Missouri news

Photos: St. Louis Cardinals fans turn downtown into 'a sea of red' on Opening Day

St. Louis Public Radio | By Brian Munoz

Published March 31, 2023 at 5:41 AM CDT

Wanda Love, of north St. Louis, throws her arms up in jubilation as red and white confetti rains down on St. Louis Cardinals fans on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day celebrations outside of Busch Stadium.

Tens of thousands of Cardinals fans flocked to Busch Stadium on Thursday to celebrate the return of baseball in an afternoon matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

A sea of red flooded downtown for the St. Louis Cardinals' Opening Day matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

St. Louis is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs last season. The team starts its fresh campaign with a lineup that includes a 20-year-old rookie, new rules to speed up the game and high hopes among fans across Cardinals Nation.

Janet Daniels has been to every Opening Day since 1958, having called it her “holy day of obligation.” The first for the 85-year-old was alongside her late husband Dan, where the Cardinals played against the Chicago Cubs.

“It was a passion for my husband and that's how it all started because he's the one that loved baseball," she said, adding she’s kept up the tradition alongside her son Stephen after his passing. “It just becomes a thrill each year, it's just something I really look forward to.”

In addition to 66 consecutive Opening Days at Busch Stadium, Daniels said she’s been to 25 of the 30 Major League ballparks but hopes to finish visiting the rest soon.

Ronnie Davis, 31, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, has been a lifelong fan but had never made the trek to Busch Stadium. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have a baseball team in D.C.,” he said. “When I was in elementary school is when [Mark] McGuire was just crushing home runs, and I just got super into the Cardinals and just stuck with it ever since.”

Fredbird takes a selfie with Dylan Rambler, 26, of Washington D.C., and Ronnie Davis, 31, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day celebrations at Busch Stadium.

Little did Davis know, his wife and family were planning to surprise him with a getaway to celebrate Opening Day in St. Louis alongside his best friend, Dylan Rambler, 26, of Washington, D.C.

“Being here being around the other fans is just, it's breathtaking,” Davis said. “I would go to PNC Park often to see the Cardinals, and I always thought that that ballpark was amazing, but this atmosphere here just like blows that out of the water.”

Crystal Bailey, 63, of north St. Louis, said Opening Day marks a new chapter of the year that's filled with baseball and warmer weather. "It just brings everybody together, and you just get to see a sea of red," the longtime former usher at Busch Stadium said while standing alongside her sister, Drena Ross. "That means summer is coming."

Ross, who is also experiencing her first Opening Day at Busch Stadium, said she was astounded at the friendliness of everyone at the stadium. "It's so upbeat," she said. I mean, you see everybody from every walk of life. You see them in their Cardinals gear, [and] the red is my favorite color. I love it."

Buffie Phillips, 59, of south St. Louis, shared similar sentiments on the atmosphere.

“I mean, you can feel the electricity in the city that everybody is here to support our home team,” she said, adding that she decided several months ago to take the day off from her job as a mortician in order to celebrate Opening Day. "The day is great. This is something that we live for."

See photos from this year's Opening Day below:

Wayne Pratt contributed to this report.

Baseball fans walk past the World Series trophy on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day celebrations outside of Ballpark Village.

Brandon Matthews, 34, of Belleville, belts out a line from the song “Great Balls of Fire” on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day celebrations outside of Busch Stadium.

Barb Slattery, 76, of St. Charles, winds up a pitch clocking in at 28 miles per hour on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day festivities at Kiener Plaza.

Debbie Green, 65, of Oakville, celebrates her birthday on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day celebrations outside of Busch Stadium.

Fans walk by the Stan Musial statue in front of Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 30, 2023, before the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Toronto Blue Jays in downtown St. Louis.

The Toronto Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals line up for the National Anthem on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day at Busch Stadium.

The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales trot through Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 30, 2023, before the Toronto Blue Jays take on the St. Louis Cardinals during Opening Day.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith waves to the crowd on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day pregame festivities at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright (#50) puts his arm on Jordan Montgomery’s (#47) shoulder after singing the National Anthem on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas (#39) launches the ball on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during the team’s Opening Day matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (#18) stands in the outfield on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during the team’s Opening Day matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium. Walker is the Cardinals’ youngest position player to make his Major League debut since 1981.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras (#40) applauds next to First Base Coach Stubby Clapp (#82) after reaching first base while under pressure from Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr (27) on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar (#21) runs to home base from third on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during the team’s matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day in Busch Stadium.

Fans watch the Toronto Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals play on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (#18) stands by Tyler O'Neill (#27) and Lars Nootbaar (#21) on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during the team’s Opening Day matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr (27) prays before the team’s Opening Day matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Busch Stadium.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr (27) is called safe on second base on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during their Opening Day matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Blue Jays would later go on to win, 10-9.

The sun begins to set on fans watching the St. Louis Cardinals watch the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during Opening Day at Busch Stadium.