CHICAGO -- St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter tied a major league record with five extra-base hits before being pulled after his third home run of the day in the Cardinals' 18-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
"I'm having a hard time coming up with words to describe a day like this," a smiling Carpenter said after the 18-run win -- the most runs the Cardinals have scored against the Cubs since 1977.
Carpenter, 32, went 5-for-5 with seven runs driven in and four scored, becoming only the second player in the modern era to record three home runs and two doubles in the same game. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is the other player to accomplish that feat, having done so in 2016.
"I can't think outside of T-ball that I have ever done that, certainly a first for me,'' he said. "I'm having a hard time to come up with words to describe a day like this."
Carpenter did all of his damage by the sixth inning, after which interim manager Mike Shildt decided -- in consultation with Carpenter -- that his day was done.
"He was a pro," Shildt said. "He was good about it. It could have been even more historic, but it was a pretty good day."
The Cubs and Cardinals have a doubleheader on Saturday, so Carpenter was indeed OK with the decision to come out. He almost didn't take his fifth at-bat, but with runners on base in the top of the sixth inning there was "damage to be done," according to Shildt.
Meanwhile, Carpenter has the highest OPS in baseball since May 25 -- 1.174.
"It was ugly that first month, personally," Carpenter said of hitting .199 through May 24. "The pressure was building. I want to be a part of this team and help us win games."
Carpenter led off the game with a home run against Jon Lester. It was his team-record sixth leadoff homer of the season and the 21st of his career, matching the club mark held by Hall of Famer Lou Brock. He later hit another home run off Lester, who gave up eight earned runs in three-plus innings of work.
"It's super humbling to be mentioned in the same sentence as a guy like Lou," Carpenter said. "Anytime you're [involved] in any kind of record with an organization like this, it's certainly humbling. It's a privilege to put on this jersey and play in an organization which has such a cherished history."
His final home run came off another lefty, Brian Duensing, barely making it into the right-field basket with the aid of some wind.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Carpenter is the first Cardinals player to hit three home runs in a game since Albert Pujols did it against the Cubs in 2010.
The loss for Chicago is tied for its largest defeat under manager Joe Maddon. It led to him using three position players to pitch for them for the first time since June 16, 1884, according to the team. Infielder Tommy La Stella, catcher Victor Caratini and outfielder Ian Happ finished the game for the Cubs. Happ was the only "pitcher" for the home team not to surrender a run on the day.