Cardinals leadoff man Matt Carpenter walked up to the plate, shook hands with the umpire, greeted the Pittsburgh catcher and got comfortable in the batter’s box.
Just like that, fans everywhere settled in for a fresh new season.
“Opening day, for me, is sort of like Christmas,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the Toronto-Tampa Bay game. “It’s one of the most exciting days of the year.”
A World Series rematch in Kansas City and a meeting of NL playoff teams sweetened Sunday’s schedule.
It was 39 degrees at PNC Park when Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano threw the first pitch of the season. Hours earlier, the grounds crew cleared ice off the tarp after snow flurries fell.