ST. LOUIS — Red October has begun, and the St. Louis Cardinals are less than 24 hours away from the start of the Wild Card series.
Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies starts at 1:07 p.m. sharp at Busch Stadium Friday.
Thousands of fans have tickets to the game and hundreds more will watch from bars and restaurants around the stadium.
"This is history. Pujols, Molina, Wainwright, it's history," Steve Graman, a lifelong fan, said. "So, I'm hoping for a World Series."
Anticipating an unforgettable finish, Graman mentioned he had been to 14 games so far, purchased tickets for all three Wild Card games and bought tickets for the National League Championship Series. He stood in line for the NLCS tickets on Thursday.
"The excitement has just been awesome, especially when Pujols and Molina get up to bat. Everybody cheers and stands up and it’s something I've never seen before," he said.
Longtime friends and baseball buddies Michelle Thomas and Carolyn Torrence got their tickets too and were confident the team will follow through.
"People are saying that we do not pit to win but I believe we've got it," Thomas said.
With another division title in hand, economic engine Greater St. Louis Inc. projects the weekend will surpass an already historic attendance of over 3.3 million people.
St. Police announced during a briefing this week that are prepared for the crowds.
”We'll have plenty of police presence in the downtown, downtown west area this weekend so everyone should feel pretty safe, and also we'll have officers at Ballpark Village,” Captain Pierre Benoice, commander for District 4, said.
Benoice also asked attendees to not bring their firearms or store them in their cars.
"Whether it be at Ballpark Village or at Busch Stadium or at the Enterprise Center with the Blues, that they just leave their weapons at home because the 'car clotters' they are going for one thing when they enter some of these parking lots and it's to steal guns," Benoice said.
According to Greater St. Louis Inc., the estimated economic impact total for the regular season is exceeding $334 million.
"We're ready for it. We've got our 700 shirts for Albert restocked, we've got 700 blankets coming in, we've got DJs coming in. It's going to be a fun weekend,” Ellis Brodsky, the store manager at Arch Apparel, said.
The store recently opened up its location in Ballpark Village and looks forward to the frenzy.
"It can be a night and day difference when the Cardinals are in town, so, I mean, amplifying that with the playoffs, I mean, it's just going to be madness down here," Brodksy said.
Tickets for the four potential NLCS games went on sale Thursday and start as low as $50.
If the Cardinals defeat the Phillies, they will play the Braves in the best-of five National League Division Series. For series tickets on sale now, click here.
For a full list of Wild Card series game times, click here.
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