The St. Louis Cardinals have defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 to win the first game of Major League Baseball's World Series on an unseasonably cold evening in the of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Cardinals benefitted from a quality start by Chris Carpenter and solid relief pitching to take the first game in the best-of-seven championship series.

Outfielder Lance Berkman put the Cardinals on the board first with a single that scored two runners in the fourth inning. But the Rangers tied the game in the fifth inning on a home run by catcher Mike Napoli.

St. Louis scored the final go-ahead run in the sixth inning when pinch-hitter Allen Craig dropped a single just out of the reach of Rangers leftfielder Nelson Cruz.

Game two will be played in St. Louis on Thursday. The series will then move to Texas on Saturday.

Before the game, U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Jill, joined wounded Iraq War veteran Lance Corporal James Sperry on the pitching mound for pre-game festivities.