The St. Louis Cardinals have shared a detailed schedule of what Opening Day will look like on Thursday. It will start with a pep rally starting late morning and won’t conclude until the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays kick off the 2026 season in the afternoon.
Here’s the Opening Day schedule for the St. Louis Cardinals:
10:30am – 1pm – Pep Rally at the Busch II Infield at Ballpark Village
12 noon – Gates open at Busch Stadium
12 noon – 12:55pm – Cardinals batting practice
12:55pm – 1:50pm – Rays batting practice
2:30pm – Pregame ceremonies including the Budweiser Clydesdales
2:37pm – St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famers motorcade
2:49pm – St. Louis Cardinals 2026 team motorcade featuring players, manager and coaches
3:05pm – National Anthem
3:10pm – Ceremonial First Pitch by 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein, 2006 World Series Champion Gary Bennett, and 1996 National League Central Champions Brian Jordan & Tom Pagnozzi
3:15pm – First pitch of the 2026 season
Here are some other important things to note. The St. Louis Cardinals said that the following Hall of Fame players are expected to participate on Thursday includes Tony La Russa, Scott Rolen, Ted Simmons, Ozzie Smith,Vince Coleman, Al Hrabosky, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire, Édgar Renteria, & John Tudor. In total, the Cardinals expect 40 alumni to be a part of Opening Day.
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