Carlson's bat headed to Hall after historic homer

PHILADELPHIA -- When Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson was first asked by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to donate the bat that he used to hit his team’s historic fourth home run in a row, he momentarily paused because he was reluctant to part with the tool that brought himself some historic success on Saturday.

However, the more the 23-year-old Carlson thought about it, the more he realized the monumental significance of having a personalized item on display in Cooperstown for generations of baseball fans to see for years to come.

“At first, I was [hesitant], but then I thought about the situation and how that bat will hopefully be there for a long time,” Carlson said. “When I thought about that, I was willing to give it up right away. I have a few more bats with me on this trip, so I should be all right.”

Carlson’s 407-foot blast -- a no-doubter of a home run that hit off the concrete facing of the second deck at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday -- capped a stunning stretch in which four consecutive Cardinals homered. Not only was it the first time that has ever been done in the rich history of the Cardinals, but it was also the first time a MLB team homered four times consecutively in a first inning. The four-homer feat marked just the 11th time in NL/AL history that accomplishment had been achieved.

Nolan Arenado, rookies Nolan Gorman and Juan Yepez and Carlson all hit homers off Phillies starter Kyle Gibson to give the Cardinals an early 5-0 lead. St. Louis would ultimately relinquish that lead -- and a 6-5 edge -- before rallying to win the game, 7-6, with help from a solo homer by Arenado in the ninth inning.

Carlson’s home run was the longest of the four, traveling 407 feet after leaving the bat at 107 mph. He said he felt a bit of pressure to homer after Arenado, Gorman and Yepez went deep before him, but he went to the plate simply trying to pick out a good pitch that he could hit hard. He said he knew the ball was gone as soon as he connected on it and he was happy that it was a no-doubter instead of one that barely cleared the right-field wall at Citizens Bank Park.

Carlson said hitting the record-tying fourth home run in a row is an achievement that he has at the top of his young career, tied with last season’s historic push into the playoffs by the Cardinals. St. Louis won 17 straight games last September to surge into the postseason.

“Any way it gets out, I’ll take it. But that was definitely a special one,” Carlson said of the homer, which was his fifth of the season. “That was definitely a unique situation and experience, but for me it’s right up there with clinching the playoffs last year. It’s a great thing of mind that I will always have because of the significance of the moment.”

If Carlson had any concerns about surrendering his bat for the display at the Hall of Fame, those were calmed on Sunday when he singled back up the middle in his first at-bat with his new piece of lumber during the Cards' 4-0 loss. He said he’s happy he decided to give up the bat so baseball fans can read about what the Cardinals accomplished in Saturday’s first inning against the Phillies.

“That’s pretty awesome to get it in the Hall of Fame,” Carlson said with a broad, toothy smile. “It’s a unique opportunity and a unique situation, so I was very happy to be able to donate the bat out there to them.”