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 Friday. “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 on Saturday morning, prior to the Cards' 4-2 win over the Royals, 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.
Rather than pledge himself as the ticket sales department’s newest hero, Marmol took things in another direction postgame -- he personally escorted the entire SFA club baseball team into the Cardinals clubhouse.
A group of college club ball players -- “not even D1,” as a member of the team noted of their affiliation to a local TV reporter in an on-camera interview -- was suddenly yucking it up with a Major League team.
There was pandemonium in the room as the boys got autographs, pictures, and yes, took off their shirts yet again to keep the celebration going.
“I love that they’re getting the recognition that they deserve, man,” Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn said. “I’ve only been here for a few years, but that’s something that I’ve never seen, in this stadium or really, any stadium.
“For them to kind of start a trend here, I love it. I hope we get to see a lot more of it.”
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 27-18.
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.