The last time the Cardinals played a game at Busch Stadium, rookie Oscar Taveras hit a game-tying, pinch-hit homer in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Giants.
Two weeks later, Taveras was killed in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic.
On Monday, the Cardinals opened the home portion of their schedule against the Brewers, and it was as emotionally charged a home opener as you’ll ever see, as the team aired a tribute to Taveras before the game.
“I got teary-eyed watching that,” reliever Randy Choate, a former Yankee, told USA Today Sports. “It was like when I first heard the news. I just broke down. It wasn’t like we were that close or anything, but he was a teammate.
“You remember him hitting a homer in his first at-bat. You remember that homer against the Giants. You remember everything about him. I mean, he was just 22. He was a kid.”
Adam Wainwright, who started the game, was similarly moved by the tribute.
“It’s as choked up as I’ve ever been on a baseball field,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to do that. It’s like it doesn’t seem real until it is.”
Each Cardinals player will wear a patch commemorating Taveras, which will say “OT 18.”
“He was taken away from us way too soon,” first baseman Matt Adams said. “Now, we have to deal with it. We have to move on. I think this team will do something special this year and dedicate this season to him.”
According to investigators, Taveras had been drinking, as his alcohol content was five times above the legal limit.