It was an emotional night for Matt Carpenter.

Making his first appearance at Busch Stadium since being released by the Cardinals two years ago, the 36-year old slugger was greeted with a hug from Yadier Molina, and a 45-second ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd.

“Just stepping off the plane [Thursday] night and being back in St. Louis, that started it all for me,” Carpenter said, according to MLB.com. “My family will be here, and I haven’t seen many of the [Cardinals players] yet, but that will make it hard, for sure. A lot of special memories.”

Carpenter said there are a lot of similarities between the Yankees’ and Cardinals’ organizations. 

“You could make a case they’re the New York Yankees of the National League,” Carpenter said of the Cardinals in a pregame news conference. “Combine that with just the history of the organization and what it means to put on that jersey, well, it’s a pretty cool place.”

New York got 5.1 innings from All-Star Nestor Cortes, who allowed just one hit and two runs. But Clay Holmes was tagged with the loss for the Yankees after allowing the two eighth-inning runs. 

“It’s not easy for us right now,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We had a lot of hits. I thought we hit the ball really well. They made some really good plays. I thought we had a lot of quality at-bats up and down, but we couldn’t get that backbreaker to put it away.”

The St. Louis Cardinals staged a late-game comeback to defeat the New York Yankees 4-3, in front of a season-high 46,940 fans at Busch Stadium. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong drove in two runs with an eighth-inning double, souring Carpenter’s return to St. Louis

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The New York Yankees’ Matt Carpenter tips his cap as he steps up to bat during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)