TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

IT’S OPENING DAY!: The Blue Jays are beginning their 47th season of play in the American League…Have gone 24-22 on Opening Days so far, from 1977-2022. Toronto is coming off three straight wins to start a season: coming back from a 7-0 deficit to top Texas last year by a 10-8 final score, winning 3-2 in 10 innings in New York in 2021, and claiming a 6-4 victory in Tampa in 2020.

NEW BEGINNINGS: Today marks the 1st time in team history that Toronto will begin a season with a game against a National League opponent.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS: The Blue Jays have a new Manager at the helm to begin a campaign for the first time since Charlie Montoyo made his debut on March 29, 2019 vs. DET. John Schneider took over as Interim Manager on July 13, 2022…Finished the final 74 games of the regular season with a 46-28 record for a .622 winning percentage, the highest ever by a Toronto skipper in his 1st season at the helm (min. 10G)…Had the Interim tagged removed and was officially named the 14th Manager of the franchise on October 21, 2022.

MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE TEAM: The Blue Jays led the Majors in 2022 with a .264 team batting average and 1,464 hits…Also led the AL in OBP (.329), SLG (.431), and OPS (.760) while ranked T-1st in extra-base hits (519), 2nd in runs (775), 2nd in doubles (307), and 3rd in home runs
(200)…Topped the AL in AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS for the 1st time in team history. Blue Jay batters combined for a hard hit (95+ MPH) percentage of 44.3, the top rate in MLB (2nd: ATL – 43.5) while their average exit velocity of 90.2 MPH was also highest in the Majors (2nd: ATL – 89.9).

ROSTER ROLLOUT: Toronto begins a campaign with a 26-man roster made up of 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Pitchers: RHP Anthony Bass, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP José Berríos, RHP Adam Cimber, RHP Yimi García, RHP Kevin Gausman, LHP Yusei Kikuchi, RHP Alek Manoah, LHP Tim Mayza, RHP Zach Pop, RHP Trevor Richards, RHP Jordan Romano, RHP Erik Swanson Catchers: Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk Infielders: Brandon Belt, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Matt Chapman, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield Outfielders: Kevin Kiermaier, Nathan Lukes, George Springer, Daulton Varsho Injured List: RHP Chad Green, LHP Hyun Jin Ryu, RHP Mitch White

LENGTHY ROAD WORK: The Blue Jays will start the season with 10 straight road contests as renovations wrap up at Rogers Centre…Ties the longest road trip to kick off a campaign in team history (10G in 1984)…Marks the 3rd trip of 10+ games to begin a season by any team in the last 20 years, joining the 2019 Red Sox (11G) and the 2022 Athletics (10G)…After these three games in St. Louis, will pop over to Kansas City for four contests and then wrap up the trip with three games in Anaheim. Toronto’s .556 road win% in 2022 (45-36) ranked 3rd in the AL and tied for 2nd best in team history (1st: .580 in 1993)…Blue Jays hitters led the AL in road runs (416), AVG (.266), OBP (.331), SLG (.428), and OPS (.759)…The pitching staff ranked 5th in the AL in road ERA (3.70), 5th in road WHIP (1.24), and 6th in road opponents’ batting average (.245).

CANADA’S TEAM:
Toronto starts a season with three Canadian-born players on its roster: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, QC), Zach Pop (Brampton, ON), and Jordan Romano (Markham, ON)…Marks the most Canadian-born players to make an Opening Day roster in team history.

THE TORONTO NEW JAYS:
The Blue Jays signed four free agents to their Major League roster over the offseason: Chris Bassitt, Brandon Belt, Chad Green, and Kevin Kiermaier… Daulton Varsho was acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno on Dec. 23.

AN ALEK-TRIC OPENER:
Alek Manoah gets the ball for today, his 1st career Opening Day start…At 25 years and 80 days old, is the 4th-youngest Opening Day starter in team history. The righty made his 1st All-Star team in 2022 and finished 3rd in AL Cy Young Voting…Finished 3rd among qualified AL pitchers in both ERA (2.24) and wins (16)…Also ranked 4th in innings pitched (196.2), 4th in WHIP (0.99), and 5th in opponents’ batting
average (.202)…Became the 6th AL pitcher since 1920 to turn in a sub-1.00 WHIP under age 25.

STARTING PITCHER
Alek Manoah, RHP #6
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 1st career Opening Day start…Will be the 6th Blue Jay pitcher aged 25 or younger to make an Opening Day start, joining Marcus Stroman (2016), Drew Hutchison (2015), Todd Stottlemeyer (1990), Dave Stieb (1983), and Tom Underwood (1979). His career 1.01 WHIP is the 2nd lowest all-time by an AL pitcher in his first two big league seasons, trailing only Walter Johnson’s 0.98 mark in 1907- 1908 (min. 40 starts)…courtesy Stats Perform.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS:
Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting, behind only Houston’s Justin Verlander and Chicago’s Dylan Cease. Named an All-Star for the 1st time in his career…Pitched a scoreless 2nd inning in the Midsummer Classic, notching 3 punchouts and a hit batter on 18 pitches (13 strikes)…Joined Dave Stieb as the only pitchers in franchise history to strike out at least 3 batters in a single All-Star Game (Stieb – 4K in 1983). Ranked 3rd among qualified AL pitchers in both ERA (2.24) and wins (16)…Also ranked 4th in the AL in innings pitched (196.2), 4th in WHIP (0.99), and 5th in opponent batting average (.202)…Became the 6th AL pitcher since 1920 to turn in a sub-1.00 WHIP under age 25…His 0.99 WHIP was the best in team history (2nd: Roger Clemens – 1.03 in 1997) while his 2.24 ERA ranked 2nd (1st: Clemens – 2.05 in 1997). His 25 quality starts tied with Yu Darvish for 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Framber Valdez’s 26. Held right-handed hitters to a .159 AVG, 2nd best in the AL (3rd in MLB). Won his 8th game of the year on 6/13 vs. BAL, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while giving up a hit and a walk and 7 strikeouts…Became the 7th player in the modern era (since 1901) to win at least 17 of his first 20 career decisions as a starter (17-3), and the first since Vida Blue went 17-3 from 1969-1971. Picked up his 11th win on 7/23 at BOS, throwing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 7 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts…Earned his 20th win in his 39th career game, becoming the 2nd-fastest in Blue Jays history to reach the mark (1st: Juan Guzman – 38 games). Earned his 15th win on 9/24 at TB…Tossed 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts…His 303 strikeouts were the most in franchise history by a player in his first 50 career games (2nd: Juan Guzmán – 279). Made his 1st career postseason start in Game 1 of the ALWC vs. SEA on 10/7…Was the 7th Blue Jay pitcher under the age of 25 to make a postseason start, and the 1st since Aaron Sanchez in Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS vs. CLE (10/18/16)…Gave up 4ER on 4H and a walk over 5.2 IP.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
In 2021, led MLB rookies (min. 10 starts) in WHIP (1.05), AVG (.192), and opponents’ OPS (.604), while 2nd in ERA, 3rd in K rate (27.7%) and 4th in SO/9 (10.24)…Became the 4th pitcher aged 23 or younger to average at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his debut season, joining Mark Prior (2002), Kerry Wood (1998) and Dwight Gooden (1984). Named AL Rookie of the Month for Sept./Oct. 2021, going 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 37.1 innings (six starts)…Was the the first Blue Jay to win the award since Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in July of 2018, and the first Toronto pitcher since Scott Richmond in April of 2009. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.

VS. THE CARDINALS:
Facing the Cardinals for the 1st time in his career…Has made five career starts against National League opponents, keeping a 3-1 record and a 4.13 ERA (13 ER/28.1 IP) with eight walks and 23 strikeouts.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

OpeningDaySTL: The defending National League Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals open their 132nd season of play in the NL today when they host Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays in the opening game of the regular season … St. Louis is 61-68-2 (.466 win pct.) overall on Opening Day, including a 37-32 (.536) mark at home.

BUSCH III OPENERS: Today marks only the Cardinals’ 8th Opening Day (3-4 at home) in 18 years since Busch Stadium III opened in 2006 … St. Louis has won its last three season openers (2017, 2020, 2022) at Busch after losing its first four (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011).

INTERLEAGUE OPENERS: Today is the first Opening Day (or home opener) in Cardinals franchise history against an American League opponent, as St. Louis enters 2023 season as one of 10 Major League teams to have not played an interleague opening game … St. Louis was scheduled to open their 2020 home slate by welcoming the Baltimore Orioles before the schedule was reset due to COVID-19. – Elias

O CANADA: The Cardinals were 2-3 all-time vs. the Montreal Expos on Opening Day (1-2 in St. Louis) … The last time St. Louis beat a Canadian team on Opening Day was 1990 at Busch Stadium II when Willie McGee ripped an walk-off RBI single off Mark Gardner to score Milt Thompson in the bottom of the 11th inning for a 6-5 victory to defeat Montreal.

HEIR JORDAN: At 20 years, 312 days old today, Jordan Walker is the youngest Cardinal to make his Major League debut since LHP Rick Ankiel (age
20.035 on Aug. 23, 1999) and the youngest position player since OF David Green (age 20.274 on Sept. 4, 1981) … Walker’s debut also marks only 8th time in franchise history a player age 20 or younger appeared on Opening Day for the Cardinals … The most recent was LHP Steve Carlton (age 20.111 on April 12, 1965) while SS Howard Freigau (age 20.259 on April 17, 1923) was the last recent position player to do so.

WINNING WAYS: 2022 was the Cardinals 15th consecutive winning season (2008-22), the 22nd in the last 23 years, and the 82nd in franchise history … The 15 consecutive winning seasons matches a franchise record established from 1939-53 when the Cardinals appeared in four World Series and won three (1942, 1944, 1946) … Only the Yankees (30 seasons) sport a longer active consecutive winning season streak in MLB … St. Louis has made the playoffs in 17 of the last 27 seasons (1996-2022) while winning 13 division titles, four NL pennants, and two World Series championships (2006, 2011).

FIRST FLIGHTS: Tyler O’Neill has homered in his last three Opening Days (2020-22), becoming the only Cardinal to homer in three straight Opening Days in MLB history … Only three other MLB players have homered in four consecutive Opening Days, all of which were catchers: Yogi Berra (1955-58 Yankees), Gary Carter (1977-80 Expos), and Todd Hundley (1994-97 Mets). – Elias

NEW TO THE FLOCK: For the first time in 19 seasons since 2004 Opening Day at Busch Stadium II, a catcher not named Yadier Molina will start at catcher for the Cardinals, as free agent All-Star catcher Willson Contreras makes his Cardinals debut today while wearing custom Molina tribute cleats with “RESPECT4” across the heel and side … Over the offseason, Contreras inked a five-year contract with a club option for the 2028 season … Taylor Motter and Jordan Walker join Contreras as three first-time Redbirds.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson are the only rookies on the Cardinals Opening Day roster, while today marks the first OD roster for Brendan Donovan, Zack Thompson and Packy Naughton … Returning Cardinals experiencing their first Busch Stadium Opening Day include 2022 mid-season acquisitions Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton … Joe McEwing enjoys his first Opener at Busch Stadium III and the first in the city of St. Louis since a being a player in 1999 at Busch II.

MARCHING AHEAD: With MLB starting the season on March 30 this year, the Cardinals bring an all-time mark of 4-6 in March games (2-1 at home) into today’s game … March 29, 2018 at the New York Mets is the earliest season opener in franchise history … 2011 was the only March home game at Busch III, a 5-3 loss to the Padres in 11 innings … 2020 Opening Day was March 26 at Cincinnati.

Miles Mikolas 39
TODAY’S GAME
• 2022 National League All-Star makes his 2nd career Opening Day start today and it’s his 1st Opening Day assignment at Busch Stadium. His previous Opening Day start came on April 2, 2018 at Milwaukee in an 8-4 defeat.

• Is facing the Toronto Blue Jays for just the 2nd time in his career. Took a ND in Cardinals 7-3 win on May 23, 2022 as Paul Goldschmidt hit 10th inning walk-off grand slam.

• Signed a two-year contract extension thru 2025 on March 24.

• Was a 3-0 with 0.00 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts this season, allowing just one unearned run in his 12.0 IP. 123 of his 133 pitches thrown this spring were strikes

• Pitched for Team USA during World Baseball Classic, totaling 6.0 IP in two relief appearances, including a 4.0 inning stint in the American’s semi-final win over Cuba.

• Had a 6-3 mark with 2.38 ERA (9th in MLB) in 14 starts at home last season, working 7.0+ IP in eight of those starts. Had 11 quality starts among his 14 at home last season, and the Cardinals were 10-3 in his home starts.

• Set a new career-high in innings pitched (202.1) in 2022, surpassing his previous high of 200.2 IP in 2018, his first year with St. Louis. He was one of five MLB pitchers with 200+ IP last year and one of eight pitchers with multiple seasons of 200+ IP since 2018.

• Although he missed all of the 2020 season, his 41-34 mark as a Cardinal is 2nd on the team to Adam Wainwright (49-36) in both wins & losses since 2018.

• St. Louis is 64-42 (.604 win pct.) in his 106 career outings (105 starts) since joining the organization in 2018.

• Is lifetime 20-16 with a 2.60 ERA (325.2 IP) at Busch Stadium. His 2.60 ERA ranks as the 3rd-lowest in Busch Stadium III history (minimum 200.0 innings) trailing only Shelby Miller (2.46) and Dakota Hudson (2.60).

• Has walked 111 batters over his first 105 starts with St. Louis. Among Cardinals starters in their first 105 starts with the franchise, only Bob Tewksbury (84) has issued fewer

• Was one of 10 MLB pitchers and two Cardinals (Wainwright) with a perfect 1.000 fielding pct. (31 total chances) in 2022. Hasn’t made an error since 8/2/18 vs. COL.

• Needs two strikeouts for 500 career in the National League.

• Started Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series last year, and suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Phillies

LAST TIME OUT
• Made his final Grapefruit League start last Friday, March 24 after signing a 2-year contract extension earlier that day. Blanked the Washington Nationals over his 7.0 IP in a 7-1 win at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
3/24 @WSH W 7-1 W-3 7.0 6 0 0 0 2 0 67-52

2022
NL Ranks: Innings Pitched (202.1, 3rd), Starts (32, T3rd), Quality Starts (22, 3rd), Complete Games (1, T3rd), WHIP (1.03, 10th), Batters faced (805, 3rd), Baserunners/9 IP (9.56, 10th), BB/9 IP (1.73, 5th), Strikeout/Walk Ratio (3.92, 11th), Pitches Thrown (3,152, 3rd), Pitches/Game (95.5, 7th), Pitch Tempo (14.9 sec/pitch – bases empty, 20th)

• Selected to 2nd NL All-Star team (also 2018) as replacement for Corbin Burnes (DNP).

• Made a 3.0-inning relief appearance in his final regular-season outing on 10/3 at PIT, his first relief outing since July 31, 2013 vs. CIN w/SD; a span of 115 starts.

• Carried a no-hitter 8.2 innings into the game vs. PIT (6/14-Game 2) before Cal Mitchell broke it up with a ground-rule double.

• Compiled a career-high, 19.0-inning scoreless streak from April 20-30, highest among all Cardinals pitchers in 2022.

• Had five starts of 8.0 innings or more, ranking T3rd in MLB behind Sandy Alcántara (14, MIA) and Aaron Nola (6, PHI). Threw 8.0 innings in back-to-back starts August 14 & 19 or the 2nd time this season. (Also: June 9 at TB (8.0 IP) and June 14 [2] vs. PIT (8.2 IP).

• Limited his opposition to 2 earned runs or fewer in 15 of his first 19 starts (2.54 ERA), but allowed 3 or more in seven of his 13 starts after the All-Star break (4.44 ERA).

• Received 4+ runs of support in 12 starts last season (STL is 12-0) and 8+ runs of support in six starts, including a season high 12 on 6/3 at CHI. Received 1 run or fewer in 15 starts (STL is 3-12), including 10 starts with zero runs (STL 2-8).