MEMPHIS, Tenn. (KMOX) – The 20th baseball season in AutoZone Park history began with a 6-3 win by the St. Louis Cardinals over the Memphis Redbirds in front of a sellout crowd of 10,442 Monday night during a "Battle of the Birds" exhibition game.
And the night was full of interesting moments, one being Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright starting against his St. Louis teammates. The most anticipated matchup came in the second inning, when catcher Yadier Molina – Waino's teammate of 13 years – stepped up to the plate.
Related: Here's the projected St. Louis Cardinals 2019 Opening Day roster
The two acknowledged each other, with Wainwright taking a step off the mound and Molina removing his helmet and bowing to his pitcher. After the game, Wainwright said it was the first time since 2003 when they both were in Double-A.
"I thought about throwing the first one behind him or to the backstop, but didn't want to mess with my mechanics," Wainwright said after the game according to MLB.com. "Got him on a couple of cutters, though I didn't have command of my fastball all night."
"We just had fun," Molina said.
Four different Redbirds had a hit Monday night, and Adolis Garcia had an RBI double in the first inning.
Two former Redbirds started on the mound Monday night, with Adam Wainwright taking the ball for Memphis' team and Michael Wacha starting for St. Louis. Both worked 4.0 innings.
The night began with a 2018 Triple-A National Championship ring ceremony, as members of the Redbirds and Cardinals who participated in Memphis' record-setting 2018 season received their rings in front of an adoring crowd.
PHOTOS: Cardinals battery-mates Wainwright, Molina face-off during exhibition in Memphis 1
(Memphis Redbirds)PHOTOS: Cardinals battery-mates Wainwright, Molina face-off during exhibition in Memphis 2
(Memphis Redbirds)PHOTOS: Cardinals battery-mates Wainwright, Molina face-off during exhibition in Memphis 3
(Memphis Redbirds)PHOTOS: Cardinals battery-mates Wainwright, Molina face-off during exhibition in Memphis 4
(Memphis Redbirds)
