Even injured, Adam Wainwright contributes to Cardinals Opening Day in surprising way

ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright may not have been able to take the mound on Opening Day, but the beloved St. Louis Cardinals pitcher still figured out a way how to make an impact on Thursday.

After all of the pomp and circumstance that comes with Opening Day in St. Louis, including a walk around the dirt by the Clydesdales and Cardinals Hall of Famers like Ozzie Smith and Matt Holliday being ushered into the stadium sitting in trucks like it was a Main Street parade, Wainwright surprised his teammates and the crowd by stepping out of the line of Cardinals players before the game and performing the National Anthem.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright provides Opening Day highlight with his voice

Check out the video of Wainwright in action on Thursday below.

Wainwright was thought to be in line for the Opening Day start against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week until it was disclosed he was battling a groin strain and would start the season on the injured list. Miles Mikolas drew the start for the Cardinals on a sun-splashed, 70-degree day in the Gateway City.

As soon as Wainwright was announced as the singer for the anthem, his Cardinals teammates turned around to watch him walk to the microphone with shock and smiles on their faces. The crowd reacted to the announcement with a loud cheer as well.

This isn’t the first time that Wainwright has taken to the microphone. You can see from the video below that the 41-year-old right-hander has shown his love for music plenty in recent months.

Wainwright announced before the season that this would be his last on the diamond, but he could potentially have another career choice in music ahead of him.