ST. LOUIS – When the Cardinals recently made the decision to name Matthew Liberatore as their Opening Day starter, it was a reward for the left-handed pitcher thriving when he pitched out of the bullpen in 2024 and embracing a starter’s role when he moved back to the rotation in 2025.

The assignment was also awarded because the Cardinals feel Liberatore is on the verge of becoming a dominant No. 1 starter and a talented 26-year-old whose best stuff is yet to come as the 2026 season unfolds.

Liberatore has certainly rewarded the confidence that the Cards placed in him by pitching exceptionally well in each of his two outings so far this season. The club’s belief has breathed a self-assurance in the lefty that has helped him elevate his game and begin to live up to the enormous potential the Cards thought he had within him for years.

“I feel really good and I’m definitely happy about the results so far,” said Liberatore, who allowed only a solo home run to Mets superstar Juan Soto in the Cardinals 2-1 defeat of New York in 11 innings on Wednesday. “There is definitely some stuff that I would like to improve on, but that’s always going to be the case with me. But I feel like I’m doing a really good job now of pitching with what I’ve got.”

Liberatore had plenty of good stuff on Wednesday, pitching a perfect first four innings and retiring the first 14 Mets that he faced. Over six innings of work he allowed just three hits and that somewhat strange long ball to Soto to keep the Cardinals in position to win the game in extra innings. Liberatore had a sense early on that he had his good stuff and he used it to mix in his seven pitches to keep the Mets off balance. Unlike in the past when Liberatore struggled against left-handers and tended to not trust his stuff in big spots, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder remained in attack mode to match Freddy Peralta pitch for pitch.

“Working out of the windup for that long allowed me to get in a groove and stay in that groove,” Liberatore said in reference to not allowing a New York base runner until there was already two outs in the fifth inning. They were aggressive and I just tried to take advantage of that by attacking.”

Liberatore, whose only two earned runs allowed in two starts have come off solo shots, was still irked by the homer that Soto hit Wednesday’s sixth inning an hour after the walk-off winner provided by shortstop Masyn Winn on a blooper into right field. Liberatore attacked Soto up and in, but somehow the star slugger was still able to drill a 344-foot homer that landed just inside the right field foul pole.

“He’s a good hitter – one of the best in the game – and he put a good swing on a good pitch, which is going to happen from time to time,” said Liberatore, who had picked Mets star Francisco Lindor off first base earlier to prevent the homer from costing him two runs. “I really didn’t want to walk (Soto) with two outs after picking Lindor off, but credit Soto for doing what he does.”

Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol has gotten just the kind of production he hoped for from Liberatore after naming him the Opening Day starter. Actually, Marmol said Liberatore has shown the leadership and purpose the club hoped for since a season-ending chat at the end of the 2025 season.

“He’s embraced it in a really special way,” Marmol said. "Go all the way back to the offseason – and I’ve said this several times already – but he had one of the most intentional offseasons with the way he prepared and performed all the way through Spring Training. The attention to detail, the focus and the determination have been really high, so it’s not surprising at all to see him pitching like he is now.”

Liberatore has been a shinning example to his teammates that the Cardinals still have plenty of talent to compete even though they traded away veteran standouts Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras for prospects in the offseason. Winning four of the first six games – and nabbing series victories over the Rays and Mets – is proof that the Cards could be a surprise team this season, Liberatore said.

“It’s been a lot of fun so far because we have so much young energy around here,” Liberatore said with a smile. “We have a group of guys who are never giving in, so that’s made it a lot of fun.”

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