VIDEO: Carpenter rips 3rd leadoff HR in Cardinals playoff history
Held hitless in Friday's victory over the Chicago Cubs, Matt Carpenter's performance in Game 1 didn't evoke memories of the guy who hit .375 in last year's NLDS while smacking a home run and a double in each of the series' first three games.
On Saturday evening, though, the 29-year-old looked more like his usual self, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo shot off Kyle Hendricks to give the St. Louis Cardinals an early lead in Game 2.
Matt Carpenter puts the Cardinals up 1-0 in the bottom of the first!!! #12inSTL pic.twitter.com/9ok1w2hkuy
— The Cardinal Way (@STL_Cards_nut) October 10, 2015
Carpenter, a two-time All-Star, is just the third player in Cardinals history to hit a leadoff home run in a postseason game, joining Hall of Famer Lou Brock (1968 World Series, Game 4) and Fernando Vina (2000 Division Series, Game 3).
His club's lead was short-lived, however, as the Cubs grabbed a 5-1 advantage in the second after Jaime Garcia ushered in a run with a throwing error, Addison Russell plated Miguel Montero with a safety squeeze, Dexter Fowler drove in Hendricks with an infield single, and Jorge Soler launched a two-run homer.