JUPITER, Fla. • The last night Allen Craig swung a bat he contributed a game-winning RBI with a home run.

The last night he leaped, Craig scaled Busch Stadium's left field wall to pull down a ball that was ready to leave the field.

Of course, the night was Oct. 28, the night the Cardinals and Craig completed a remarkable testimony to resilience and the ability to endure.

Craig's contributions to the Cardinals' Game 7 World Series win over the Texas Rangers occurred as he played with a fissure in his right kneecap that limited his range of motion and caused his right quadriceps to atrophy. Craig knew the situation that night, knew that he could well require surgery in November, but he also knew that he was living a career moment.

"It really worked out perfect," Craig recently said after more than four hours of treatment and working out at Roger Dean Stadium. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Playing on a fractured right kneecap, Craig contributed three home runs and three game-winning RBIs in the Cardinals' epic takedown of the Rangers. He started in left field in Game 7 the night after Matt Holliday jammed his hand and wrist retreating headfirst to third base. While third baseman David Freese deservedly emerged from the postseason as Most Valuable Player of the NL Championship Series and World Series, the 27-year-old Craig served as an inescapable force who contributed four home runs and nine RBIs in 37 postseason at-bats.

Life hasn't let up since.

Craig's winter consisted of seeking second and third opinions regarding his knee, getting married, then forgoing his honeymoon to have two screws inserted into the right knee before spending six weeks in a straight leg brace. He finally discarded the brace shortly after Christmas only to report to Florida on Jan. 18, the day after the Cardinals' trip to the White House and Walter Reed Medical Center.

"It was kind of a whirlwind," he said. "It wasn't as glamorous as a lot of people might think it was. The World Series was great, but right after the season, everything switched to what I was going to do about my knee."

Craig visited Cincinnati and Vail before committing to surgery on Nov. 18. The operation required rehabilitation of 4-6 weeks.

"I've come a long way," he said. "I really couldn't do anything in the leg brace except for sit on the couch."

Mostly, he counted the days until he began the painful process of restoring range of motion to his right leg and strength to his shrunken quadriceps. Now, he spends about 90 minutes daily working his lower half and another 60 minutes on his upper half. Assistant athletic trainer Adam Olsen has been Craig's constant companion. In about two weeks Craig's right leg strength will be measured against his left. Not until then will he be allowed to hit or run. (He might receive clearance to resume throwing this week.)

"Once you get the range of motion back, it's all about strength," Craig said. "That's where I'm at now."

More than 3½ months after retreating to catch the final out of the World Series, Craig waits to resume activities his teammates take for granted as they enter camp.

"I could probably go out and jog and hit and do other stuff, but they're not going to let me do that if the leg isn't strong," he said. "It's not about pain. It's about putting yourself at risk for a different injury. I could probably go out there and do some stuff. But if I go out there and tear my (anterior cruciate ligament), it isn't worth it."

Though the club placed Craig on the disabled list within days of his knee slamming into a pole at Minute Maid Park on June 7, it held out the remote hope that he would avoid surgery.

Craig exited the disabled list Aug. 10, in time to contribute to the team's season-ending rush that overtook the Atlanta Braves for the NL wild card. His right quadriceps wouldn't properly fire and his flexibility was compromised. Despite losing an explosive first step, Craig could still hit and play a passable corner outfield.

"It was tough to get ready for games," he said. "It wasn't 100 percent. But I didn't feel I was putting myself at risk or hurting the team. I just wanted to come back and help and gain more experience. It really worked out perfect for everybody. If I was laboring and not playing well, I wouldn't have done it, but I was playing OK."

Craig delivered home runs in Game 2, Game 6 and Game 7 of the World Series. His third-inning home run in Game 7 broke a 2-2 tie in a game the Cardinals won 6-2. In the sixth inning, Craig ran to the left-field warning track, jumped and robbed Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz of a home run that would have put the visitors two runs behind.

Hope of avoiding surgery died within a week of the team's World Series parade when Cincinnati orthopedic Dr. Timothy Kremchek and Vail knee specialist Dr. Richard Steadman agreed with team doctors' assessment that a procedure was necessary.

Surgery forced Craig and his wife, Marie, to call off their Hawaii honeymoon, instead spending a week in Vail immediately after the repair.

"There's always hope you can avoid surgery," Craig said. "You certainly don't have surgery if you can avoid it. I just needed to hear surgery would help me have a long career. They weren't concerned about the procedure. It was simple. Just get it taken care of, and be fine. The last thing I needed was not to get it fixed and have people worried about playing me every day because of the knee. It's better for everyone that it's fixed."

When he played last season, Craig constructed a .917 on-base-plus-slugging percentage while batting .315. He played center field and second base, something unlikely to reoccur this season. He crammed 40 RBIs and 25 extra-base hits into 75 games, including 47 starts. General manager John Mozeliak hoped to guarantee Craig 450-500 at-bats this season; however, the club might have delayed that threshold by signing free agent right fielder Carlos Beltran to a two-year deal in December. The club initially projected Craig would miss the season's first month, a forecast Craig hopes to beat.

"Those things (playing time) have a way of working themselves out," Mozeliak said.

The limp that accompanied Craig to the White House is gone. Unchanged is confidence that has made him a productive player while still waiting for his first major-league season of more than 200 at-bats.

"My attitude is that you have to believe in yourself no matter what you do," Craig said. "There are always going to be new challenges. That's going to be the case again this year. I believe in my ability to play well at the highest level. I believe if I get the opportunities to play, I can help the team. I've always felt that way."