Thursday marks the opening of another season of Major League Baseball, and for the Cardinals, the season begins in front of the home fans of St. Louis. The Redbirds start the year with an interleague series as they meet the Toronto Blue Jays.
St. Louis is coming off a season in which they claimed another National League Central Division title, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was named the league’s most valuable player. Their postseason run was short as they were swept in the Wild Card round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season also marked the end of the careers for two future Hall-of-Famers, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
This year’s roster has some notable new faces. With Molina’s departure, Willson Contreras was signed by the Cardinals in December to be their new catcher after he had spent the previous seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
The Redbirds also announced in a press release on Wednesday one of last year’s top prospects will be added to the 40-man roster. St. Louis selected the contract of rookie outfielder Jordan Walker. To make room for Walker, left-handed pitcher Anthony Misiewicz has been designated for assignment.
Toronto is also coming off a year in which they made the postseason. The Blue Jays were swept out of the American League Wild Card round by the Seattle Mariners.
Miles Mikolas will be the starting pitcher for the Cardinals to begin the campaign, and Toronto will go with Alek Manoah. The first pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled for 3:15. Thursday’s game can be heard on KTLO-AM. The broadcast begins at 1:35 with Ameren Total Access.
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