NH People

February 13. 2013 10:31PM

Chris Carpenter

The St. Louis Cardinals' right-handed ace pitcher Chris Carpenter is a native of Exeter, New Hampshire. He graduated from Trinity High School in 1993, where he earned Athlete-of-the-Year honors when he was a senior. Carpenter also captured the state championship in baseball in 1992.

Chris began his professional career in May 1997 with the Toronto Blue Jays, earning a spot in the starting rotation by July of that summer. He played well for two years, winning 49 games before becoming plagued with injuries, including a bone spur in his elbow, nerve damage in his right biceps and tendonitis in his shoulder. He would rehab over the next few years, bouncing back only slightly between injuries.

By December of 2002, Carpenter signed a one year, one million dollar contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He missed most of the 2002 and 2003 seasons after having two shoulder operations; then rebounded in 2004 only to be sidelined with an injury in the post season. He was the Cardinals' best pitcher during the regular season, with a record of 15-5 and a 3.46 ERA, but didn't recover in time to pitch in the 2004 World Series against the Red Sox. In 2005, he was a whole new pitcher, achieving a 2.83 ERA, a 21-5 record and appearing in the All-Star Game. He also won the Cy Young Award for 2005. The following year, he finished third in Cy Young voting selection, and won his 100th career game on September 16, 2006. He made his first World Series start in 2006 in Game 3, against the Detroit Tigers and pitched eight innings, allowing no runs on three hits.

Chris is known for his 93-97 mile per hour fastball, a sweeping curve ball, a cutter and a changeup. His curve ball makes hitters freeze in their tracks. Carpenter was the starting pitcher for the Cardinals' Opening Day in April of 2005. He has since become a superstar, pitching in the 2006 World Series and helping to bring the team to the Championship for the first time since 1982. In Game 3, Carpenter shut out the Detroit Tigers 5-0 with a spectacular performance at the mound.

Since then, Carpenter has suffered with problems in his throwing arm. He only pitched in five games over the course of the past two seasons. In 2007, he underwent "Tommy John" surgery, a procedure that involved removing bone spurs in his right elbow. He tried to return to the game, but suffered a shoulder sprain that led to him being on the disabled list for most of the 2008 season. After a consultation with a specialist, Carpenter was told that he needed an additional surgery to release a compressed nerve leading to his shoulder.

During a game on April 14, 2009, Carpenter left the game before the fourth inning after straining his left rib cage during a ground out to third base. An MRI revealed that he had an oblique tear on his left side He was placed on the 15-day disabled list. But the season would turn out well for him. He hit his first career home run, a grand slam, on October 1. He also won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award, and broke a number of records.

Carpenter currently resides in Bedford with his wife Alyson, and a son, Sam. He re-signed with the Cardinals in December 2006. His 5-year, $65 million contract takes him through 2011 with the team, with an option for a 6th year. As of 2009, Chris has the highest winning percentage in the Cardinals' history.

In 2009, he hit his first career homerun, a grand slam, and finished the game by bringing in 6 RBI's total, breaking another club record. Carpenter unanimously won the 20th Annual Tony Conigliaro Award in 2009. The award is presented annually to a MLB player who has overcome a life-altering obstacle and continued to thrive despite the adversity. In Carpenter's case, he was given the award for his bout with elbow problems followed by Tommy John surgery, something that not all pitchers return from. Still, he returned in 2010 and completed the season with a 16-9 record and an overall 3.22 ERA.

Carpenter's ERA for 2011 is 3.45. He had 11 wins and 9 losses. In the post-season, Carpenter pitched a 3-hit shutout game giving the Cardinals the win in the the National League Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The ace pitcher pulled out all the stops in the 2011 World Series, winning two of the three games he pitched in, including Game 7, which he played on three days rest for only the second time in his career.

After only playing 3 games during the regular season following surgery to remove one of his ribs in an effort to alleviate pressure on the nerves that run into his right arm, Carpenter came back in his first post-season appearance to win a playoff game on October 10 against the Washington Nationals.

In February 2013, he started developing more pain and numbness in his throwing arm and called his GM to tell him he was unable to pitch. He will be out on the disabled list for now and likely through the entire 2013. It's possible that his career is over at the age of 38 due to the repeated injuries to his arm. But he's comeback before, so the future is truly unknown.