The fans stayed with him for the ride, fair or foul, as Matt Carpenter stepped from the batter’s box and watched the ball carve a second arch in the St. Louis night sky.
The stadium, full to its limited capacity, went breathless for the 4 ½ seconds of the ball’s flight and watched as it maybe possible could be the hit Carpenter had been chasing for weeks – or just fade into another long strike, prolonging his slump. When it caromed off the foul pole, the crowd and Carpenter roared. His two-run homer earned him a third-inning curtain call from the 12,714 faithful who had to know one of his few hits since February was Monday’s bunt.
Carpenter’s tension released.
