St. Louis Cardinals 2016 Opening Day: Let’s Celebrate

Opening Day is an unofficial holiday in St. Louis. It’s a time for fans to welcome back the 2015 National League Champions and celebrate both the 10^th anniversary of Busch Stadium III and the 2006 World Series Championship team. The majestic Budweiser Clydesdales march around the stadium to their own theme song. Fredbird and past Cardinals circle the stadium, taking their places as the heroes and goodwill ambassadors of the city. Hall of Famer Lou Brock will throw out the first pitch at this year’s game. Fans play hooky from work and school just to cheer on their favorite team as they pull out all the stops to get a mention on the evening news. And bosses (at least those native to St. Louis) don’t mind at all to see they were gipped for a day. Tristate employers aren’t so forgiving, so don’t use me an excuse to skip work on Monday. But you can join me in tuning in to the game on ESPN Evansville 105.3 FM.

In a rough start for the season, the Cardinals dropped their first series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, which has a stellar pitching staff and strong bats this year. Tommy Pham was added to the 15 day DL on Monday, with a strained left oblique. He joins the ranks of Jordan Walden, Brayan Peña, and Rubén Tejada who are also on the 15 day DL and Lance Lynn, who is on the 60 day DL. On Wednesday, RF Stephen Piscotty threw a rocket to Yadier Molina to tag out Andrew McCutchen. Jhonny Peralta and Mitch Harris should come off the Disabled List this week.

Through Sunday, the Redbirds are playing a 3-game series against the Braves (0-2), who are rebuilding ahead of a new, suburban stadium expected to open in 2017. Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers (1-2) for the Cards’ home opener. They will close out the week with a 3-game series against the Reds (3-0).

Upcoming Games

Game times and pitchers are subject to change. Go to stlcardinals.com for the most up-to-date schedule and information.

NL Central Standings

105.3 WJLT ESPN Evansville only airs games via radio broadcast. Online listening can be found at mlb.com.