photo: Victor Scott II (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals opened their 2025 season with a home sweep over the Minnesota Twins. Victor Scott has three stolen bases in three games. Our history feature lists notable team Opening Day factoids from the past and present.
Spring game recap
Monday, March 24, 2025 – Cardinals 3 at Redbirds 2
The St. Louis Cardinals visited their Triple-A Memphis affiliate for an exhibition game on Monday. The Cardinals won the game 3-2. Andre Pallante started and pitched four innings. The right hander gave up two runs on six hits, struck out one and walked three.
Pallante was followed on the mound by JoJo Romero, John King, Phil Maton, Chris Roycroft, and Kyle Leahy.
Late arriving fans to AutoZone Park may have been disappointed, as all the game’s runs came in the first inning. In the top of the frame, Nolan Arenado hit a three-run home run off Memphis starter and losing pitcher Ian Bedell.
The Redbirds scored two runs in the home half. Matt Koperniak and Thomas Saggese singled. Jimmy Crooks drove in Koperniak on a single. Saggese came home on a ground out by Michael Helman.
St. Louis posted 12 hits. Lars Nootbaar was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Nathan Church was 2-for-2. Victor Scott was 2-for-3. Arenado had three RBI.
Masyn Winn and Mike Antico each stole a base. Alec Burleson was caught stealing.
Memphis had eight hits with Helman’s double the only one to go for extra bases.
Regular season game recaps
Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Cardinals 5, Twins 3
The Cardinals defeated the Twins on Opening Day in Busch Stadium on Thursday. Sonny Gray started. The right hander pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, fanned six and walked two to earn the win.
Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning of relief. John King followed with 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Chris Roycroft, Phil Maton, and Ryan Helsley each tossed a scoreless frame. Helsley earned his first save.
After a lengthy rain delay, the game began with the Cardinals taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and advanced to second on a balk. He came home on Brendan Donovan’s single.
In the second, St. Louis increased the lead to 3-0. Jordan Walker singled and went to second on an error. Nootbaar thumped a two-run home run to right field.
The score increased to 4-0 in the third. Donovan and Nolan Arenado singled. Arenado was eliminated on a double play by Alec Burleson, Donovan advanced to second. Iván Herrera singled to plate Donovan.
The Twins got on the board with two runs in the fifth and added a run in the sixth to shrink St. Louis’ lead to 4-3.
In the eighth, the Cardinals made it 5-3 on a solo home run by Arenado.
The offense scored five runs on 10 hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Jordan Walker was caught stealing.
Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Cardinals 5, Twins 1
The Cardinals beat the Twins in the second game of the series on Saturday behind good pitching and some small-ball offense.
Erick Fedde was on the bump for St. Louis. The right hander pitched six innings, gave up one run on two hits and struck out two. Fedde received the win, his first.
Ryan Fernandez, JoJo Romero and Phil Maton each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and later scored on a single by Nolan Arenado.
The Twins tied the game in the second inning. The score remained knotted until the Cardinals put up three runs in the sixth. Arenado doubled. Alec Burleson drew a walk. Arenado scored on a single by Iván Herrera. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Lars Nootbaar singled Burleson and Herrera home.
St. Louis posted the fifth and final run in the eighth. Victor Scott singled and stole second base. Masyn Winn and Nootbaar walked. Brendan Donovan plated Scott on a sac fly.
The Cardinals scored five runs on 10 hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Herrera was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Scott was 2-for-4.
Scott stole two bases. Walker was picked off and caught stealing. On defense, Fedde made a throwing error.
Sunday, March 30, 2025 – Cardinals 9, Twins 2
The Cardinals completed the three-game home sweep of the Twins on Sunday with a 9-2 victory. Andre Pallante started. The right hander threw five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, fanned three and walked two to earn the win.
Steven Matz followed Pallante in long relief after a rain delay. Matz pitched four scoreless innings to earn the save.
The Twins took the lead with one run in the first. The Cardinals responded with three runs in second. Nolan Gorman singled. Pedro Pagés hit a ground rule double. Victor Scott followed with a three-run home run to right center field.
St. Louis took control with a five-run third inning. Brendan Donovan singled. Nolan Arenado doubled. Alec Burleson plated Donovan and Arenado on a double. Gorman singled. Pages blasted a three-run home run to left center field.
Minnesota scored their second run in the fourth. The Cardinals added a ninth run in the seventh on a solo home run by Gorman.
St. Louis scored nine runs on 10 hits. Pagés was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Gorman was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Scott had three RBI. Burleson drove in two.
Scott stole his third base in three games.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals began the regular season with a sweep of the Twins to end the short week with a 3-0 record. They finished the spring training schedule at the beginning of the week with a win over the Memphis Redbirds to complete the week with four wins, though only three of them counted.
The Cardinals currently sit in first place in the NL Central, with the Reds sitting two games back in second place. The Brewers were swept over the weekend by the Yankees and are in last place.
The offense over the three-game series performed well. The top performers by OPS are Pedro Pagés (2.500), Nolan Gorman (2.250), Iván Herrera (1.482), Nolan Arenado (1.447), Lars Nootbaar (1.271), and Jordan Walker (1.025).
At the bottom is Michael Siani (.000), Willson Contreras (.000) and Masyn Winn (.182). It is too early to make any judgments of course, though Winn’s offensive struggles began in spring training and continued through the first series of the regular season.
The pitching also performed well. No starter had an ERA above 4.00. The three starter ERAs were Erick Fedde (1.50), Sonny Gray (3.60) and Andre Pallante (3.60).
In the bullpen, only Kyle Leahy had a hiccup (13.50). Steven Matz had his first appearance in long relief and was excellent.
The defense was good and the baserunning was acceptable. Lars Nootbaar had a blunder that was saved by a precipitous balk call. Jordan Walker was caught stealing. Victor Scott has already stolen three bases.
The coming week begins with a series against the Angels. The team then travels to Boston for a weekend series.
NL Central Standings
Team W L Pct GB
|
St. Louis |
3 |
0 |
1.000 |
—— |
|
Cincinnati |
1 |
2 |
.333 |
2 |
|
Chicago |
2 |
4 |
.333 |
2.5 |
|
Pittsburgh |
1 |
3 |
.250 |
2.5 |
|
Milwaukee |
0 |
3 |
.000 |
3 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 3/24 The Cardinals placed LHP Zack Thompson on the 15-day injured list. Left shoulder strain.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left shoulder strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24. Thompson was shut down in early March with a Grade 1 lat strain and was scheduled to be out for 3 to 4 weeks, however, a specific return date is to be determined.
Looking Ahead
Following the Twins series, the team remains in St. Louis to play the Angels in a three-game set beginning Monday, March 31. Miles Mikolas is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by Matthew Liberatore on Tuesday, and Sonny Gray on Wednesday.
After a Thursday off day, the Cardinals begin their first road trip of the season in Boston. They play the Red Sox in a three-game weekend series. The team follows the Boston series with three against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
After a travel day on Thursday, April 10, the Cardinals return to St. Louis to play the Phillies in a weekend series at Busch Stadium.
Blast from the Past
The 2025 season has begun, with Opening Day on March 27. It was the earliest Opening Day in St. Louis Cardinals franchise history. The Cardinals swept the Twins in a three-game series to begin the season. The last time the Cardinals started the season 3-0 was in 2006.
This week’s Blast from the Past focuses on other Opening Day trivia. The franchise marks its beginning in the year 1882. The following is a list of selected facts concerning Opening Day since the franchise began.
- The very first Opening Day was on May 2, 1882. The Cardinals played the Louisville Eclipse at Sportsman’s Park. The Cardinals won the game 9-7. The starting pitcher was Jumbo McGinnis.
- Since 1882, the Cardinals have had an Opening Day record of 78 wins, 65 losses, and 1 tie. The tie occurred on April 8, 1891, a 7-7 standoff with the Cincinnati Kelly Killers.
- The Cardinals have played 69 Opening Day games at their home park.
- Including the start of Sonny Gray on March 27, 2025, the Cardinals have used 76 different starting pitchers on Opening Day in the history of the franchise.
Bob Gibson (AP photo) - The Cardinals pitcher who has pitched the most Opening Days is Bob Gibson, with 10 Opening Day starts.
- After Gibson, the pitchers with the next most Opening Day starts are Adam Wainwright (6), Chris Carpenter (5) and Dizzy Dean (5).
- The most runs scored by the Cardinals in an Opening Day game were 14 against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 11, 1928.
- The most runs scored by an opponent against the Cardinals in an Opening Day game were also 14, scored by the Chicago Cubs on April 12, 1892.
- While the March 27, 2025 Opening Day is the earliest in franchise history, the latest Opening Day in franchise history should come as no surprise. It was July 24, 2020, due to the late and shortened season caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Of the 144 Opening Days, 14 were shutout wins by the Cardinals, and four were shutout losses.
The Cardinals played the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day 32 times. They faced the Chicago Colts and the Chicago Orphans two times each. The Colts and the Orphans were the precursor teams to the Cubs.- The Cardinals played the Pittsburgh Pirates 35 times on Opening Day. They took on the Pirates precursor team, the Alleghenys, twice.
- The Cardinals have only faced the following National League teams once on Opening Day: Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta Braves. They also only played the Houston Astros once when they were in the National League. They have never taken on the Washington Nationals to open a season.
- Since the beginning of interleague play in 1997, the Cardinals have played only two American League teams on Opening Day, the Toronto Blue Jays and 2025’s opponent, the Minnesota Twins.
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