Ankiel threw five wild pitches in the third inning of the opening game of the playoffs.

Yet even with Atlanta's Greg Maddux on the mound opposite their wobbly rookie pitcher, the Cardinals pulled a 7-5 worm out of the ground Tuesday.

Rick Ankiel's wildness didn't cost the Cardinals, who managed to hold off the Braves 7-5 in Game 1.(AP)

Talk about living large. The Cardinals actually recorded two victories Tuesday, although one of them you won't see recorded in the official game statistics:

Catcher Carlos Hernandez, already playing with two herniated disks in his back, miraculously avoided herniating three or four more as he reached, leaped, twisted, turned, strained and grabbed at pitches that came at him from more directions than a political candidate.

Somebody asked Hernandez afterward if maybe he could have stopped at least a couple of those wild pitches. Hernandez looked as if he had swallowed a bee.

"Not really,'' he said. "A couple were too high. If I was Superman, maybe, but I don't think I can fly.''

Ankiel not only set a record for most wild pitches in an inning during the postseason, he managed to bravely foray where no man in baseball's 100-years plus history has gone before.

It was the most wild pitches ever thrown by a pitcher in a major league game -- regular or postseason.

Heck, far as we can tell, Tatum O'Neal never even threw more than four wild pitches in one inning for the Bad News Bears.

No wonder St. Louis manager Tony La Russa kept news of Ankiel's impending start top-secret until the last minute Monday afternoon. He didn't want to give St. Louis personal-injury lawyers the chance to clear their schedules before Tuesday.

"He had a couple of games like this during the season,'' an unconcerned La Russa said. "He knows how to fix it. I think a part of it is that Carlos is really still learning the style that Rick has gotten into. I'm not making excuses. I'm just telling the truth, in my opinion.

"Next time they get together, I'm sure it will be better.''

Maybe it was a near-disaster, but Tuesday was still a pretty good day in Cardinal-land. OK, so Ankiel only lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, four hits and four walks in addition to the wild pitches. But, bottom line, St. Louis still won the game.

In order, relievers Mike James (2 1/3 scoreless innings), Mike Timlin (1-plus scoreless innings), Britt Reames (two scoreless innings) and closer Dave Veres (one inning, one unearned run) picked Ankiel up, enabling the rookie to essentially get his feet wet in the postseason for free.

"They were outstanding,'' Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones said. "If you were handing out game balls, you'd have to hand out two. One to Mike James and one to Britt Reames.''

James relieved Ankiel after four Braves had scored in the third, with two runners aboard, two out and the Cardinals leading 6-4. He got Javier Lopez to pop to second.

Reames relieved Timlin in the seventh with two on, none out and the score 7-5. He immediately struck out Andres Galarraga and, after walking Brian Jordan to load the bases, induced an easy fly to left from Reggie Sanders and then got pinch-hitter Bobby Bonilla to ground to first.

Really, starting Ankiel to the mound was a sound choice and, despite his third-inning meltdown, it looks even better now. La Russa wanted Ankiel, 7-2 with a 3.36 ERA at home this season, to start in Busch Stadium, and there was no sense in allowing the butterflies to multiply while he waited around.

"Tony had a bold move today, pitching Rick Ankiel, and it worked,'' St. Louis first baseman Will Clark said. "We got Game 1 under our belts. Now we go out with confidence and have our ace (Darryl Kile) on the mound for Game 2.

"It by no means gets easier, but confidence and momentum can go a long way.''

Especially after winning as the Cardinals did in Game 1. World B. Free's jumpers didn't have the arch some of Ankiel's rainbows did. He easily could have been charged with eight wild pitches in that third inning, but two missiles he tossed over Hernandez's head with Maddux standing on third hit the backstop and came rocketing back so quickly that Maddux couldn't advance.

Hernandez smothered two others as if he were throwing a blanket over a fire.

Was it mechanics? Jitters? Global warming?

"I don't know,'' Ankiel said. "I can't tell you. Something obviously went wrong. What you do is put it behind you.''

La Russa wouldn't confirm that Ankiel, who went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA this season, would start Game 4 for the Cardinals as planned. But he sure hinted that way.

"I do believe once the game is replayed, (pitching coach Dave) Duncan and (injured catcher Mike) Matheny can talk Carlos through the time that Rick was out there,'' La Russa said. "I think that Rick will have a better chance because he had a certain style that was really working, and I think it was hard for Carlos to get a grip on that.

"I think this is a good experience for Carlos with him. If we are going to win enough games, Mr. Ankiel is going to have to be there for us.''

Asked about Ankiel's style, Hernandez explained that he calls the game based on what he knows about the opponents and said that sometimes Ankiel doesn't always want to throw the pitches he calls. But Hernandez has only caught the rookie a handful of times, so the two are still becoming familiar with each other.

Tuesday, Hernandez said, two of the five wild pitches came when Ankiel crossed up the catcher.

For his part, Ankiel said he won't even bother reviewing the tape of Tuesday's game. Rather, he said, he will view the tapes of games in which he pitched well to spot his problem.

Hernandez cringed when he heard that.

"I will (look at the tape),'' Hernandez said quickly. "I will, and I'll tell him about it.''

But then Hernandez paused, and thought it over again.

"Maybe I don't want to see it,'' Hernandez said, grinning. "Because, if I see it, my back is going to hurt,'' he said.