Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado singled into left-center field against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night during his first return to Busch Stadium since an offseason trade.
The 35-year-old veteran received a prolonged standing ovation from the home crowd before his first at-bat.
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He then hit a pitch from Andre Pallante in the second inning.
Emotional Return
Arenado expressed mixed feelings about his five-season tenure with St. Louis, where he hit 118 home runs and won his final two Gold Glove awards.
He waived his no-trade clause to join Arizona.
"The first three years were amazing, and I really enjoyed every bit of it, but those last two were tough," Arenado told reporters.
"From a performance standpoint and from the team side, they were really tough. But I enjoyed every moment I had here."
The third baseman often reflects on the 2022 season, when the Cardinals won the NL Central title alongside Albert Pujols and MVP Paul Goldschmidt.
"I played good baseball here and I think about that '22 season all the time," Arenado said.
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"Not just me, but Albert and Goldy winning the MVP – that was just such a fun year."
He acknowledged that his intense playing style sometimes prevented him from fully appreciating his time in St. Louis.
"That's kind of the mistake I made," Arenado said.
"If I didn't drive the runs in, I'd feel like we're going to lose, like it's my fault.
Stuff like that I should have never done."
The matchup features two teams close in the National League postseason race.
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The Cardinals hold the top Wild Card spot at 41-34, while the Diamondbacks are 39-38, one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the final spot.
