What a fun weekend at Busch Stadium to begin the start of the 2023 baseball season. Sunday afternoon’s, 9-4, win really put the exclamation point on it!
This game showed how lethal this lineup can be from top to bottom right out the gate. Jordan Montgomery would deliver a quick 1-2-3, 10-pitch, inning to begin his afternoon before letting his lineup go to work.
Puck Knob Donnie got the action started with a bang, taking the first pitch changeup from Bassitt to the Cardinals bullpen for his 2nd HR of the season, his first career leadoff HR. Alec Burly Burleson added to the fun, taking a high and outside fastball from Bassitt the opposite way for a wall scraping HR to go back-to-back with Donnie.
They weren’t done there, as Norm added a 2-run shot himself after a Contreras two-out single, sending it to the freaking moon (446 feet!!!!).
The Jays would fight back to put three on the board in the 2nd to cut the Cards lead to 4-3, as Chapman delivered an rbi double, Merrifield sac-fly, and Jansen rbi single.
Monty settled in the rest of the afternoon, tossing three more scoreless frames, while striking out three over that stretch.
After a 1-2-3, 7-pitch, 2nd inning for Bassitt, the bats came alive again for the 3rd. Burly got things started with the easiest double he will have in his professional career. After Goldy moved him over to 3B on a fly out, Nado would drive him in with a single to LF with the infield playing in to make it a 5-3 game.
Norm put his mark on the game next, blasting his second 2-run HR of the afternoon, this one to the Cards pen for his second career multi-HR game (06/21/22 vs MIL).
Burly would go on to add another double, collecting just his second career 3+ xbh game in his professional career (05/22/22 @ Gwinnett).
Dylan Carlson would add three hits himself, his first three-hit game since 08/16/22 vs COL.
Stratton (1.2IP) and Sir Packster Naughton (2.1IP) would tag-team the final four frames to secure the Opening Series victory.
The Cardinals welcome the Braves into town tomorrow evening, as Charlie Morton gets the start vs Jake Woodford. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm c/t.
Cheers, Stew
Comments