St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter Exemplifies the Cardinal Way
By Pete Schwichtenberg
@schwick26_pete
Getty Images
Like them or not, the St. Louis Cardinals do things right. They play hard. They execute fundamentally and do not beat themselves. When victory seems insurmountable, they somehow find a way to grind out a wins. In 2011, they not only found a way to get to the playoffs, but they were also able to get to the World Series and stunningly win a championship.
This season, with a team that many thought did not have the talent or the leadership to win the division, they were able to get on a roll and capture another division crown.
While the team is full of players who do things right, there is no one on the team who symbolizes the Cardinal Way more than Matt Carpenter. With the team looking to make changes around the diamond, he moved from second to third without complaint. Although he did not put up the same numbers that he had during his Silver Slugger-winning year of 2013, Carpenter was still able to battle through quality at-bats by leading the league in walks.
This postseason, he has continued to show exactly why he is so important to the Cardinals. Facing two of the best pitchers in the league in situations where the game looked bleak for his team, Carpenter came through with huge hits. He not only doubled off Clayton Kershaw to knock him out of Game 1, but he homered off of Zack Greinke to put the Cardinals back into Game 2.
With his lack of batting gloves, he looks like an old-school ball player — and his talents stand out like one too. No matter what the situation, Carpenter is a pest to opposing pitchers. Just when a game looks like it is over, he comes through. He runs hard, plays with all-out effort, does not give up an at-bat and is the perfect example of what the Cardinal Way really is.
Pete Schwichtenberg is a MLB writer for Rantsports. Follow @schwick26_pete, Like him on Facebook, or add him to your Google Network.
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