Allen Craig returned to the lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Craig, who hadn't played since Sept. 4 because of a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot, was thrust right back into battle. He hit fourth and served as the designated hitter in Game 1 of the World Series.
"He felt good," Mike Matheny said when asked about how his usual first baseman came out of his first game in nearly seven weeks.
"A little bit different. He's been challenged here to move pretty fast in the rehab process, right towards the end. But I thought he took good at-bats, looked like he was seeing the ball pretty well, and didn't see a lot of apprehension. But he's still going to be guarded a little bit. But everything came out pretty good."
Craig went 1-for-4 with a strikeout on the first game of the World Series.