Matt Carpenter

New York Yankees outfielder Matt Carpenter was overcome with emotion when talking about telling his family that he was returning to St. Louis to take on the ...

This weekend, the Yankees are in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a three-game series. Carpenter will step into Busch Stadium on Friday night as a member of the Yankees, batting third in the lineup. Since donning the pinstripes, Carpenter experienced immediate success. Now, his career has resurged as a member of the New York Yankees. In 2020 and 2021, he posted a batting average well below .200 each season. Over the years, however, Carpenter’s production dropped off.

Former Cardinals star Matt Carpenter spent 11 seasons with the team, making three All-Star appearances and one World Series appearance.

Carpenter left the Cardinals after 11 seasons in the offseason. As the three-time All-Star strode towards home plate, Cardinals fans gave him a standing ovation. And on Friday night, Cardinals fans showed their appreciation for the former MVP candidate.

Yankees designated hitter Matt Carpenter gestures to the Cardinals' dugout before batting in the first inning on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Busch Stadium. It was ...

Pointing fingers at Cardinals hitting coach Jeff Albert, similarly, ignores the potential help Carpenter was not always in the right headspace to hear and receive. Yankee Stadium’s short porch for the pull-hitting southpaw swinger is a good fit, but it’s not the answer alone. Unfortunately for the black-and-white crowd, this case is not so simple. Entering this series he had 15 homers, nine doubles and 36 RBIs — in just 43 games with the Yankees. Carpenter toured the country determined to fix his swing. You lose a player because you become impatient with him, or they are not performing, and they go somewhere else and figure it out. But Carpenter, who is nearly 37 now, was not cooked despite a fall to and then below league-average production that started after his impressive 2018 season and worsened through a career-worst 2021. First-year Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, who was once minor-league roommates with Carpenter, knows the Carpenter debates that are raging these days. He worked the count full against Dakota Hudson. He worked over a Hudson sinker into right field for a single and greeted Paul Goldschmidt at first base. The former Cardinals All-Star had explained how he still pulls for the Cardinals — outside of this weekend, of course. If he was wrong, this story would be one of a lifelong Cardinal who got a bad extension. He was the designated hitter for baseball’s best offense.

And at age 36, Carpenter returns as the player Cardinals fans were accustomed to seeing – batting .322 with a 1.226 OPS, with 15 homers and 36 RBI in 115 at- ...

“And the major leagues isn’t an easy place to be when your best,’’ said Carpenter. “It’s a tough place to be, and that’s where I was the last couple of seasons.’’ “You could make a case they’re the New York Yankees of the National League,’’ Carpenter said of the Cardinals’ great clubhouse culture, passionate fanbase and “an ownership and front office that’s committed to winning. Shortly after signing with the Yankees, Carpenter glanced at the schedule and saw the road “STL’’ listed for the first weekend of August. And with the Cardinals (57-48) tied for first place in the NL Central, hosting a rare interleague visit by the Yankees (70-36), the atmosphere at Busch Stadium “should be a lot of fun.’’ Carpenter spent the winter revamping his swing and signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, eventually asking for his release in May. “This will be the first three games of the year that I don’t want them to win at all,’’ said Carpenter, ahead of the Yankees’ three-game series at Busch Stadium.

Carpenter made his first-career visit to Busch Stadium as a member of the road team Friday, batting third in the lineup for the New York Yankees amid his ...

Friday, Cardinals fans took the chance up close to express their sincerest gratitude for the years Carpenter devoted to St. Louis—as good a sign as any that he’ll one day find his way into a red jacket courtesy of that same fan base. As Carpenter told the Bally Sports pregame show Friday, there was a time when Carpenter thought that might signal the end of his Major League career. Carpenter delivered, delivered some more, and then just kept going to the pleasant surprise of a whole new group of fans who were eagerly discovering how fun it can be to watch him play baseball when he’s at his best. Though Carpenter has not accrued enough plate appearances to qualify for statistical leaderboards, meaning the sample size is admittedly small, there’s no questioning the remarkable nature of his comeback this year with New York. The crowd applauded the result to a level that would suggest it was more than just the Yankees faithful in attendance appreciating the effort. That connection to the team and the city that welcomed Carpenter before it knew what he would become is what made Friday’s moment for Carpenter, the now-former Cardinal, so special.

The New York Yankees fell to the the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3, at Busch Stadium on Friday night.

In the ninth, Carpenter stepped to the plate with a chance to retake the lead with two outs but couldn’t beat out a checked-swing grounder to second base for the final out. It brought home DJ LeMahieu, who led off with a walk and then moved to third base on Carpenter’s single. Boone pulled Cortes with one out in the sixth after he walked Paul Goldschmidt, bringing in Albert Abreu to face Nolan Arenado, who singled Goldschmidt to second base. They were thrown out twice on the bases to end innings in ugly fashion. Before his first at-bat, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina stepped out from behind home plate to allow the sold-out crowd of 46,940 to shower Carpenter with applause, celebrating his 11 years in white and red. And though he left in the offseason and has resurrected his career with the Yankees, Carpenter reads the St. Louis box scores every night, roots for his old teammates, hopes for them to win.

Matt Carpenter returned to St. Louis as a member of the New York Yankees, and received a standing ovation from Cardinals fans at Busch Stadium.

But this weekend, he made his return to St. Louis. In his first at-bat as a visiting member at Busch Stadium, Carpenter drilled a single to right field to advance D..J. Lemahieu, who was standing on first base, to third. Matt Carpenter receives standing ovation from Cardinals fans in return to St. Louis Carpenter tipped his helmet to the fans before making his return to home plate. Matt Carpenter returned to St. Louis as a member of the New York Yankees, and received a standing ovation from Cardinals fans. One of the league’s better stories is the resurgence of Matt Carpenter. After spending the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, he signed on with the New York Yankees and has flourished in a short amount of time.

ST. LOUIS — Friday's Game Report: Cardinals 4, Yankees 3. A former Cardinals favorite made his emotional return to Busch Stadium on Friday night and the ...

Matt Carpenter drew a loud standing ovation Friday night in his first visit back to St. Louis, where he played 11 seasons with the Cardinals.