ST. LOUIS -- Heading into Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, Stephen Piscotty was a question mark.

Three hours later, he was more like an exclamation point.

In his first at-bat in the first inning, the 24-year old rookie laced a 2-2 cutter from Cubs starter Jon Lester down the right-field line for a ground-rule double, then immediately came around to score the game's first run on a single by Matt Holliday. In the eighth inning, shortly after a pinch-hit home run by fellow rookie Tommy Pham provided the Cardinals with a much-needed insurance run, Piscotty clubbed a two-run bomb to left field off reliever Pedro Strop. The 400-foot blast sealed the deal and, combined with seven-plus innings of two-hit ball from starter John Lackey, helped lead St. Louis to a huge 4-0 win in the NLDS opener.

Given where Piscotty was 11 days ago, it's remarkable that he even cracked the Cards' postseason roster, much less started Game 1. On Sept. 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first-year outfielder suffered a concussion when he laid out for a ball in the gap and collided with teammate Peter Bourjos's knee. It was such a traumatic incident that Piscotty had to leave the field on a stretcher and wound up spending the night at a Pittsburgh hospital. He was released the following morning and played in only one of the Cardinals' final five games. Even though he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against the Atlanta Braves, that only appearance left him feeling confident entering the postseason.

"I felt really good," said Piscotty, a former first-rounder who hit .305 in 63 games after being called up on July 21 and was instrumental in helping the Cardinals weather injuries to several key players. "The doctors and trainers did a tremendous job getting me in good shape, enough so that I could even get a game in Atlanta, which I think was big for keeping with rhythm and timing and all that. I was glad to get that game in and felt comfortable all week in practice and excited to get after it."

As if coming back from a nasty concussion to make his playoff debut in front of a sellout crowd of 47,830 -- the second largest in the history of Busch Stadium III -- didn't present enough uncertainty, Piscotty found himself penciled in at first base, where he started just eight games during the regular season. He wasn't the only one in an unfamiliar position.

Facing the stingy lefty Lester and knowing that St. Louis had struggled to score all season long -- they ranked 11th in the NL in runs and were shut out by the lowly Braves in three straight games to end the season -- manager Mike Matheny prioritized offense over defense in the opener. Regular right fielder Jason Heyward was in center field, where he'd made just eight starts during the regular season, and Randal Grichuk got the nod in right, where he'd made just one start since July 19. Neither was as far from home as Piscotty, who spent the majority of his rookie campaign clear across the diamond in left field. Not that you could tell by his performance Friday.

In addition to his big night at the plate, Piscotty played mistake-free baseball at first base, and even flashed highlight-caliber leather in the third inning, when he picked an errant throw from shortstop Jhonny Peralta out of the dirt to retire Cubs catcher David Ross. Judging by the reaction from the crimson-clad crowd, the scoop surprised pretty much everyone in the stadium. Everyone except for the guy at first.

"Yeah, I've always been a bit of a utility player. Going back to even high school, really," said Piscotty, who moved to right field after being replaced at first by Mark Reynolds in the seventh, then spent the final inning in left field. "So it's kind of natural for me, honestly, to move around, and I feel very comfortable doing that. Mike needs what he needs, and I'm just going to, you know, say yes and go do it. That's just the approach I try to take with it."

It's an approach that's not lost on his manager.

"We throw him in a position where he hasn't had a lot of repetition and he does a great job," said Matheny. "He's got great baseball IQ. He makes incredible adjustments for a young player. He knows he has a lot to learn, and he's wanting to learn, and he has the aptitude to make it all happen. It's just been fun to watch him."

If Piscotty keeps playing like he did Friday, Matheny and the Cardinals might get to watch him all the way into November.