ST. LOUIS -- It was the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team that made waves at Busch Stadium on Friday night, congregating in a sparsely-populated section in the 200 level of the stands -- and owning the night with their shirtless cheering and celebrations that helped propel the Cardinals to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Royals in 11 innings.
After the victory, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol opened his time at the postgame podium with a statement that he felt compelled to make before even hearing the first question from a reporter.
“Whoever started that in right field, I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure they come every game,” Marmol said. “Because that was awesome. Not only them, but everybody that showed up today. That was a fun environment.”
That’s a bold statement for the manager to make -- would he put his money where his mouth is?
So, Saturday morning, I asked Marmol if he had been inundated with requests from the SFA club baseball team in the hours that followed his postgame statement.
And to his credit, the wheels were already in motion to keep the party going at Busch. He basically told reporters to stay tuned.
The Cardinals announced shortly thereafter that Marmol had bought out the remaining tickets in the “Tarps Off” section for both Saturday and Sunday’s games against the rival Royals.
The club’s official social media account posted the link for fans to grab their free tickets, while supplies lasted.
It’s the latest chapter in the skyrocketing vibes of a young Cardinals team that, despite what the public might have considered to be decreased expectations for the season, currently sits at 26-18.
That’s a sturdy 95-win pace for a team that was predicted by many pundits before the year to be staring down a potential 90-loss campaign.
So far, that doesn’t appear to be the case, and the Cardinals’ exuberant style of play continues to resonate with a fan base that seems hungry for more with each passing day.