ST. LOUIS — It was a day of both nostalgia and winning baseball for the Cardinals on Thursday's opening day at Busch Stadium.
Of course the Clydesdales and hall of famers made their pregame appearances, but there was another special surprise before the first pitch.
The Cardinals played a video narrated by St. Louis native actor Jon Hamm to honor Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. Pujols and Molina have said 2022 will be their finals years in the Majors. Wainwright, the opening day starter, has not committed to hanging it up after this season.
And then, there was the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which the Cardinals won 9-0.
Wainwright was dominant in six innings against the Pirates, allowing five hits, no runs, no walks and striking out six.
On offense, Tyler O'Neill provided the big hits. O'Neill had five RBIs on the day, including a 3-run shot in the second inning off Pirates starter JT Brubaker. O'Neill's five RBI are the most for him in a game in his career.
It was a quiet day for Pujols and Molina, other than their numerous ovations. The pair went a combined 0-9 on the day. Pujols did reach base on an error.
Other Cardinals standouts included Paul Goldschmidt, who went 1-1 with four walks. Tommy Edman hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot down the left-field line. Nolan Arenado launched a two-run home run of his own late in the game.
The Cardinals will continue their series with the Pirates on Saturday.