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Photos: Busch Stadium turns into a sea of red for St. Louis Cardinals' Opening Day 4%
By Brian Munoz0% Jeremy D. Goodwin0%
3/26/2026, 10:13:08 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Confirmation Bias, Anecdotal, and Hasty Generalization, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 7.6% saturation with 71 hits. Analysis detected 485 faulty-reasoning hits from 936 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 17.5% and a BS Rank of 4% (16,242 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 96.60% of the article peer group.
Thursday was Opening Day at Busch Stadium, and the St.
Louis Cardinals have different expectations than in many past years.
The club's focus is more on developing young talent than fighting for a playoff spot.
The Cardinals started the season last year with second-year ace Sonny Gray on the mound.
With Gray and other veterans gone following offseason trades, fans will see younger players fighting to form the core of the next great Cardinals team.
That suits Mike Pelz just fine.
He’s a lifelong fan who drove from Asheville, North Carolina, for his first opening day.
“I know that the 25 players out there and the coaching staff are gonna give 100%," he said.
"Every one of those players that are in the Hall of Fame is a young player one time.
Let’s see what they can do.”
That’s the attitude team owners hope will boost ticket sales this year after three seasons with declining attendance.
Jo Ann Howard attended her second Opening Day and said it feels different than any other game.
"Just the excitement of a new season, the hopes of a new season," she said.
"Just the atmosphere, the excitement, seeing the Clydesdales, seeing the players come out on the field.
It’s always a different vibe for Opening Day.”
This year's Opening Day saw at least one record broken.
The highest temperature for the first pitch of a full season had been 73 degrees in 1999.
At gametime this year, it was 91 degrees.
And for one day at least, the rebuild paid immediate dividends as St.
Louis rallied from a 7-1 deficit to ultimately topple the Tampa Bay Rays, 9-7, with rookie Cardinal JJ Wetherholt slamming his first major league home run.
Wanda Love cheers during MLB Opening Day festivities at Ballpark Village on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in downtown St.
Louis.
Chiquita Mewman, of Northwoods, shows off her St.
Louis Cardinals-themed nails during MLB Opening Day festivities on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
St.
Louis Cardinals fans take photos in front of a giant replica of the World Series trophy during MLB Opening Day festivities on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
Khy’li Lambert, 4, has her photo made at a replica of the World Series trophy during MLB Opening Day festivities on Thursday.
Diane Miller, of Ste.
Genevieve, left, raises her arms during MLB Opening Day festivities at Ballpark Village.
Trevor McCullough, of St.
Ann, scarfs down a hot dog before the St.
Louis Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Rays for MLB Opening Day on Thursday.
Maxwell Bulte-Trail, the St.
Louis Cardinals’ 5 1/2-month-old fan, celebrates his first MLB Opening Day before the Birds take on the Tampa Bay Rays.
Elijah Walljasper, center, and his wife Elizabeth Walljasper, both of Canton, Ill., look at the Clydesdales during MLB Opening Day festivities outside of Busch Stadium on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
Anheuser Busch staff prepare the Clydesdales before their appearance at the St.
Louis Cardinals’ MLB Opening Day festivities.
Mickey McPherson, of Swansea, left, raises her arms during MLB Opening Day festivities at Ballpark Village on Thursday.
Ike Watson, of Burlington, Ia., sports a St.
Louis Cardinals bow tie during MLB Opening Day festivities on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
Watson and his wife used to live in Rolla before moving to Iowa, but has not missed an Opening Day since.
Fans crowd into Busch Stadium’s right field entrance before the St.
Louis Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
The Budweiser Clydesdales trot to “Here Comes the King” before the St.
Louis Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
The American flag flies during the National Anthem as the St.
Louis Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Rays.
St.
Louis Cardinals’ infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) high-fives teammates as he’s introduced before taking on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day on Thursday.
A St.
Louis Cardinals fan looks towards the Gateway Arch as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
St.
Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II (#11) watches as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium on Thursday.
St.
Louis Cardinals fans watch the team from the One Cardinal Way apartment complex as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day.
Tampa Bay Rays players watch the team take on the St.
Louis Cardinals during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Nick Fortes (#40) watches as the team takes on the St.
Louis Cardinals during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium on Thursday.
A St.
Louis Cardinals fan writes down the starting lineup as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays.
St.
Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (#32) launches the ball as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays.
St.
Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera (#48) slides past Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero (#13) and into third base during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
Lisa Schrock, of Kirkwood, right, and Marcy Rodriguez, second from right, cheer as the St.
Louis Cardinals are introduced before taking on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium.
Thousands of fans watch as the St.
Louis Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Rays during MLB Opening Day at Busch Stadium on Thursday in downtown St.
Louis.
Analysis
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