10 greatest Opening Day player performances in Cardinals franchise history

Opening Day in 2025 is less than one week away. This year, Sonny Gray and the Redbirds will hope to get the better of his last team, the Minnesota Twins. Established in 1882, the Cardinals are one of the oldest teams in baseball and carry a storied history behind them. In this article, we’ll be looking at the greatest Opening Day performances in franchise history since 1960.

10. Scott Cooper 1995

9. Bob Tewksbury 1993

8. Todd Stottlemyre 1998

7. Mark McGwire 1998

Opening Day in 1995 saw the St. Louis Cardinals get the better of Curt Schilling and the Philadelphia Phillies, as they won by a score of 7-6. In that game, Scott Cooper was 3-5 with three singles, four RBIs, and a run scored. Two of Baker’s RBIs came with two outs, helping propel the Redbirds to victory. Bob Tewksbury pitched a great game in the 1993 season opener but ultimately lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Giants by a score of 2-1. In this game, Tewksbury went eight innings, striking out four, and only allowed one run. In 1998 the Cardinals dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 6-0 shutout. Mark McGwire did most of the heavy lifting at the plate and went 2-4 with a double, a grand slam, and four runs batted in. On the mound, Todd Stottlemyre settled in quickly and threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, and striking out five.

6. Tyler O’Neill 2022

5. John Tudor 1986, John Denny 1979, Lynn McGlothen 1976

In the 2022 opener, Tyler O’Neill started the game off hot. In the first, O’Neill singled to drive in a run and then hit a three-run home run with two outs in the second inning. O’Neill finished the game 2-3 with five runs batted in, as he also walked and hit a sacrifice fly before the night was over. John Tudor and John Denny pitched nearly the same game in 1979 and 1986. Each pitcher pitched a complete game, giving up one run. The only main difference, albeit minuscule, was that Denny struck out two batters while Tudor struck out one. With that being said, John Tudor pitched in a much more competitive game, as the Cardinals went on to beat the Cubs 2-1. Lynn McGlothen also racked up similar numbers to Denny's and Tudor's in 1976. However, McGlothen kept his opponents off the board, as he pitched a nine-inning shutout, but only struck out two.

4. Carlos Martinez 2017

3. Pete Vuckovich 1980 and Ernie Broglio 1963

A big win versus the Cubs is always meaningful, especially on Opening Day. In 2017, Carlos Martinez dominated Chicago, pitching 7 ⅓ innings of shutout baseball while striking out ten. To put the icing on the cake, Randal Grichuk walked it off for the Redbirds in the ninth inning. Ernie Broglio also pitched a complete game shutout on Opening Day for the Cardinals, but he struck out many more batters than Lynn McGlothen. Broglio retired eight batters via strikeout and only surrendered two hits throughout the day. Pete Vuckovich mirrored Broglio’s 1963 performance as he also pitched a complete game shutout in 1980. En route to a 1-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Vuckovich struck out nine while surrendering just three hits.

2. Albert Pujols 2010

1. Bob Gibson 1967

Albert Pujols had a huge game on Opening Day against the Reds in 2010. Pujols went 4-5 with two home runs and three runs batted in. Cardinals Hall of Famer Scott Rolen had a home run for Cincinnati, but it was ultimately not enough, as Pujols led the Cardinals to a big 11-6 victory in Cincinnati. In 1967, Bob Gibson pitched one of the best games in Cardinals history. In that matchup versus the Giants, Gibson went toe to toe against Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. Gibson was able to outduel him, pitching a complete game shutout, surrendering just five hits, and striking out 13. Not to mention, Gibson had to face Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Willie Mays. The duo of Mays and McCovey combined for over 5,500 hits and 1,100 home runs for their careers. This dominance, in addition to the greatness of Gibson’s opponents, easily makes Bob Gibson’s performance against the Giants in 1967 the greatest Opening Day performance in Cardinals franchise history over the last 85 years.