Chris Carpenter, rib removed, could get Curt Schilling accolades with an NLCS win

St. Louis Cardinals fans already know that Chris Carpenter—10-3 in his career—is a postseason hero, and they've already heard more than enough about the fact that he had surgery in July to remove a rib that was causing nerve discomfort. They already know that it's completely ridiculous that he's making his sixth start of the season after something like that, and that his sixth start of the season could be the difference between the Cardinals winning and losing this NLCS.

But outside St. Louis—well, national TV definitely helps. Carpenter could have his own Curt Schilling bloody sock game Sunday, as he looks to turn the series back around after the San Francisco Giants dismantled Lance Lynn and company in Game 5. He's looking uphill at the opportunity, though—he looked unsure of his own stuff (and for good reason) in his first start of the NLCS. (For live coverage of the game and archived coverage of the rest of the series, check out our NLCS storystream.)

There's a weird, distinctly Carpenterian postscript, though, and if you only get the national TV story they might miss it. So, last but not least on this narrative, an important addendum: Carpenter gave the rib to his daughter. Who asked for it. Which makes things a little different from Schilling.