The memory of Oscar Taveras weighed heavily on the minds of the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday as they took the field for their 2015 home opener.
A video memorial to Taveras, considered one of baseball's brightest up-and-coming young talents, was shown on the scoreboard at Busch Stadium prior to the game's first pitch. Taveras, 22, and his girlfriend Edilia Arvelo, 18, were killed in a car accident on Oct. 26 in the Dominican Republic.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale was on the scene and got the reaction from a visibly emotional Cardinals team:
"It's as choked up as I've ever been on a baseball field," [Adam] Wainwright said.