On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals had a special guest at Busch Stadium for their series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mike Matheny, who played five seasons for the Cardinals and served as their catcher, made his return to Busch Stadium.
The 52-year-old won four Gold Gloves over the course of his career and was with the team from 2000-04.
Matheny later became the team’s manager, succeeding Tony La Russa and leading the team to the postseason in each of his first four years at the helm.
On Thursday, Matheny threw out the first pitch at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals posted a video of the first pitch on Twitter.
Great to have you back at Busch, Mike Matheny! #STLCards pic.twitter.com/5XAoZb1gtp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 18, 2023
Matheny’s best season in St. Louis was his first year with the team.
That year, he hit for a .261 average and popped six home runs while driving in 47 runs.
Matheny helped mentor a young Yadier Molina in the early stages of his career before the latter became the team’s full-time catcher.
The veteran catcher retired as a player in 2006 before becoming the Cardinals manager in 2012.
He managed the team until 2018 before being succeeded by Mike Shildt.
The four-time Gold Glover led the Cardinals back to the postseason in 2012 after they had won the World Series in 2011.
One year later, he took them to the World Series, where they ultimately lost to the Boston Red Sox.
Matheny also led the Cardinals to three consecutive NL Central titles, which included a 100-win season in 2015, their first such season since 2005.
The former manager and catcher was greeted with a standing ovation upon his return to St. Louis.
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