By: Chelsea Ladd
After 900 days, I returned to Busch Stadium to watch the St. Louis Cardinals, and it felt like no time had passed. I returned to my second home, my church, where the iconic St. Louis Arch is and the church steeple shining brightly amongst the high rises and cityscape. I returned after doubting when Major League Baseball and I would reunite due to the ongoing pandemic. Again, I returned with my future husband holding my hand. Time had passed, but Busch Stadium and I were still the closest friends.
We didn’t plan the trip to St. Louis. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. My fiancé and I spent the week in Louisville, where he coached high school freshman baseball despite inclement weather and wind that could chill even a polar bear. During that week, I prepared for Opening Day — you see, I haven’t been able to attend Opening Day or the weekend. Whether due to school or as an adult due to work, I always had the games blasting on my phone or television.
While we were in Louisville, I joked with some of the parents that I would scheme my way into Coach Parker going to St. Louis with me for a Cardinals game before Spring Break. They all wished me luck, and despite his team losing to Jo Adell’s father’s team, I convinced him that we should at least look at tickets during our drive back to Paducah. The four-hour drive home consisted of me searching for seats, shocked at the low prices, and only getting more excited while Kalen called some of his friends to see if we could make it a group trip. After all, it had been a long time coming for us all, and we were due a baseball trip that didn’t involve him coaching or me covering it for work. We managed to snag at least one friend who attended the 2011 World Series with Kalen. Steven is one of his best friends and best men at our upcoming wedding.
On Saturday, we loaded up and began our journey to St. Louis. I sat in the backseat, anxious and filled with glee. Readers should note that the last time I traveled to St. Louis, I covered the 2020 Winter Warm-Up for the Cardinals. I sat in the media room with notable St. Louis press. I blended in and felt like I belonged. I met Cardinals, shook Ozzie Smith’s hand in the VIP section at Ballpark Village, and carried on a conversation with Paul DeJong. But then, a month later, the world crashed down around us all. The world shut down, and it felt like St. Louis, and that life was a million miles away. So, to say I was anxious is an understatement of the century.
The lineup was released about an hour away from St. Louis and Busch Stadium. The guys were upset they wouldn’t see Albert Pujols but were content with the matchup against the Pirates. We paid $25 to park and trekked to the stadium upon arriving. As we inched closer, it felt like I was soon reunited with an old friend, and I was. The stadium entrance towered over us, reaching into the sky and beaming with joy that baseball fans old and new were arriving. We were given mystery jerseys of either Wainwright or Molina at the gate. We were given Molina jerseys before finding our purchased seats in Section 128. Walking through the small tunnel that opened up in a sea of seats and the field with perfectly cut grass and seamless white lines, I knew I was back in my happiest place. I cannot honestly describe what it feels like for me when I see a baseball field, whether in high school or Major League. Happiness swells inside of me, and I am content.
Like mine and my fiancé’s previous bouts of baseball that week, it was windy and chilly as our seats were inches away from where the sun beamed down. However, the cold didn’t bother me as I sipped a margarita and went to purchase a brand-new Cardinals sweatshirt.
Miles Mikolas started for St. Louis, while Mitch Keller worked for Pittsburgh. Although the Pirates jumped on the board first, it didn’t take long for the Cardinals to work their magic and tie it up. Mikolas, in his first outing, wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be going into the third inning. The Pirates took a 2-1 lead, but DeJong hit a nuke to right-center field, giving the Cardinals the 4-2 lead. I might have got a little too excited when DeJong hit the home run — but who wouldn’t, right?
St. Louis added two more runs during the game to win 6-2 over the Pirates. Not only was it a memorable game to share with my future husband and our friend, but it was a core memory of returning to a place that ultimately led me to where I am now.
Back in 2019, after losing my family dog tragically, my parents and I attended a Cardinals game on April 20th. The Mets lost horrifically, and ironically Mikolas started for St. Louis. I didn’t know that day that baseball would change everything for me, but I’m glad it did. I wasn’t a sports journalist then; I was a medical assistant stuck in a dead-end job and wanting something amazing to happen. Something good. And it happened.
Jumping forward to the day I spent at Busch, I have to say the crowd was top-notch. For the first time in my life, I witnessed a never-ending sea of fans doing the wave around the stadium. Unfortunately, the wave starter was extraordinarily intoxicated and thought, no, he didn’t even think, that it would be fun to throw a beer bottle onto the field near Dylan Carlson. The stadium quickly threw him out as fans near and far away from him booed at his shenanigans. A few innings later, another intoxicated fan had a bright idea to jump over the wall and run around the stadium. His vision landed him in jail, and like the man before him, he was also booed.
Being back at Busch Stadium and seeing the Cardinals restored my creativity to write about Major League Baseball. It brought back so much inspiration and happiness that was taken away by the pandemic and lockout. I needed this, and baseball knew it.
If you are like me and need to be restored in Major League Baseball, please do not hesitate to attend and find that love.