The St. Louis Cardinals (1-0) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) 9-7 on Thursday afternoon in St. Louis to win the first game of the 2026 regular season.
Tied 1-1 after five innings, the Rays put together a six-run sixth inning to build a 7-1 lead. However, the Cardinals answered in the bottom of the sixth with an eight run frame to take a 9-7 lead, which would prove to be the final score.
The Rays look to bounce back when they meet the Cardinals in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 2:15 PM - Chris Adams-Wall begins pregame coverage at 1:30 PM on 95.7 WDAE & AM 620, your Home of Rays Baseball.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES