Arenado’s late HR lifts Cards over Brewers in home debut
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning of his home debut with the Cardinals, lifting St. Louis over the Milwaukee Brewers 3- 1 Thursday as fans returned to Busch Stadium for the first time since 2019.
Arenado, a five-time AllStar acquired from Colorado on Feb. 1 after eight seasons with the Rockies, followed a walk to Austin Dean with the score 1-1. Arenado turned on a first pitch 96.6 mph offering from Drew Rasmussen (01) and sent the ball 373 feet to left for his second homer this season.
Arenado pointed to the St. Louis dugout just before rounding first and screamed as he helped the Cardinals to their fourth straight win, setting off cheers from a crowd limited by coronavirus protocols to 13,328.
“Baseball is a magical game and it was magical today,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said. “The story created itself. What an amazing moment for a guy who loves to play the game. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Arenado took his first curtain call after the homer, stepping out of the dugout to the delight of the crowd.
“It doesn’t feel very real right now,” Arenado said. “It will sink in. It’s unbelievable.”
Arenado’s only struggle came early in the day when he found it hard to navigate the bowels of his new stadium. He struggled to find the home dressing room. “Got lost,” he said.
St. Louis starting pitcher Adam Wainwright said his new teammate wrote the perfect ending.
“I don’t know how much better a man can be at baseball,” Wainwright said. “Everything he brings to the table is exactly what we need.”
Wainwright started his sixth home opener, tying the franchise record set by the late Bob Gibson. The Cardinals wore patches with No. 45 on their left sleeves in honor of Gibson, the Hall of Famer who died Oct. 2.