Matt Carpenter vaults into Cardinals postseason folklore

• Cardinals beat Giants 2-1 in Game 3 of NLCS
• Matt Carpenter was the improbable star with home run
• Carpenter hadn't even started Game 3

ST. LOUIS – Add another entry to the list of St. Louis Cardinals who tend to introduce themselves as stars during the pressure-cooker of the playoffs.

Last year it was David Freese and Allen Craig emerging as heroes during the Cardinals' magical ride to a World Series title.

This year, young infielders Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma, and relief pitchers Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly, have etched their names into Cardinals lore.

And say hello to Matt Carpenter, the improbable star of the Cardinals' 3-1 Game 3 victory Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants that gives the Cardinals a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS.

Not Chris Carpenter, the veteran Cardinals ace starter.

Matt Carpenter, the rookie infielder/outfielder/pinch hitter who hit .294 with six home runs as a part-time player this season and started the afternoon with no idea he'd even get into the game.

Carpenter, 26, was just getting nice and settled in on the bench when Cardinals manager Mike Matheny came to him in the second inning and told him to grab a glove and get out to right field.

Starting right fielder and key run producer Carlos Beltran had come up lame after running out a ground ball in the bottom of the first.

"It was definitely a surprise," Carpenter said. "I didn't even realize that Carlos had hurt himself. I was in the game before I really had time to think about it."

Actually, Matheny had given some thought to starting Carpenter, given his success in a small sample (4 for 4) against Giants starter Matt Cain.

Carpenter, a left-handed hitter with some pop, quickly amended that to 5 for 5 hammering a Cain pitch over the right-field fence in the third inning, giving Carpenter his first playoff home run and giving the Cardinals' a 2-1 lead that, thanks to their dominant bullpen, held up.

"There's no explanation," Carpenter said of his able swings versus Cain. "He's one of the best in the game, obviously. I think we all know that. Every at-bat I've had against him has been really tough. They are always a battle. It seems like he's always ahead of me."

Cain got ahead of him again Wednesday night – 0 and 2. Then a ball, then another, then a 2-2 breaking ball that Carpenter just crushed.

What made it even sweeter was that his parents had gotten up in the wee hours and driven nine hours or so from Missouri City, Texas, to attend the 3 p.m. game.

"Tonight was one of those things that you can't expect, but you can still be ready for," he said. "And I think I was."

Which isn't that surprising, really. A good, young player helps the Cardinals get into the playoffs and then, out of nowhere, takes center stage.

A Cardinal rule, apparently.