Opening Day in St. Louis is an experience like no other. And well worth the wait.

That was worth the 24-hour wait. And worth the 187-day wait since the St. Louis Cardinals last played a home game at Busch Stadium.

Why, it was even worth the 45-minute hunt for a parking spot seven blocks from the ballpark.

St. Louis’ version of a national holiday was on full display as the Cardinals kicked off their home schedule Friday with the Clydesdales, a parade of 13 Redbirds Hall Famers, players jumping off convertibles and — oh, yeah — a baseball game with the San Diego Padres.

On display: Newly minted fan favorite Paul Goldschmidt, greeted with a huge cheer, only equaled by the welcome granted the baker’s dozen of red Hall of Fame jackets at home plate. The slugger is already a fan favorite, judging from a quick tally of Cardinals jerseys on the walk to the park — lots of Goldschmidts, Molinas, Wainwrights and, yes, even a Shannon.

Such is the multigenerational appeal of Cardinals baseball, very much in evidence Friday. I’m pretty sure the parents of most of those kids in the stands opted for an unused snow day, or maybe the youngsters suffered a bad outbreak of baseball-inspired spring fever. Can we have that many home-schooled children wearing red? Likely not.

Rain washed out the scheduled opener on Thursday, but the delay didn’t seem to dim the enthusiasm in the crowd or the players happily awash in the adulation aimed their way.

Mike Shildt, enjoying his first home opener as the Cardinals manager, demurred when asked about what this day meant to him.

“I don’t look at it as mine, I look at it as ours,” he said. “It’s really not about me.

“It’s a special day, and one of the more special days in all of sports. I want to enjoy it, glad to be back (as) we start our journey with our fans. We’re ready to start playing baseball at home.”

Shildt served on Mike Matheny’s staff in 2017-18 — the 50-year-old skipper is also a student of team history — so he already knows the singular love affair the fans have for the Birds on the Bat.

“The passion, the love, the enthusiasm for this team is beyond approach,” Shildt said. “It doesn’t matter the time of year, either.”

Even before he arrived at the ballpark Friday morning, Goldschmidt knew what was coming: He was in the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks dugout for the Cardinals home opener exactly a year ago Friday.

“It was like a holiday … exciting,” the veteran of nine major-league seasons said as the opener approached. “It’s almost a sellout every single night there. It will be fun …”

At the other end of the spectrum: Second-year opening day starter Jack Flaherty, just 23 but wise enough to know that Friday’s start came with a bit of extra baggage.

“I feel there are two ways to go about it,” Flaherty said in advance of his start. “One, you can try to downplay it and just see it as another game, or you accept it for what it is and understand that there’s going to be a little bit more of a buzz in the stadium.

“It’s the first one (at home), and I know those fans are going to be excited.”

That little word hardly encompasses it, though: Fans streamed into the ballpark exactly at noon – three hours and 18 minutes before the first pitch – and the place was humming as the Clydesdales emerged from the right-field gate at 2:31 p.m.

The only one keeping his composure was the Dalmatian seated on the bench of the beer wagon, and the atmosphere grew more frenzied as the red-jacket-clad Hall of Famers, coaching staff and ballplayers took their rides – aboard convertibles or trucks – around the warning track to home plate.

It took 29 minutes for the formal introductions to unfold, with the biggest ovations for Goldschmidt, Cardinals Hall of Famer and coach Willie McGee, catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright.

The moments were many, memorable and touching:

• Hall of Famer Lou Brock — in his playing days the fastest, most punishing baserunner in the game, the National League’s greatest base stealer – gingerly made his way to home plate using a walker. Despite the loss of a leg amid a battle with cancer, Brock gamely stood at home plate for all the ceremony, shaking hands with every player, coach and Hall of Famer to come his way.
• The two newest Cardinals Hall of Famers — Vince Coleman and Ray Lankford — got a rousing reception, from the crowd and the fellow Red Jackets aligned behind home plate.
• Two prospective team Hall of Famers — Brighton native Jason Isringhausen, the team’s alltime saves leader, and former starter Matt Morris, both on the fan ballot this year – drew cheers when they delivered the ceremonial first pitches prior to the real first pitch.
• Shildt, grinning like a kid, doffed his cap as his truck pulled out onto the warning track, a move mimicked by every Cardinal player following him to home plate.

Actor John Goodman, a St. Louisan, perhaps put it best, narrating a film shown on the right-field scoreboard just before Shildt and the players were introduced.

“Opening day in St. Louis,” Goodman intoned, “is an experience like no other.”

Got that right. Even if we had to wait for it.

This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 4:33 PM.