This Day in St. Louis Sports History: April 6
April 6, 1993: San Francisco Giants defeat St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Opening Day at Busch Stadium
On this day in 1993, the San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of both teams’ 1993 campaign. The Cardinals got a great game out of starting pitcher Bob Tewksbury, who went eight innings and allowed just one earned run on six hits and no walks. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough, as Giants starter John Burkett and the three pitchers who relieved him were able to shut down the Cardinals’ offensive attack.
The Cardinals had just seven hits on the day. Their offensive attack was led by second baseman and leadoff hitter Geronimo Pena, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances. Pena was the only Cardinal to get on base more than once. Ozzie Smith also had an RBI triple, Todd Zeile added a double, and Gregg Jefferies, Ray Lankford, and Mark Whiten added singles.
In an interesting twist, the game marked the first of 1,976 that Barry Bonds would spend in a Giants uniform. The legendary slugger went 0-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly to start his career in the Bay Area. It was also the first game for Giants manager Dusty Baker, who would go on to manage the club for 10 years, culminating with their loss in the 2002 World Series.
The Giants’ lineup that day featured three players that would go on to wear a Cardinals uniform later in their career: outfielder Willie McGee (for his second stint), first baseman Will Clark, and shortstop Royce Clayton.