Thunderous applause and roaring cheers followed Arenado throughout the day: When he first took the field on the back of a Ford-150 truck — a home opener tradition — and circled the field, when he was introduced before his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning and during each of his at-bats that followed.

Nolan Arenado's eighth-inning homer Thursday had plenty of extra meaning after he spent much of the offseason on the trading block, and Cardinals fans knew it, bringing him out for a curtain call.

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado speaks with the media on Thursday, March 27, 2025, after a win on opening day vs. the Twins at Busch Stadium. (Video by ,

One thing to know for Toronto: If Guerrero reaches 200 hits in his walk year of 2025 -- he finished one hit shy last season -- he and his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., would be the first father-son duo in MLB history to each have a 200-hit season.

In fact, few fans watched in the early hours of Opening Day's start. MLB TV, the league's streaming service, crashed around 3 p.m. ET. just as games were starting. Those at home were livid. "MLB TV being down on Opening Day is peak disasterclass.