"Righthander Chris Carpenter has been a professional baseball player for 18 seasons, exactly split at nine apiece for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cardinals, who are meeting in St. Louis for only the second time and in new Busch Stadium for the first time this weekend.

Before Friday's game, Carpenter visited with some of the Blue Jays' personnel, which includes former Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen, a teammate of Carpenter's with Toronto and now the Blue Jays' bullpen coach. The nine-year time frame with the Toronto organization encompassed six seasons as a major leaguer and Carpenter admitted, "It seems like a long time ago."

But Carpenter hasn't forgot. "They gave me the opportunity to be a professional baseball player, so there's always going to be something there," said Carpenter.

"I enjoyed my time there. But I've been here longer (in the majors) and I feel like I'm a Cardinal."

Carpenter has blanked the Blue Jays on four hits for 17 innings in two starts at Toronto, but he hasn't - and won't - face them here.

The Blue Jays' only other visit here was in 2003 at Busch Stadium II, but Carpenter didn't pitch in the majors that year as he battled shoulder problems. He'll miss them in this series because he pitched Thursday."