It was a whirlwind of a day for Dylan Carlson on Thursday.
In their series finale against the Atlanta Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals actually gave him the night off.
It wasn’t until the seventh inning that he finally came off the bench against Braves reliever Will Smith.
Pinch hitting for Lars Nootbaar, he got a base hit, his first of three.
In the bottom of the ninth, the game was tied at one when Carlson robbed Michael Harris II of a game-winning hit with a spectacular catch and helped double off Phil Gosselin at first base for a double play.
He also picked up the game-winning hit himself in the top of the 11th, putting St. Louis ahead 3-2, where they would stay.
Gateway Grinders, a St. Louis sports fan page, tweeted some of Carlson’s stats from last night.
Carlson Comes Through
Is this impressive or what?
He doesn’t even start the game, saves the day when he makes a spectacular catch in the ninth, and picks up the game-winning hit.
Carlson certainly had himself a night on Thursday.
Anytime you can go 3-for-3 off the bench, make a game-saving grab, and drive in the winning run, you’ve had yourself a game.
And the Cardinals desperately needed it after having lost four straight games dating back to Sunday in Philadelphia.
This time, Carlson and the Cardinals had other plans.
Carlson is a key piece for this young Cardinals team and has picked up the slack in center field with the absence of Harrison Bader.
But he’s coming into his own at the plate and proving to be a special player.
Maybe that’ll help St. Louis produce a little momentum going forward.
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