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.

Busch Stadium gates open: All fans, ages 21 and older, will receive a magnet featuring the 2026 Cardinals schedule, compliments of Budweiser. Ford Plaza will have Team Fredbird playing music and games until 2:20 p.m.

Another baseball season will begin this week. Here is what to watch for as action begins.

The Cincinnati Reds used to have the MLB Opening Day spotlight all to themselves. For much of the 20th century, the first team to play each season was the Reds. It was a tradition that took hold and never really went away.

The Cardinals are entering the 2026 season with low expectations, as the plan throughout the offseason was clear in building toward the future. It might not be a radical one, but this is one of the few rebuilds in the history of the storied organization.

We had a few Freep sports writers take a swing at the burning questions facing the Detroit Tigers ahead of the 2026 season.

Left-hander Tarik Skubal – the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner – is making his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Tigers.