Barton hits his first homer

ST. LOUIS -- Unwittingly, a St. Louis police officer tossed St. Louis Cardinals rookie Brian Barton's first career home run into the stands Tuesday night.

Barton's homer against right-hander Shawn Chacon in the fifth inning, one of the few highlights in the Cardinals' dismal 8-2 loss to Houston, landed in the Astros' bullpen. The policeman retrieved the souvenir and flipped it to a fan sitting in the left-field bleachers.

"I didn't even know it was in the crowd," said Barton, who was fortunate enough to get the ball after a member of the Cardinals' media relations team made a telephone call. "It's good that I got it back. It means a lot to me.

"One of the security guards or ushers got it for me. I signed a few hats for a couple of kids. I'm thankful they gave it back. I want to say thank you to them. I don't know who they are. It's a good feeling, but at the same time, it would have been better if we would have had a win."

Barton was appearing as a pinch-hitter for Braden Looper when he connected on Chacon's first pitch with one out in the fifth. The 390-foot drive made it 8-2.

"I feel like it's been a long time coming," said Barton, whose homer came in his 78th at-bat. "I happened to get a good pitch to hit. He left a slider up and I put a good swing on it. That was that.

"It was kind of like I was on a cloud. I'm quite sure my family back home in Arkansas is pretty happy and fired up, too."

(bnd.com)