Cardinals cornerstone Adam Wainwright wasn’t able to pitch on Thursday in the final Opening Day of his 18-year MLB career, but he still managed to steal the show at Busch Stadium.

Wainwright, 41, now in his final MLB season after announcing plans to retire following the 2023 campaign, sang the national anthem prior to the Cardinals' season-opening 10-9 loss to the Blue Jays. Wainwright, an aspiring country music singer when his baseball career concludes, held a concert in Springfield, Ill., back in January for approximately 500 fans.

Wainwright’s rendition of the anthem received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd. As he hit the final note of the song, Wainwright extended both arms and flashed a wide smile.

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“My goals were to honor the country with a decent rendition, not mess the words up and sing it at a decent tempo, which I didn’t do. But the other two I did,” said Wainwright, who pitched for his country in March when he won two games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.