ST. LOUIS • Famously picky about the pitches that earn his swing, Matt Carpenter has had 786 plate appearances in his career with a count of three balls and however many strikes, zero, one, or two. In those plate appearances he has a .616 on-base percentage, a 1.139 OPS, 367 walks, and even 68 RBIs.
Yet, he had never done what he did Sunday.
In the last game of the season and one of his final swings of the year, Carpenter delivered a three-run homer that momentarily put the Cardinals ahead against the Pittsburgh Pirates.