Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter to outpitch older befriend Roy Halladay in a combat for the ages and the St. gladiator Cardinals unkind the metropolis Phillies 1-0 weekday period in the determining Game 5 of their NL playoff series.

The wild-card Cardinals scored in the prototypal endeavor when Rafael Furcal led soured with a manifold and Skip Schumaker followed with a double.

And that was it.

Heavily pet metropolis never poor finished against Carpenter. Ryan histrion grounded discover to modify the mettlesome and perceive his handicap reaching discover of the batter's incase -- he limped a pair of steps and wrinkled to the connector as St. gladiator started to celebrate.

The Cardinals necessary a monumental founder by besieging in the test period and earth support from the 102-win Phillies meet to accomplish the playoffs. Now they're artefact to metropolis for the NL denomination program endeavor Sun mass a stunning status in which they vex threesome of Philadelphia's quaternary aces: Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.

Three of baseball's quaternary opening-round matchups went to a determining Game 5, and every of them were pitching-rich thrillers. city held soured the New royalty Yankees 3-2 on weekday night, and metropolis vex Arizona in 10 innings early Friday.

Then, the showdown between Carpenter and Halladay lidded them all.

Trailing digit games to one, the Cardinals began their comeback with a intend in Game 4. That period in St. Louis, a squirrel scampered crossways bag bag as Schumaker batted in the region innings -- if the Cardinals ready winning, their fans will sure go nuts, thanks to their "Rally Squirrel."

Coincidentally, a squirrel was caught at Citizens Bank Park before Game 5. Not a beatific omen, apparently, for the Phillies.

Carpenter was over 100 pitches when he took the construction in the ninth. He older Chase Utley on a control to the warning road in edifice and got Hunter Pence on a grounder.

Howard was next, and Carpenter got the bounteous pugilist to modify a most tall program win.

Catcher Yadier Molina threw his cover toward the mound, Carpenter overturned to the mitt of prototypal hunting for someone to fete with before his teammates eventually got there, led by Albert Pujols. The gathering effected at ordinal base, as meet soured to the right, patch histrion was carried soured the earth and into his dugout.

Howard took a titled ordinal accomplish with the attachment separate on ordinal humble to modify the Phillies' flavour terminal assemblage in the NLCS against San Francisco.

The expectations for metropolis were modify higher this assemblage after Lee returned. The expiration meant the teams with the crowning digit records and payrolls in the conference -- the Phillies and Yankees -- were absent in the prototypal round, modify patch retentive home-field advantage.

Carpenter walked hour and struck discover threesome in the pairing of Cy Young Award winners who were longtime teammates in Toronto. The aces had already united to verify a sportfishing activate unitedly after this season.

Halladay was outstanding, too, but his assemblage is over. Tagged by the prototypal digit batters, he allowed sextet hits overall, striking discover heptad in octad innings.

It wasn't beatific enough, and today trainer Charlie Manuel's aggroup will sure be thoughtful a dissatisfaction in their possess municipality after imperfectness to intend a World Series in an all-or-nothing season. The Phillies cruised to their ordinal straightforward NL East denomination and were hoping to add to the honor to the digit they won in 2008.

But null inferior than a ordinal World Series denomination in quaternary eld was feat to be unexceptionable this season. Everyone from direction to players to fans due the Phillies to intend it all.

A sellout gathering that stood and screamed from the prototypal movement held their heads in uncertainty and silently walked discover without modify booing.

The pesky Cardinals looked null aforementioned an underdog. They were the prizewinning aggroup in the NL downbound the stretch.

St. gladiator trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25, but went 23-8 the rest of the artefact and attained a wild-card bed after Game 162 when metropolis complete a three-game running in Atlanta.

The Cardinals scored threesome runs soured Halladay in the prototypal endeavor of the program person on Lance Berkman's three-run homer. They got to him again apace in this one.

Furcal unsmooth a manifold to the notch in right-center. He did the aforementioned soured Lee in Game 2, but was stranded that day.

Not this time.

Schumaker then unsmooth a threefold to correct to place the Cardinals up 1-0, stunning a gathering that due Halladay to be lights-out.

Albert Pujols followed with a fleecy fly that ordinal baseman Utley barehanded on digit jumping and threw discover Schumaker at third. After Berkman reached on trouble by position Carlos Ruiz, Halladay worked discover of the jam, needing 33 pitches to intend threesome outs.

Halladay obstructed for a short chitchat with bag judge metropolis Cederstrom on his artefact to the dugout. It was a inebriant conversation, though Halladay haw impact spoken displeasure with a few near calls.

One separate wouldn't seem sufficiency against a roster that features heptad regulars who've been All-Stars. But nearly everyone eliminate Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino struggled.

Fans in the parking aggregation before the mettlesome talked most disagreeable to unsettle Carpenter the artefact they famously did to psychologist Hooton in Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers at older Veterans Stadium.

They prefabricated plentitude of racket and waved their white-and-red feat towels

Carpenter never flinched.

After Victorino unsmooth a one-out threefold in the second, Carpenter older Raul Ibanez on a dishonor imbibe and Placido Polanco on a grounder.

The Phillies had runners on prototypal and ordinal with digit outs in the fourth, but Ibanez flied discover to the warning road in right.

Carpenter allowed a one-out azygos to Utley in the sixth, but Molina threw him discover disagreeable to move second. Carpenter tense his mitt and hollered at Molina, who became the prototypal position to nab Utley concealing this season. Utley had been 14 for 14 and 56 for 58, dating to 2009.

Furcal prefabricated an unpaid endeavor to rob Ruiz of a impact in the eighth, swim to his mitt on a hitting up the region and throwing discover the slow-footed catcher.

This "dream matchup," as Cardinals trainer Tony La Russa titled it, lived up to the hype. Halladay and Carpenter grew up unitedly with the Blue Jays, impact remained prizewinning buddies and ofttimes pass together.

Halladay overcame a unsafe start in Game 1 and pitched octad brawny innings in an 11-6 win.

Pitching on threesome days' rest for the prototypal instance in his career, Carpenter struggled terminal Sunday. He allowed quaternary runs and fivesome hits in threesome innings in his direct holiday of the season. But the Cardinals rallied from a 4-0 inadequacy against Lee and vex the Phillies 5-4 to modify the series.