Carlos Beltran's three-run homer off A.J. Burnett ignites Cards' Game 1 rout of Pirates

History in the digital age is remembered in snapshots, slivers of time and space preserved to represent the whole picture, often at the expense of full understanding.

In Flushing, it is through this prism that Carlos Beltran's postseason legacy has been defined, distilled into one passive moment on one fateful pitch thrown by a rival who would become a teammate. But everywhere else, Beltran's postseason exploits have made him into this generation's Mr. October.

And Thursday night, as the Cardinals thrashed the Pirates, 9-1, in the opening game of the National League Division Series, Beltran added yet another line to his already impressive postseason resume.

Beltran blasted a three-run homer to jump-start a seven-run third inning that Pirates starter A.J. Burnett failed to survive. It was Beltran's 15th career postseason homer, tying him for eighth on the all-time list with Babe Ruth.

"You know, there is no other explanation," said Beltran, whose homer traveled a Ruthian 443 feet. "God gave me the opportunity to be in this situation and [it's] me being able to come through."

Beltran entered play with a 1.252 on-base plus slugging percentage in the postseason, No. 1 all-time among players with at least 100 postseason plate appearances, ahead of Ruth (1.211) and Lou Gehrig (1.208). His October feats are not lost on the Cardinals.

Three of Beltran's playoff home runs came in the 2006 National League Championship Series, when Beltran and the Mets dueled the Cardinals only to fall, 3-1, in Game 7 at Shea Stadium. It was Beltran who provided a moment of infamy, striking out looking with the bases loaded on Adam Wainwright's curveball to end the game.

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Years later, Beltran and Wainwright are teammates on the Cardinals, and together they again tormented another starved fan base.

"This guy is just a postseason monster," said Wainwright, who dashed the momentum from the Pirates less than 48 hours after the euphoria of their first playoff win in 21 years.

The Cardinals ace opened his winning effort -- seven innings, three hits, one run, nine strikeouts -- by retiring the first 11 batters he faced. By the time he allowed his first hit, Andrew McCutchen's single in the fourth, Burnett was long gone.

Now, with the prospect of returning to PNC Park down 2-0 in this best-of-five NLDS, the Pirates must rely on rookie Gerritt Cole to tame the Cardinals Friday in Game 2.

Burnett lost control in the third in a reprisal of his worst moments with the Yankees. After Beltran's homer, he allowed a double by Matt Holliday, plunked Matt Adams and walked Yadier Molina. In the dugout, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle did nothing, even after Burnett walked Jon Jay to force in a run.

Finally, after David Freese's single and an error by rightfielder Marlon Byrd cleared the bases to give the Cards a 7-0 advantage, Hurdle trudged out of his dugout to fetch Burnett.

"It's tough to push back after that," said Burnett, who was pulled with nobody out.

Beltran hastened his downfall with a homer that bounced off the facing of the upper deck, much to the delight of the Cardinals. They've rallied around giving the former Met the ultimate reward for his October magic.

Said Freese: "We want to push through this for a guy like Carlos who deserves a ring."