Opening Day 1989
Starting Lineup for Cardinals
- Vince Coleman
- Willie McGee
- Terry Pendleton
- Pedro Guerrero
- Tom Brunansky
- Jose Oquendo
- Tony Pena
- Tim Jones
- Joe McGrane
- Mgr. Whitey Herzog
Starting Lineup for Mets
- Mookie Wilson
- Gregg Jeffries
- Keith Hernandez
- Daryl Strawberry
- Kevin McReynolds
- Gary Carter
- Howard Johnson
- Kevin Elster
- Dwight Gooden
- Mgr. Davey Johnson
The scoring starts in the bottom half of the first inning as Gregg Jefferies doubles with one out and Strawberry doubles him in. McReynolds follows with a single and the Mets lead 1-0 after one. The Cardinals come back with three runs in the third with two outs as McGee and Pendleton single and Pedro Guerrero hits a bomb and the Birds lead 3-2.
Magrane can’t hold them as he allows four hits and two walks in the 3rd inning and now the Mets take a 7-3 lead in the game. The Cardinals tack one on in the eighth inning with an RBI single from Guerrero and the Mets answer back with lead-off homer from Howard Johnson off of Todd Worrell.
The final score is 8-4 as the New York Mets in the opener.
Cardinals Stats
HR: P Guerrero (1, off D Gooden, 3rd inn, 2 on, 2 outs to Deep CF-RF).
TB: P Guerrero 5; T Pendleton 2; W McGee; J Morris.
GIDP: T Brunansky (1).
RBI: P Guerrero 4 (4).
2-out RBI: P Guerrero 3.
Team LOB: 7.
With RISP: 2 for 8.
Fielding
Outfield Assists: W McGee (K Elster at 2nd base).
Baserunning
SB: V Coleman 2 (2, 2nd base off D Gooden/G Carter, 3rd base off D Gooden/G Carter); W McGee (1, 2nd base off D Gooden/G Carter).
Mets Stats
2B: G Jefferies (1, off J Magrane); D Strawberry 2 (2, 2 off J Magrane).
HR: H Johnson (1, off T Worrell, 8th inn, 0 on, 0 outs to Deep RF).
SF: D Gooden (1, off J Magrane).
HBP: G Jefferies (1, by J Magrane).
TB: H Johnson 6; D Strawberry 5; G Jefferies 3; K Elster 3; K McReynolds; M Wilson.
RBI: H Johnson 3 (3); D Strawberry 2 (2); K Elster (1); K McReynolds (1); D Gooden (1).
2-out RBI: D Strawberry 2; K McReynolds.
Team LOB: 5.
With RISP: 5 for 10.
Fielding
DP: 1. H Johnson-G Jefferies-K Hernandez.
E: G Jefferies (1).
Baserunning
SB: D Strawberry 2 (2, 2nd base off J Magrane/T Pena, 3rd base off J Magrane/T Pena).
CS: K Elster (1, 2nd base by J Magrane/T Pena); M Wilson (1, 2nd base by J Costello/T Pena); G Jefferies (1, 2nd base by F DiPino/T Pena).
=======================================
After the Opener
The Cardinals went 86-76 during the season and finished 3rd in the National League East division.
Shortstop Ozzie Smith and third baseman Terry Pendleton won Gold Gloves this year.
On September 29, team owner August A. Busch, Jr. died at the age of 90.
The 1989 Cardinal team almost made the playoffs. Pedro Guerrero finished third in the National League MVP voting while leading the league with 42 doubles and finishing second in RBIs (117). Joe Magrane won 18 games while José DeLeón won 16 games. Milt Thompson played in 155 games and hit .290, mostly substituting for the injured Willie McGee. Vince Coleman lead the league in stolen bases for the fifth straight year. However, it would be the arch-rival Cubs who would claim the division and move on to the playoffs.