Written and Media by John Dudley. [divide]
It’s April, the weather is getting warmer and baseball is back in St. Louis! The Cardinals had their home opener this past Monday, hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals got off to a rocky start this season, dropping their first three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They responded in their next series, however, returning to their typical winning ways by taking three straight games from the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals were ecstatic to return home to St. Louis and begin their first home games.
A home opener in St. Louis is like a holiday for Cardinals fans and there were plenty in attendance on Monday. There were 47,608 to be exact. The Cardinals wiped away any doubt with a 10-1 win over the Brewers. “What a day all
the way through,” Manager Mike Matheny said. “Everything that we needed.” This win came with some Cardinals history as well. The 19 hits the team had set an opening day record for the Cardinals, a mark that had stood for the last 42 years.
Starter Michael Wacha had a solid outing as well, and pitched a masterful game. After giving up back to back one-out singles in the first inning, he then delivered six scoreless innings with four hits and seven strikeouts to take the win. “Having that kind of run support out there, it’s unbelievable as a pitcher,” Wacha said. “You go out there and you can’t be really scared of making mistakes.”
The new kid on the block, rookie outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, started in left field and batted second. Hazelbaker went four for four on the day and dazzled with a diving catch in his first home opener. Hazelbaker’s fellow rookie Aledmys Diaz also impressed, going three for four on the day. Cardinals fans can’t forget about the
veterans like Matt Carpenter and Yadier Molina, who continued to prove their worth as both had multi-hit games. It’s safe to say that the Cardinals are gaining confidence with each win as they fight to climb the ranks in the National League Central.
They are currently occupying the fourth spot in the rankings. Don’t expect them to stay there too long, as the Cardinals
have won the National League Central every year since 2013. So, Cardinals fans and St. Louisans expect the Cardinals to be in the hunt for another championship year in and year out! Below is an interview with Greenville College student-athlete Devin Mayfield about the Cardinals as well as the Greenville College Panthers Baseball team.
