First-time-on-ballet Chris Carpenter was 3-0 lifetime, failing to lose once in 4 starts. His St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 and again five years later.
Carpenter made his first Fall Classic start against the Tigers, a gem!
Chris went 8 innings, gave up 3 hits, no runs, and fanned 6. What I find most impressive is he threw just 82 pitches. It was a crucial game, too. The series was tied 1-1, and St. Louis didn't want to go back to Detroit for games 6 and 7. His 5-0 win, paved the road to prevent that. The Cardinals eked out 5-4 and 4-2 wins in games 4 and 5. A World Series was won on home soil.
It would also be in 2011.
Chris had a rough ride getting there. He was just 0-1 in the next two seasons, making his 21-5 season in '05 look like a distant memory. But he bounced back in 2009, 17-4 with a National League-leading 2.24 ERA. The next season, 2010, was more of the same: 16-9, although his ERA was 3.22!
But Carpenter dipped to 11-9 the next season, and the Cardinals advanced to the Fall Classic again. But how could a win one, lose one pitcher help St. Louis beat Texas?
For starters, he beat Philadelphia once and Milwaukee once in the postseason, helping to get St. Louis there. The Texas Rangers stood in his path. Already 2-0 in the postseason, the Cardinals needed him to come through.
That, he did.
Not only did he deliver, he did so when it mattered. First, he got the Cardinals off on the right foot by allowing just 2 runs over 6 innings in the opener for the win. After getting a no-decision in game 5 (Actually, St. Louis lost the game, 4-2, but Carpenter had another great game, allowing just 2 earned runs), Chris was given the ball again for the 7th and deciding game.
The Cardinals had rallied to win game six at home, and Carpenter didn't want to see the Rangers celebrate on his terms, his field. So he made sure to put out the Texas fire.
Well, the Rangers scored twice off him in the top of the 1st, but the Cards equaled that. On the mound, however, Chris had no equals. He went 5 more innings, allowing just 3 more hits, no runs, and left after 6 with a sizable advantage.
It was 5-2 and the sixth inning was a masterful one for Chris. He retired the side in order on just 10 pitches. The Rangers got through the bottom of the frame in similar fashion, however. C.J Wilson, the Texas reliever, needed just 11 pitches of his own to retire the side (Carpenter lead off) 1-2-3.
When David Murphy opened the top of the seventh with a 2-bagger, Chris was removed for Arthur Rhodes. Arthur and some of his bullpen pals proceeded to retire the last 9 batters of the game. St. Louis scored another run, too. Not that they needed it. They won 6-2, for there second World Series win in 5 years.
Carpenter isn't going to make the Hall Of Fame, but his postseason record is one that few can match. Overall, he's 10-4 in the postseason, sporting an ERA of 3.00 lifetime. It was even better in the World Series. In 4 starts, Chris Carpenter posted a 2.00 ERA, he seemed to get better and better with every outing. Let there be no doubt, St. Louis isn't winning their two most recent World Series sans Chris Carpenter.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
Retrosheet. www.retrosheet.org. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
Carpenter made his first Fall Classic start against the Tigers, a gem!
Chris went 8 innings, gave up 3 hits, no runs, and fanned 6. What I find most impressive is he threw just 82 pitches. It was a crucial game, too. The series was tied 1-1, and St. Louis didn't want to go back to Detroit for games 6 and 7. His 5-0 win, paved the road to prevent that. The Cardinals eked out 5-4 and 4-2 wins in games 4 and 5. A World Series was won on home soil.
It would also be in 2011.
Chris had a rough ride getting there. He was just 0-1 in the next two seasons, making his 21-5 season in '05 look like a distant memory. But he bounced back in 2009, 17-4 with a National League-leading 2.24 ERA. The next season, 2010, was more of the same: 16-9, although his ERA was 3.22!
But Carpenter dipped to 11-9 the next season, and the Cardinals advanced to the Fall Classic again. But how could a win one, lose one pitcher help St. Louis beat Texas?
For starters, he beat Philadelphia once and Milwaukee once in the postseason, helping to get St. Louis there. The Texas Rangers stood in his path. Already 2-0 in the postseason, the Cardinals needed him to come through.
That, he did.
Not only did he deliver, he did so when it mattered. First, he got the Cardinals off on the right foot by allowing just 2 runs over 6 innings in the opener for the win. After getting a no-decision in game 5 (Actually, St. Louis lost the game, 4-2, but Carpenter had another great game, allowing just 2 earned runs), Chris was given the ball again for the 7th and deciding game.
The Cardinals had rallied to win game six at home, and Carpenter didn't want to see the Rangers celebrate on his terms, his field. So he made sure to put out the Texas fire.
Well, the Rangers scored twice off him in the top of the 1st, but the Cards equaled that. On the mound, however, Chris had no equals. He went 5 more innings, allowing just 3 more hits, no runs, and left after 6 with a sizable advantage.
It was 5-2 and the sixth inning was a masterful one for Chris. He retired the side in order on just 10 pitches. The Rangers got through the bottom of the frame in similar fashion, however. C.J Wilson, the Texas reliever, needed just 11 pitches of his own to retire the side (Carpenter lead off) 1-2-3.
When David Murphy opened the top of the seventh with a 2-bagger, Chris was removed for Arthur Rhodes. Arthur and some of his bullpen pals proceeded to retire the last 9 batters of the game. St. Louis scored another run, too. Not that they needed it. They won 6-2, for there second World Series win in 5 years.
Carpenter isn't going to make the Hall Of Fame, but his postseason record is one that few can match. Overall, he's 10-4 in the postseason, sporting an ERA of 3.00 lifetime. It was even better in the World Series. In 4 starts, Chris Carpenter posted a 2.00 ERA, he seemed to get better and better with every outing. Let there be no doubt, St. Louis isn't winning their two most recent World Series sans Chris Carpenter.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
Retrosheet. www.retrosheet.org. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (26 Nov., 2017).
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