ST. LOUIS — Carlos Beltran kept protesting that he’s just one player.

Albeit a pretty special one in October.

“Understand this is not about me,” Beltran said. “In order for a team to win a ballgame, a lot of things need to happen right, the right way. We have to pitch, we have to play defense, and we have to come through offensively.”

Beltran had the last two covered like a blanket in Game 1 of the NL championship series Friday night, giving the St. Louis Cardinals his latest scintillating postseason performance in a 13-inning, 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Carlos, he’s a tough out for us,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Beltran hit a tying, two-run double in the third inning. Then he took charge on defense, calling center fielder Jon Jay off the ball before throwing out a runner at the plate from shallow right field in the 10th to keep it even.

“I felt I was going to have a better angle so I called for the ball about five or six times,” Beltran said. “And Jon Jay was able to hear me and leave it up to me.”

Well past midnight at Busch Stadium, Beltran singled into the right-field corner with one out against Kenley Jansen in the 13th to finish a game that took 4 hours, 47 minutes.

“I tip my hat to Carlos Beltran, he’s a pro,” Jansen said. “It’s my job to get these guys out. I was comfortable with the situation.”

Neither team had much time to exhale before Game 2 Saturday afternoon, scheduled to start 14 1-2 hours after Daniel Descalso crossed the plate. It features a marquee pitching matchup — major league ERA leader Clayton Kershaw vs. Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha, who’s flirted with no-hitters his last two starts.

Beltran has 16 home runs, 12 doubles and 34 RBIs in 40 career postseason games, and is hitting .345. He’s also scored 42 runs and stolen 11 bases while with the Astros, Mets and Cardinals.

The eight-time All-Star is hoping this year ends with his first trip to the World Series.

“Just fun to watch him do his thing, whether it’s offensively, the big throw he made defensively,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

It was the longest postseason game for the Dodgers since the 1916 World Series, when Babe Ruth pitched all 14 innings to lead the Boston Red Sox past Brooklyn.

This one also tied for the longest series opener in postseason history, according to STATS. Boston and Cleveland played 13 innings in their 1995 AL division series, with the Indians winning 5-4.

“You work so hard in the offseason, spring training and regular season to get to this point and we’re fortunate to be here,” Beltran said.

“That’s a preview. Today was a good game and that’s what it’s all about. They didn’t want to lose and we didn’t want to lose,” he said.