In a game that lived up to the hype, the Cardinals opened their season on Sunday night by beating the Cubs via a two-out walk-off single by OF Randal Grichuk. In the top half of the 9th, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras tied the game at 3 with a dramatic three-run homer. After the game, Cardinals players didn't downplay the significance of beating their biggest rival (from Derrick Goold's game recap):
- Grichuk: "Not making the playoffs last year, seeing them win it all put a little sour taste in our mouths. So it's good to get any 'W', on opening day against them, it's a little sweeter."
- Carlos Martinez: "I think we closed the gap, and I think we're better. The past is the past. Obviously, all the merit to them, but the past is the past. I think we can be just as good or better."
Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Giants' big offseason move was inking closer Mark Melancon to a four-year, $62 million deal. So far, so bad. Melancon came into the game against the Diamondbacks yesterday with a 5-4 lead (in part due to Madison Bumgarner's two homers). After striking out Brandon Drury and getting David Peralta to ground out, Melancon gave up four straight hits to blow his first save opportunity in 2017.
Today's lineup of games features 12 Opening Day games, with the six teams that played yesterday (Rays, Yankees, Giants, D-Backs, Cubs, Cardinals) getting an off day. If you're looking for a game to watch, tune in to ESPN at 6 PM CT to watch Cy Young candidates Corey Kluber and Yu Darvish battle down in Texas.