RetroSimba

(Updated March 29, 2018)

The Cardinals haven’t won an Opening Day game in New York since 1963.

The Mets and Cardinals have faced one another in a season opener eight times. The Cardinals won the first two, in 1962 at St. Louis and in 1963 at the Polo Grounds, and the Mets won the last six in a row. Here is a look at those opening games:

April 11, 1962, at St. Louis

Stan Musial, 41, batted cleanup and was 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored, leading the Cardinals to an 11-4 victory in the first regular-season game played by the expansion Mets.

In the game story headlined, “Musial Stalls Father Time, Helps Cards To Fast Start,” Musial told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I want to get those hits quick. You never know when fate may step in.”

Said Mets manager Casey Stengel of Musial: “He’s still doing a great job, but that’s what they’re paying him for.”

The Cardinals scored five runs in three innings against Mets starter Roger Craig. Julian Javier contributed four singles and Bill White had three RBI.

Cardinals starter Larry Jackson pitched a complete game. “I didn’t have my good stuff,” Jackson said. “Everything I threw seemed to be high.” Boxscore

April 9, 1963, at New York

Ernie Broglio pitched a two-hit shutout in a 7-0 triumph for the Cardinals. Both Mets hits were produced by their leadoff batter, Larry Burright, who singled and doubled. Broglio retired 20 batters in a row.

“It’s tough to wait for one pitch from Broglio because he has so many different pitches and he can get all of them over the plate,” said Mets cleanup batter Duke Snider.

Said Cardinals catcher Carl Sawatski: “Ernie was hitting the corners all afternoon. He didn’t put more than six pitches over the heart of the plate.”

Craig started again for the Mets and yielded seven runs in 5.1 innings. George Altman had four singles. Musial produced a single, a walk and a RBI. Boxscore

April 9, 1985, at New York

With one out in the 10th inning, Gary Carter hit a home run against Neil Allen, lifting the Mets to a 6-5 victory. “That was the best curveball I’d thrown all day,” Allen said. “It was down and away … He had to be looking for it.”

The Mets took a 5-4 lead into the ninth, but the Cardinals tied the score when Doug Sisk walked Jack Clark with two outs and the bases loaded. “I’ll take it,” Clark said. “It’s another RBI, but I would rather have mashed it.” Boxscore

April 3, 1989, at New York

Cardinals starter Joe Magrane gave up seven runs in 3.2 innings and the Mets won, 8-4. “I was wild in the strike zone,” Magrane said. “The ball was up and I think that was why they were able to get a lot of those balls through the infield. Normally, the pitches I make there are broken bats or ground balls.”

Howard Johnson produced a two-run single against Magrane in the third inning and a solo home run against Todd Worrell in the eighth.

Pedro Guerrero drove in all four Cardinals runs. Boxscore

April 6, 1992, at St. Louis

The Mets got a run against closer Lee Smith in the ninth, tying the score at 2-2, and won when Bobby Bonilla hit a two-run home run against Smith in the 10th. “I was hoping to throw a backdoor slider, but Bonilla went through the wrong door,” Smith said.

Bonilla also hit a solo home run against starter Jose DeLeon. Boxscore

April 1, 1996, at New York

The Mets scored four in the seventh against relievers Rick Honeycutt, Cory Bailey and Tony Fossas, erasing a 6-3 deficit, and went on to 7-6 victory, spoiling the regular-season Cardinals debut of manager Tony La Russa.

A pair of former Cardinals, Lance Johnson and Bernard Gilkey, sparked the Mets. Johnson drove in a run and scored one. Gilkey had two RBI and a run scored.

“This is a game we should have won,” La Russa said. “We did a lot of good things, but I don’t feel like I had a lot of fun today. It’s kind of hard to believe we got beat, but we did.” Boxscore

April 1, 2007, at St. Louis

Mets starter Tom Glavine limited the defending World Series champions to a run in six innings. Glavine “killed the Cardinals softly” and “made it look as smooth as a master violinist,” wrote Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz.

The heart of the Cardinals’ order, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, combined to produce one hit and no RBI.

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter yielded five runs in six innings. Paul Lo Duca drove in three runs for the Mets and Carlos Delgado drove in two. Boxscore

March 29, 2018, at New York

Cardinals pitchers yielded nine walks, Cardinals batters struck out 15 times and the Mets won, 9-4. Yoenis Cespedes had three RBI for the Mets.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run home run for the Cardinals and his teammate, Jose Martinez, contributed three hits, including a home run, and two RBI. Boxscore