ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals couldn't have picked a better man to start the first game at new Busch Stadium. For a new ballpark with some familiar twists, they went with a familiar pitcher who offered a few new twists.
Mark Mulder (1-0) picked up the first win and the first curtain call in new Busch, pitching eight-plus innings and adding a two-run home run in a 6-4 win over the Brewers in front of 41,936 on Monday afternoon.
For the most part, he was the same old Mulder, the same man who racked up wins and ground balls for the 100-win Cardinals of 2005. But Mulder showed something that was missing in '05 -- the ability to get a strikeout when he needed it. And he showed something else that had been missing since college -- the ability to hit the ball out of the park.
"He did it all," said manager Tony La Russa.