Cardinals’ top 10 moments of 2026, No. 3: Alec Burleson brings back vintage Busch Stadium on Opening Day

There's something different about St. Louis when the Cardinals are thriving. Busch Stadium is rocking, the city is on fire, and it truly feels like "Baseball Heaven". Their tumble in the standings in recent years has caused that to fade, but for a moment on Opening Day, it felt real again.

Alec Burleson, in a moment that foreshadowed the career year he was about to have, stepped up to the plate with the game tied 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning on Opening Day, and absolutely launched a two-run homer to give the Cardinals the lead, and that blast checks in as the third-best moment of the 2026 season for the Cardinals in Dealin' the Cards podcast's breakdown of the 10 best moments of the year.

Alec Burleson showed that Busch Stadium can still rock when the Cardinals are finally back

It's no secret that Busch Stadium did not retain that level of attendance or total energy for the rest of the season, even when the club was firmly in possession of the first Wild Card during the summer.

The Tarps Off movement was certainly a step in that direction, bringing a really fun dynamic to the ballpark and did generate a lot of energy when it was firing on all cylinders. That section will be even more electric when Busch Stadium is at full capacity again, and maybe we'll see that on Opening Day in 2027!

The Cardinals really need Busch Stadium to get back to being one of the best environments in baseball to play in, both because of the atmosphere it creates and how it impacts the club's finances moving forward. Hopefully ownership recognizes it may require them being "aggressive" with their investments, trusting fans will show up to the stadium if the front office is putting the Major League club in legit playoff contention and ownership is backing it with finances.

Burleson's clutch home run was the beginning of his run at the MLB RBI leader title, which he was able to accomplish with 116 RBIs in 2026. Burleson took over as the Cardinals' first baseman after they traded Willson Contreras in the offseason, and he navigated that transition beautifully while driving in runs left and right at the plate.

Now Burleson has emerged as a potential extension candidate this offseason, something he's been very open about wanting to do and even get done before the coming MLB lockout over CBA negotiations.

Sure, the home run did not propel the Cardinals to October baseball, but it did set the tone for a really fun year ahead. While they finished in a really dissapointing way, do not forget how fun this team was for much of the year. They had a comeback gene in them that rose to the occasion frequently, and they played with youthful energy that was easy to root for. They also did the fundamentals well, making them even more endearing to baseball purists.

It's nice to know that Burleson is likely going to be a major part of this organization moving forward, and he'll get to fire some more baseballs into the bleachers in the future, hopefully in the postseason soon.

Busch Stadium will really be rocking

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