Cardinals fans like to party on Opening Day
Opening Day is a national holiday in St. Louis and we know you will take at least part of the day off to either attend, watch or listen, or just go downtown to be in the sea of red.
Opening Day is March 30th vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium. The second to last day of March has been announced as the day on which the 2023 Major League Baseball will begin. It’s just the third time in history, the St Louis Cardinals have the honor of being involved in the season opener.
SCROLL DOWN FOR PEP RALLY INFORMATION
Forecasted Weather: Partly cloudy skies. High 67° F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Pregame Schedule
12:00 PM Gates Open- 2023 Cardinals Budweiser Magnet Schedule: All fans, ages 21, older
12:05 – 12:55 PM Cardinals batting practice (subject to change)
1:00 – 1:50 PM Blue Jays batting practice (subject to change)
2:25 PM: Pregame ceremonies; Budweiser Clydesdales, Fredbird & Team Fredbird, Chairman & CEO, Bill DeWitt Jr.; President, Bill DeWitt III; President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak. Tribute Video; Cardinals Hall of Famers via 2023 Ford Mustang convertibles; Recognition of 2022 N.L. Division Champs
2:50 PM Introduction of the St. Louis Cardinals via 2023 Ford F-150 truck motorcade. Introduction of the Toronto Blue Jays
3:00 PM Anthems: Canadian by violinist Abigail Stahlschmidt; U.S. performance with Ft. Leonard Wood Joint Service Color Guard
3:05 PM Ceremonial First Pitch by National Baseball Hall of Famer Scott Rolen to Cardinals Hall of Famer Matt Holliday
3:10 PM First Pitch by Cardinals Opening Day Starting Pitcher Miles Mikolas
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays @ Busch Stadium (4:10 p.m. ET/3:10 p.m. CT)
Miles Mikolas vs. Alek Manoah
- St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas will make his second career Opening Day start for the Cardinals following the 2019 assignment for St. Louis at Milwaukee. The two-time All-Star (2018, 2022) won 12 games in 2022 and set career-bests with 202.1 innings pitched and 153 strikeouts.
- Toronto’s Alek Manoah will take the mound for his first career Opening Day start for the Blue Jays. The 2022 AL All-Star finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting last season after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts across 196.2 innings pitched.
Opening Day Roster
The team’s 26-player active roster includes three first-time Cardinals (Willson Contreras, Tyler Motter and Jordan Walker), two rookies (Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker) and 15 players who were developed within the Cardinals organization.
Paul DeJong (10-day, back), Wilking Rodriguez (15-day, right shoulder) and Adam Wainwright (15-day, groin) will begin the season on the Injured List. They are all retroactive to March 27.
The following is the Cardinals 2023 Opening Day active roster and Injured List:
PITCHERS (13): Jack Flaherty-RHP, Giovanny Gallegos-RHP, Ryan Helsley-RHP, Jordan Hicks-RHP, Steven Matz-LHP, Miles Mikolas-RHP, Jordan Montgomery-LHP, Packy Naughton-LHP, Andre Pallante-RHP, Chris Stratton-RHP, Zack Thompson-LHP, Drew VerHagen-RHP, and Jake Woodford-RHP;
CATCHERS (2): Willson Contreras and Andrew Knizner;
INFIELDERS (6): Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman and Taylor Motter;
OUTFIELDERS (5): Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Walker;
INJURED LIST (3): Paul DeJong-INF, Wilking Rodríguez-RHP, Adam Wainwright-RHP.
We have assembled a list of pregame activities and also the schedule for that day. If you know of anything we missed, please let us know and we’ll add it.
PEP RALLIES
Cardinals Official Opening Day Pep Rally at Ballpark Village:
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Join Fredbird, Team Fredbird, DJ Todd Thomas, Cardinals organist Dwayne Hilton and Cardinals Alumni at the Busch II Infield Stage in the Together Credit Union Plaza for the Cardinals Opening Day Pep Rally. This event is free for all fans to attend and includes prizes and ticket giveaways to Opening Day and other 2023 games.
FOX 2 and KPLR 11 Opening Day Pep Rally
Join FOX 2, KPLR 11 and our partners, Y98 and 102.5 KEZK as we co-host a pre-game Opening Day Pep Rally on Thursday, March 30th before the Cardinals take on the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium at 3:10pm.
Between 10am – 2pm, come and meet FOX 2 and KPLR 11 personalities, plus fans will enjoy giveaways, food and fun for all fans on the biggest unofficial holiday in St. Louis!
- What: Opening Day Pep Rally
- When: Thursday, March 30th
- Time: 10am – 2pm
- Where: Kiener Plaza:
- Food, beverages, booths
- Fun for all
Opening Day Breakfast at Cardinals Nation with Y98
Join the “Wake Up with Bret and Julie” show on Y98. Breakfast is $23 per person from 8am to 10am. Enjoy special buffet menu. Add bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary for $15 Giveaways, prizes and chance to win to tickets to the game that day.For info CLICK HERE.
Television Coverage
Opening Day airs on Bally Sports Midwest and streams on the Bally Sports app. An extended edition of Cardinals Live pregame begins at 1:30 PM on Bally Sports Midwest and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies inside Busch Stadium.
Chip Caray and Brad Thompson will call the game, with Jim Hayes serving as reporter. Alexa Datt, Ricky Horton and Al Hrabosky will host pregame and postgame coverage from a special set inside Busch Stadium.
Radio Coverage
Fans can tune into KMOX 1120 AM, 98.7 FM, or one of the 147 stations in the Cardinals Radio Network to hear John Rooney, Ricky Horton and Mike Claiborne call the game. The Ameren Total Access Show starts at 1:35 PM and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies inside Busch Stadium.
Fans can tune in locally to WIJR 880 AM “La Tremenda”, or one of the six stations in the club’s new Cardinals Spanish Radio Network to hear Spanish broadcasters Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina call the game as well.
New On-Field Rules
Three new rules have been implemented for Major League Baseball’s 2023 championship season:
- Pitcher Timer: pitchers will have up to 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and up to 20 seconds between pitches with at least one runner on base
- Defensive Shift Restrictions: two infielders must be positioned on each side of second base and all four infielders must have both feet in the infield dirt when the pitcher begins his pitching motion
- Larger Bases: the size of first, second and third base have increased from a 15” square to an 18” square
For more details on the new on-field rules, visit cardinals.com/newrules.
Prohibited Items Policy
- In conjunction with a league-wide policy established by Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals reserve the right to inspect all items entering Busch Stadium.
- Guests may bring in items such as: bags, purses and soft-sided coolers not exceeding 10” x 8” x 10”; food, non-alcoholic beverages in factory-sealed plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters; empty cups, mugs or plastic bottles.
- Fans can visit cardinals.com/security for the complete stadium inspection policy and prohibited items list.
Redbird Express from St. Clair Square
According to Explore St. Louis, for the 2023 Cardinals season, Windstar Lines has reintroduced the Redbird Express – another easy way to get to the game. Starting on Opening Day, the $15 shuttle will transport baseball fans from St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights, Illinois, to the corner of South Broadway and Spruce Street, steps from Busch Stadium. The shuttle begins its route three hours prior to game time, departing every 15 minutes. Each ticket will reserve a seat for a specific departure time from St. Clair Square, and after the game, passengers will board on a first come, first served basis. Return service will begin at the top of the eighth inning and run continuously for two hours post-game.
Companies with Opening Day Specials:
Matress Firm:
Mattress Firm, the Official Sleep Wellness partner of Major League Baseball, Mattress Firm is making it easier for sports fans to get quality sleep. In honor of Opening Weekend, fans can come in-store to receive 20% off if the Cardinals win their home opener from 3/30 – 4/1. They just need to mention their team’s win to one of our Sleep Experts™ receive the discount. This offer may only be redeemed in-store through 4/9 and standard exclusions apply
