I needed to. I take full responsibility.”[9]

With the comeback, the Cardinals avoided going down by two games in the best-of-five series. Jaime Garcia was slated to oppose Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels in Game 3.

“This team is like a good plow-horse,” Berkman said. “We keep plugging away, and no matter what we’re going to put in a good nine innings.”^[10]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cards survive roll of dice,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[2] Matt Gelb, “St. Louis beats Lee while its ’pen holds,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 2011.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Cards survive roll of dice,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Cards survive roll of dice,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Salas sets tone for ’pen with scoreless innings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[6] Derrick Goold, “Salas sets tone for ’pen with scoreless innings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[7] Joe Strauss, “Cards survive roll of dice,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

[8] Phil Sheridan, “In the postseason, nothing is certain,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 2011.

[9] Phil Sheridan, “In the postseason, nothing is certain,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 2011.

[10] Bernie Miklasz, “Gamble worked out in the end,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2011.

The post Cardinals rally vs. Cliff Lee to win 2011 NLDS Game 2 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The day began on a down note after Carpenter reported discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He had experienced the same stiffness during his previous start against the Kansas City Royals, when he allowed six earned runs in six innings.

“We gave it some time and treated it and two days ago it felt perfect,” Carpenter said. “Then I played some catch and re-aggravated it, so we’re going to make sure we give it enough time.”[1]

Cardinals trainer Barry Weinberg said he believed that rest and anti-inflammatory medication would allow Carpenter to avoid an extended absence from the rotation.[2]

With Carpenter unable to make his scheduled start, the Cardinals informed Brad Thompson approximately three hours before game time that he would make his first major-league start.[3]

The Giants didn’t greet him kindly. Randy Winn led off the first with a single to left field and Omar Vizquel followed with a triple down the right field line. A two-out RBI double by Mark Sweeney gave the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the second inning as Giants starter Noah Lowry walked Scott Rolen and Juan Encarnacion to lead off the game. Hector Luna singled to load the bases before Yadier Molina hit into a double play that scored Rolen.

Thompson pitched a scoreless second inning before Jason Marquis entered the game to pinch hit for him. Marquis, who won a Silver Slugger Award in 2005 with a .310 batting average, tripled into the right-field gap. David Eckstein followed with an RBI single to left to score Marquis and tie the game.

In the third, the Cardinals called on Tyler Johnson, who worked around a leadoff single by Vizquel for a scoreless inning of work.

Wainwright entered the game in the fourth. Todd Greene welcomed him to the game with a double and Daniel Ortmeier followed with an RBI single. With two outs, Vizquel tallied his third hit of the game and Steve Finley drove in another run before Vizquel was thrown out at the plate.

With the inning over, Wainwright stepped to the plate in the top of the fifth for his first major-league at-bat. It didn’t last long.

On the first pitch he saw, Wainwright homered over the left-field wall to cut the Giants’ lead to 4-3. With the blast, he became the 22^nd player in Major League Baseball history to hit the first pitch he saw for a home run and the third reliever to accomplish the feat, joining Hoyt Wilhelm in 1952 and John Montefusco in 1974.[4]

“I wasn’t thinking anything until I hit third,” he said. “I was wandering around the bases making sure I was going the right way. I hit third and I said, ‘Oh, my goodness. I just hit a home run in my first at-bat.’ It was crazy.”[5]

Wainwright retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth before the Cardinals took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Molina and a sacrifice fly by So Taguchi.

St. Louis broke the game open in the seventh. Encarnacion hit an RBI single, Molina walked with the bases loaded, Taguchi drove in a run on an infield single, and Chris Duncan added an RBI groundout to give St. Louis a 9-4 lead.

Taguchi added a solo home run off Brad Hennessey in the ninth to make the final score 10-4.

Wainwright earned the second win of his career with his three-inning performance, and Randy Flores and Braden Looper combined to pitch the final three innings.

Between Wainwright’s homer, Marquis’ triple, and a ninth-inning double by Looper, Cardinal pitchers accounted for three of the team’s four extra-base hits.

“They almost hit for the cycle, the pitchers,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “They surprised everybody.”^[6]

“Today may be the only at-bat I get all year because it’s a bullpen day,” said Looper, who actually received one more at-bat that season. “Obviously, it’s fun to get a base hit because how many chances am I going to get to hit in my career?”[7]

The Cardinals finished the day with 15 hits, including two apiece by Scott Spiezio, Albert Pujols, Encarnacion, Luna, and Taguchi. Giants pitchers also passed out seven walks, including three by reliever Scott Munter in just 1/3 of an inning.

“They were going to have their starter. We were going to have guys pitching out of their roles,” Eckstein said. “It doesn’t look good if you’re writing it on paper. It was a real good win. They all count the same, but there are definitely some that are really nice to get and this was really nice to get.”[8]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Pitching takes a hit …” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Pitching takes a hit …” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

[3] Joe Strauss, “… but smacks three,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Hot Corner,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 28, 2006.

[5] Joe Strauss, “… but smacks three,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

[6] Janie McCauley, “Cards’ pitchers a hit,” San Francisco Examiner, May 25, 2006.

[7] Joe Strauss, “… but smacks three,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

[8] Joe Strauss, “… but smacks three,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 2006.

The post May 24, 2006: Adam Wainwright homers in his first MLB at-bat first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

In the Cardinals’ 6-3 victory over the Brewers on April 27, 2005, Grudzielanek joined Lou Brock and Ray Lankford as the only Cardinals to hit for the cycle at Busch Stadium.

A veteran of 11 previous seasons with the Expos, Dodgers, and Cubs, Grudzielanek had seen his batting average dip as low as .224 on April 22. Now that he was back in St. Louis, however, his fiancée Danielle and 23-month-old son Bryce were visiting from San Diego and helping to put his mind at ease as he adjusted to a new team.

“I see my little guy and everything just falls off – the pressure, the ton of bricks on your shoulders just fall off,” he said. “I walk out the clubhouse door and just get to be his hero.

“Everything was building up and building up, and I was pressing, and they get here, and it’s like, ‘Hey, relax. Relax. Things will come around.’”[1]

They certainly did.

Grudzielanek and the Cardinals set the tone early against the Brewers after Carpenter struck out Brady Clark, Jeff Cirillo, and Geoff Jenkins to open the game. Batting leadoff in place of David Eckstein, who had the day off, Grudzielanek opened the bottom of the first with a home run to left field, his first as a Cardinal.

It was just the beginning of a very rough inning for Brewers starting pitcher Victor Santos, who allowed three runs in the frame.

In the second, Grudzielanek struck again with a one-out single to left. Two batters later, Albert Pujols singled to score Grudzielanek and give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.

The lead stayed four runs until the fourth, and Grudzielanek was again in the middle of things. Yadier Molina walked to lead off the inning, and Carpenter laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance him to second. On a 2-1 pitch, Santos gave Grudzielanek a waist-high fastball on the outside half of the plate. He smacked it into the right-field gap, where it one-hopped the fence to score Molina.

“I didn’t think about (the cycle) really until Pujols was yelling at me a little bit after I hit the double, saying, ‘You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to go for the cycle,’” Grudzielanek said. “I didn’t think the opportunity would come, but it sure did. … It doesn’t happen often, just one of those days.”[2]

In the fifth, the Brewers finally scored off Carpenter, as Chad Moeller hit an RBI single to make the score 5-1. Branyan hit a two-run homer in the sixth to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 5-3, but Grudzielanek once again sparked St. Louis. Milwaukee reliever Jorge De La Rosa opened the at-bat with two consecutive strikes before he tried to sneak an outside breaking ball past Grudzielanek.

It didn’t work. The Cardinals’ second baseman slapped the ball into the right-field corner. It looked like Grudzielanek would have to settle for a double, but as the ball bounced around the corner, it skipped past Jenkins. Grudzielanek raced around second and slid safely into third without a throw to become the first Cardinal to hit for the cycle since John Mabry accomplished the feat in Colorado in 1996.

“I saw (Jenkins) try and cut it off and saw it squeeze by and I thought, ‘Gotta go, gotta go,’” Grudzielanek said. “It’s just weird how it worked out. Pujols yelling at me that you’ve got to go for it, and sure enough, it happened where I had a chance to go for it.”[3]

Edmonds hit a two-out single to left to score Grudzielanek and make the score 6-3.

Carpenter pitched into the eighth. With Jenkins on first with a single, he struck out Carlos Lee for his final out of the game. With the left-handed-hitting Branyan up next, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called on Ray King to get the final out of the inning. Julian Tavarez, filling in for injured closer Jason Isringhausen, struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Carpenter’s day consisted of three earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. He tied a career high with 12 strikeouts without walking a batter.

“Right now, I feel I can throw my curveball for strikes or down or whatever I want to do with it,” Carpenter said. “That was, I think, a key factor today.”[4]

That curveball would remain a factor throughout the season, as he went 21-5 en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award.

Santos took the loss after allowing five earned runs over four innings. Three of the seven hits he allowed came off Grudzielanek’s bat.

“It’s like everything I threw him, he was right on it,” Santos said. “I would make a mistake and then – boom!”[5]

Grudzielanek finished the season with a .294 batting average to go along with 30 doubles, eight homers, and 59 RBIs. After his lone season in St. Louis, he signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Royals with a $3 million player option for 2007.[6]

Grudzielanek played three seasons in Kansas City before playing one final season in Cleveland at age 40. He finished his career with a .289 batting average and 2,040 career hits.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Cards ride Grudzielanek cycle to win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 2005.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Cards ride Grudzielanek cycle to win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 2005.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Cards ride Grudzielanek cycle to win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 2005.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Cards ride Grudzielanek cycle to win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 2005.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Cards ride Grudzielanek cycle to win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 2005.

[6] Derrick Goold, “Grudzielanek tires of waiting, crosses state to join Royals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 17, 2005.

The post Mark Grudzielanek hits for the cycle: April 27, 2005 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

With a 33-25 record, the Cardinals entered the June 3-5, 2011, series with a two-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. However, they had won just once in a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, and while Pujols launched seven homers in April, he had added just two to his season tally since. In May, Pujols hit .288 with a .365 on-base percentage, but his slugging percentage was just .387. During one lengthy stretch, he went 105 at-bats without a homer.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, Pujols’ bat heated up with the turning of the calendar – and the arrival of the Cubs in St. Louis.

The Cardinals opened the series with a 6-1 victory in which Lance Berkman hit a three-run homer off Ryan Dempster and Pujols added a two-run shot that marked his 100^th career blast at Busch Stadium.

Jaime Garcia, who had allowed 11 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings during his previous start at Colorado, bounced back with eight innings of one-run ball. The Cardinals southpaw walked one and struck out eight in improving to 6-1 on the season.

“His first five or six innings, it was like, man, he only threw 80 pitches,” shortstop Ryan Theriot said. “Strike one every time, and when they did make contact, it was a ground ball or a pop-up. It was impressive to watch.”[1]

The rest of the series would not be as easy. The second game of the series pitted Kyle Lohse, an 11-year veteran in his fourth season with the Cardinals, against Randy Wells, a right-hander from Belleville, Illinois, who placed sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 but went just 8-14 in 2010.

Lohse and Wells traded scoreless frames for the first three innings. Theriot walked to lead off the bottom of the fourth before Pujols hammered a 2-1 pitch over the right-field wall to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. After the game, he said the home run was the hardest he had hit a ball all season.[2]

The Cubs answered with four runs in the top of the sixth. Starlin Castro led off with a single to left and Carlos Pena hit the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall to tie the game. After Geovany Soto doubled to left, Tony Campana brought him home with a two-out single into center.

Wells followed with a single, placing runners on first and third for Cubs leadoff hitter Kosuke Fukudome. The right fielder from So-gun, Japan, hit a ground-rule double to score Campana and chase Lohse from the game. With runners on second and third, Jason Motte retired Darwin Barney to end the Cubs’ rally.

By that point in the game, the Cubs had out-hit the Cardinals 11-1.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals rallied. Theriot singled into right field before Pujols scored him with a double into the left-field gap. With Berkman coming to the plate, the Cubs called upon left-hander Sean Marshall to make the veteran switch hitter bat right-handed. The stratagem didn’t work. Berkman lined a single back up the middle to score Pujols and even the game, 4-4.

From there, both bullpens put on a show. Motte, Trever Miller, and Miguel Batista combined for a scoreless seventh inning, while Marshall worked around a leadoff single by Yadier Molina. Batista and Kerry Wood threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings, which included a double for the first career hit by Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter, a rookie making his major league debut.

Fernando Salas retired the side in order in the 10^th, while the Cubs called upon Carlos Marmol to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by striking out Berkman and retiring Berkman on a line drive to left field.

Eduardo Sanchez threw two scoreless innings for the Cardinals and Marmol threw a scoreless 11^th inning before giving way to Jeff Samardzija for the bottom of the 12^th. The former University of Notre Dame wide receiver retired the first two batters he faced. With Pujols stepping to the plate and Berkman on deck, Cubs manager Mike Quade went to the mound to visit with his young right-hander. If Pujols and Berkman had each reached base, the Cardinals had Sanchez due up next and no bench players to pinch hit for him.

After Samardzija missed with his first two pitches, he threw a breaking ball below the knees. Pujols sent the pitch into the visitor’s bullpen for his second home run of the game and the ninth game-winning home run of his career. It marked the 41st multi-home run game of Pujols’ career.[3]

“I thought I made a pretty good pitch,” Samardzija said. “He put the barrel on it and it went. That’s Albert Pujols.”[4]

Quade took responsibility for the decision to pitch to Pujols after the game, though Samardzija said he agreed with the decision. The Cubs had intentionally walked Pujols in the 10^th inning to load the bases with one out.

“I’m not in the habit of walking people with two out and nobody on,” Quade said. “I understand how good this guy is, so we’ll have to rethink that a little bit. The pitcher’s spot was three holes away. That was our salvation. You figure if you keep him in the ballpark, you take your chances, and we couldn’t.”[5]

With his two scoreless innings, Sanchez earned the win and lowered his ERA for the season to 2.10. Altogether, Motte, Miller, Batista, Salas, and Sanchez combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

“Today was a tough loss, but what a great game,” Wells said. “I don’t want to sit here and talk so much about Albert Pujols, but the guy’s a force. He doesn’t have the kind of numbers he has for nothing.”[6]

By the end of the third and final game of the series, the Cubs’ attitude would shift from admiration to frustration.

The series finale pitted Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. Neither pitcher allowed a runner into scoring position until the bottom of the third, when Daniel Descalso singled to right and advanced to third base before being stranded.

In the top of the fourth, Barney led off with a single to left and Castro followed with a ground ball into center. After Carlos Pena lined out to left, Aramis Ramirez doubled into the right-field gap to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Pujols reached on an infield single and Jon Jay singled up the middle. Allen Craig then singled to enter as well, bringing Pujols around to score and cutting the Cubs’ lead to 2-1.

That proved to be the Cardinals’ only run against Zambrano, who left after seven innings with just five hits and two walks allowed over 107 pitches. After Marshall threw a scoreless eighth inning, Quade called upon Marmol for the save.

Molina led off the inning with a single to center before Marmol struck out Descalso and Colby Rasmus. With one out remaining, Theriot jumped on a 2-2 slider and drove it down the left-field line to bring pinch-runner Tony Cruz home with the tying run.

“You can’t go up there trying to pull the ball,” Theriot said. “It’s one of those things. I got a pitch I could handle. His slider’s the best in the game.”[7]

Cubs catcher Koyie Hill had initially called for a fastball, but Marmol opted instead for the slider. Theriot admitted after the game that he was looking for the slider.[8]

“I made a mistake,” Marmol said. “I threw it right down the middle. I missed with my best pitch and got hit. What can you say? I died with my best pitch.”[9]

In the 10^th, La Russa called upon Salas in place of Carpenter. Though Carpenter wasn’t positioned to earn the win, he had held the Cubs to just two runs on seven hits over nine innings.

“The player of the game shouldn’t have been myself,” Pujols said. “I think it should have been Chris Carpenter and Salas.”[10]

Salas retired the side in order to bring Pujols to the plate against Cubs reliever Rodrigo Lopez, who had retired Pujols in each of their 12 previous meetings.[11] This time, with the fans on their feet, Pujols pulled a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall.

“It was almost like everybody knew it was going to happen,” Theriot said.[12]

Moments after the game’s end, Zambrano expressed to reporters his displeasure with the weekend in general and Marmol’s slider to Theriot in particular.

“We should know better than this,” Zambrano said. “We play like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing. Embarrassing for the team and the owners. Embarrassing for the fans. Embarrassed – that’s the word for this team.

“We should know better than what we (did) on the field. We should know that Ryan Theriot is not a good fastball hitter. We should know that as a team. We should play better here. We stink. That’s all I’ve got to say.”[13]

The 2011 season marked Zambrano’s final year with the Cubs. In January 2012, the Cubs traded him to the Marlins for Chris Volstad.

The weekend series would spark Pujols for the remainder of June, as he hit .317/.419/.778 with eight homers and 14 RBIs for the month. He finished the season with 37 homers and 99 RBIs and finished fifth in the National League MVP voting.

Pujols hit five home runs in the 2011 postseason, including three in the World Series against the Texas Rangers as the Cardinals captured the world championship.

“He’s a guy who will … amaze you with the things he can do,” Carpenter said after watching Pujols hit his second consecutive walk-off home run. “We’re very fortunate here in this city – the guys of the media, the coaches, the players – to see him play every day. It (will) be neat that when I’m 70 (I’ll get) to say that I played with him.”[14]

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[1] Rick Hummell, “Garcia finds form,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 4, 2011: B5.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Albert’s homer wins it,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 5, 2011: Page C7.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Albert’s homer wins it,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 5, 2011: Page C7.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Albert’s homer wins it,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 5, 2011: Page C1.

[5] Paul Sullivan, “No avoiding this finish,” Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2011: Page 3-5.

[6] Paul Sullivan, “No avoiding this finish,” Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2011: Page 3-5.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Homer. Win. Repeat.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 6, 2011: Page B5.

[8] Paul Sullivan, “Fed-up ‘Z’ rips Cubs, Marmol after 6^th loss in row,” Chicago Tribune, June 6, 2011: Page 2-4.

[9] Paul Sullivan, “Fed-up ‘Z’ rips Cubs, Marmol after 6^th loss in row,” Chicago Tribune, June 6, 2011: Page 2-4.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Homer. Win. Repeat.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 6, 2011: Page B5.

[11] Rick Hummel, “Homer. Win. Repeat.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 6, 2011: Page B1.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Homer. Win. Repeat.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 6, 2011: Page B5.

[13] Paul Sullivan, “Fed-up ‘Z’ rips Cubs, Marmol after 6^th loss in row,” Chicago Tribune, June 6, 2011: Page 2-1.

[14] Rick Hummel, “Homer. Win. Repeat.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 6, 2011: Page B5.

The post How Albert Pujols hit back-to-back walk-off homers vs. the Cubs first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

On September 8, Chris Carpenter earned win No. 21, shutting out the Mets for seven innings while striking out seven. In the first inning, Kaz Matsui singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He would prove to be the only Mets baserunner to reach scoring position.

“What a performance we’re watching,” Tony La Russa said. “It’s been a privilege to watch this kind of excellence.”

With the performance, Carpenter dropped his ERA to a season-low 2.21 and became the first pitcher since the live-ball era began in 1920 to go 16 consecutive starts with at least seven innings pitched and three runs allowed or fewer without suffering a loss. It was his 22^nd consecutive quality start, the longest such stretch by any pitcher since Gibson did the same in 1968.^[1]

“That’s what my goal is: trying to be consistent as often as I can,” Carpenter said. “I’ve said this (before): If you go out and be consistent and give this team a chance to win with the defense, offense, and bullpen we have, we’re going to win a lot of games.”^[2]

Carpenter’s streak of quality starts ended with his next outing. After allowing just 12 hits combined in his three previous starts against the Pirates, Carpenter lost an early 4-0 lead, allowing four earned runs on 11 hits. Three of those runs came in the seventh before La Russa removed him with one out.

While Carpenter’s outing was brief compared to his other starts that summer, he was now up to 226 1/3 innings on the season.

“I felt great,” Carpenter said. “I was cruising along and thought I was throwing the ball well. Then I got into the seventh inning and all of a sudden I started getting some balls up and it got away from me.”^[3]

David Eckstein, who seemed to make a habit of late-inning heroics in Carpenter’s starts, hit a two-out single to drive home the game-winning run in the ninth inning.

While he lacked his typical sharpness, Carpenter earned his 200^th strikeout of the season when he got Nate McLouth at the end of the fourth inning.

One day after the Cardinals clinched the National League Central Division Championship with a 5-1 win over the Cubs, Carpenter pitched just four innings. Amid talk that the Cardinals were irritated with a Cubs pitcher who was staring into their dugout, the Cubs accused Carpenter of the same. When Carpenter was backing up third base on an RBI double by Corey Patterson in the second inning, Carpenter and Cubs manager Dusty Baker exchanged heated words.

“I said, ‘Hey man, what are you staring at?’” Baker said. “He said, ‘If you’ve got something to say, then come to the mound.’ That’s when I got mad and cursed. Maybe I shouldn’t have. … I had just given him the highest compliment last week when I said he was one of the best competitors around because he didn’t showboat or clown around.”^[4]

Carpenter had been slated to pitch five innings, but irritated his back and was removed early as a precaution. Despite wearing a heat pack each day between starts, Carpenter and La Russa both said Carpenter’s back would not impact his start against the Brewers.^[5]

Regardless, Carpenter’s showing at Milwaukee proved to be his worst start since Philadelphia scored eight runs off him in his second start of the season. After going 18 games without a loss since June 8, the Brewers ended Carpenter’s run on September 23, scoring nine earned runs on 12 hits and three walks. The Brewers rallied from 2-0 and 6-2 deficits to win the game 9-6.

“I made some bad pitches and even the good ones got hit,” Carpenter said. “That makes me want to puke. It’s just unacceptable.”^[6]

Duncan said that while Carpenter’s velocity was fine, his location was inconsistent.^[7]

Brewers second baseman Bill Hall, who finished the day with four hits, included an RBI triple and RBI single, said, “He left a lot of pitches out over the plate … a lot of good fastballs to hit. We wanted to be aggressive. We knew if you’re going to get hits off him, it’s going to be early in the count. We went out there to be aggressive and it paid off.”^[8]

After the game, La Russa was asked about the impact the outing would have on Carpenter’s Cy Young chances. He pointed that it was just Carpenter’s fifth loss of the season, and that the other candidates for the award – including Clemens and Willis – each had more.

“If the mentality of the people who vote is to look at one game today and ignore the fact he hadn’t lost in three months … if that’s their mentality, then he never had a chance anyway,” La Russa said.^[9]

Meanwhile, Carpenter was focused on his own mentality as he prepared for his final start of the regular season against the Astros. He admitted that looking forward to the playoffs may have cost him the focus that had been his competitive edge throughout the season.

“I wouldn’t say I’m letting myself get ahead of anything, but a little bit of focus is lost on what I’m doing,” Carpenter said. “That’s what makes me mad. That’s what disappoints me. I’m strong enough mentally not to do that and I’ve let myself do it anyway.”^[10]

Carpenter wouldn’t come away with better numbers in his final outing, allowing five earned runs over six innings in a no-decision against the Astros. Despite the poor stat line, he felt better coming out of the Cardinals’ 7-6 loss than he had his previous two starts.

“My stuff was better than it had been in my last two. It was just a strange game,” Carpenter said. “I made a few mistakes, but there were a lot of infield hits, a lot of broken-bat hits. It was just one of those nights, but I’m definitely going to take something positive from it. My stuff was better and my approach was better.”^[11]

Nonetheless, Carpenter lost leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 6-4. He allowed nine hits and walked one.

“It was a deceiving line because we ended up basically bleeding him to death,” said Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg, who finished with four hits in the game. “We didn’t hit the ball hard – a couple guys hit the ball hard – but really you’re talking about guys getting jammed, guys hitting the ball off the end of the bat, or guys hitting just the right spot on the infield. We just basically did a good job of placing the ball.”

With the no-decision, Carpenter finished the regular season with a 21-5 record and 2.83 ERA. Over 241 2/3 innings, he struck out 213 batters and walked 51. As much as anyone, he had played a key role in returning the Cardinals to the postseason, and as a reward, La Russa named him the Game 1 starter against Jake Peavy and the Padres in the National League Division Series.

What appeared to be a pitcher’s duel between two of the game’s best instead became a blowout, as the Cardinals scored eight runs to chase Peavy from the game with one out in the fifth inning. Afterwards, Peavy admitted that he had injured his ribs while celebrating the National League West championship. An MRI after the game found that he had pitched through a broken rib.

Carpenter, meanwhile, threw six shutout innings and left the game with an 8-0 lead. With his cut fastball back in form, Carpenter benefitted from double plays in the second, third, and fourth innings.

“I felt like after the second (inning) I started to settle down, get the ball down in the strike zone, and make the quality pitches I had to make,” Carpenter said.^[12]

Battling cramps in his hands, hamstrings, and calves, Carpenter left the game after warming up for the seventh inning. The Cardinals had planned to use him in Game 5 of the series if necessary, but with the series sweep, the Cardinals had Carpenter in line to start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Astros.

It marked just the third time all season Carpenter’s family saw him pitch in person. In a 5-3 Cardinals victory, Carpenter pitched eight innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and three walks. He needed just 31 pitches to get his final 12 outs.

“I got myself into some situations with some walks but my stuff was pretty good all night,” Carpenter said. “I wasn’t going to let certain guys hurt me in certain situations.”^[13]

Carpenter even contributed at the plate, laying down a squeeze bunt in the second inning to score Abraham Nunez.

With the Astros winning each of the next three games, Carpenter found himself pitching to keep the Cardinals’ season alive in Game 5. He responded with six strikeouts in seven innings, allowing three earned runs. In the ninth inning, Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer off Brad Lidge to win the game.

Despite the Game 5 win, the Astros closed out the series in Game 6.

In November, Major League Baseball announced that Carpenter had won the National League Cy Young Award with 19 first-place votes, making him the first Cardinal to win the award since Bob Gibson in 1970. Carpenter placed first or second on 31 of 32 ballots to total 132 points, finishing ahead of the Marlins’ Dontrelle Willis.

Carpenter and his wife Alyson received the news in the same New Hampshire home where they had stayed up into the early-morning hours two years before, contemplating Carpenter’s possible retirement.

“It’s one of those memories that will always stick in my head – we sat here until about 3 in the morning crying and talking about my career,” Carpenter said. “I was ready to be done. She didn’t think I was done and that I would regret it if I didn’t take that one more step and try to come back. I know that if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”^[14]

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Pujols pads his resume for MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 9, 2005: Page D5.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Pujols pads his resume for MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 9, 2005: Page D5.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals grind out win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 14, 2005: Page D5.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter loses temper, not game,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2005: Page C5.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter absorbs a painful loss,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2005: Page B5.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter absorbs a painful loss,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2005: Page B5.

[7] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter absorbs a painful loss,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2005: Page B5.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter absorbs a painful loss,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2005: Page B5.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter absorbs a painful loss,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2005: Page B5.

[10] Joe Strauss, “Carpenter is blaming head, not arm,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 27, 2005: Page D5.

[11] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals trumped again,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 29, 2005: Page D5.

[12] Joe Strauss, “A win, for starters,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 5, 2005: Page C2.

[13] Joe Strauss, “Cards, Carpenter squeeze Astros,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 2005: Page D1.

[14] Derrick Goold, “Carpenter is Cy high,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 11, 2005: Page D12.

The post How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 4) first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.