Cardinals' rookie JJ Wetherholt wasted no time in coming up big by smashing a 425-foot homer in his second MLB at bat on Opening Day.
ST. LOUIS – Appropriately placed in the leadoff spot to begin a new era of Cardinals baseball, top prospect JJ Wetherholt wasted no time in getting things started in a big way for the club on Opening Day.
Wetherholt, 23, homered in the second at bat of his MLB career by driving an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center field in Thursday’s third inning. The blast was the first MLB hit of the young career for Wetherholt, the No. 7 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and someone seen as a key building block for the future for the Cards.
An adoring, sellout crowd at Busch Stadium showed Wetherholt with a Curtain Call following the blast that gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. After circling the bases and sprinting through the dugout while being congratulated by teammates, Wetherholt climbed to the top step of the dugout and doffed his helmet to the appreciation of the crowd.
Wetherholt battled Rays pitcher Drew Rasmusen to a seven-pitch at bat to open the game before flying to center. Wetherholt became just the sixth player in Cardinals history – and the first since Tommy Glaviano in 1949 – to lead off a game on Opening Day while making his MLB debut.
Prior to the game, Cardinals' manager Oliver Marmol acknowledged the symbolism of having Wetherholt lead off a new era of rebuilding for the Cardinals, while also stressing that the appointment was earned by the standout rookie.
“The kid’s going to debut, we’re in a new chapter in the overall story of the Cardinals and I think it’s pretty damn cool for him to lead us off,” Marmol said.
“I just like the overall profile of JJ in that leadoff spot, and I think he has a lot of opportunities to grow into that spot. He does a really good job of using the whole field, he has some real hit-ability and he controls the strike zone in a way that allows for some on-base (possibilities) outside of hits.”
A half-inning before his homer, Wetherholt showed why he has long been the top prospect in the Cardinals organization by flashing the leather defensively. He deftly snagged a 106.7 mph ground off the bat of Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda while sliding to one knee before getting up and throwing to first for the out.
A half inning later, Wetherholt was late on a cutter and a four-seam fastball to quickly fall into an 0-2 hole. However, he didn’t miss a 94.5 mph four-seamer that was just off the plate. Wetherholt, who impressed the Cardinals in 2025 with his ability to drive the ball to all fields, drove the pitch 425 feet to “Freese’s Landing” beyond the center field fence.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!