Ladies & Gentlemen it’s finally here. Opening Day in St. Louis is a day like no other. The fountains are red, the clydesdales will be making their glorious trot around the field, the Hall of Famers will be donning their red jackets, and the city of St. Louis will welcome their favorite boys of summer home again. Opening Day is big across the country – I get it. However there truly is nothing like the scene of the players motorcade going around the field, while Dwayne Hilton (shout out to Ernie Hays) plays “Here Comes the King”. Opening Day in St. Louis is normally earmarked by ½ the city as a sick day. Even though only 14k people will be in attendance – Cardinal Nation will be glued to their tv’s to see one of the best Opening Days in all of baseball.
Adam Wainwright gets the nod for the 4-2 Cardinals who are coming off of a sweep of the Miami Marlins. Being able to see Adam Wainwright throw to Yadier Molina is enough of a reason to make today special, however having fans back in the stands for the first time in more than a year makes today simply magnificent! Today’s game will mark the 276th time Adam Wainwright started with Yadier Molina behind the plate – less than 10 starts away from moving into 4th place all time of starting pitcher/catcher appearances.
The Cardinals hope home cooking helps heat up their bats. For the season the Cardinals are batting an abysmal .206 as a team and are 4th in the National League in strikeouts. The Cardinals aren’t hitting, but it all starts with putting the ball in play. The Cards do rank 4th in the NL in home runs, so hopefully they’ll continue flexing their power vs Milwaukee.
The Cardinals bullpen has been great, however their starting pitching has left a lot to be desired. The rotation only got 1 win their first time through with Daniel Ponce de Leon picking up the victory (Jack Flaherty was the winner yesterday while making his second start). Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez both exploded in one inning, but hopefully will pitch better under the shadow of the Arch.
Enjoy one of the best days in St. Louis – Opening Day!