St. Louis Cardinals‘ pitcher Adam Wainwright is officially playing in his last MLB season. On Opening Day Thursday, he surprised his teammates and all of Busch Stadium by performing the national anthem, via Sportsnet.

It was quite an Opening Day moment in St. Louis, as the reaction on his teammates' faces and the eruption from the crowd says it all. He finished the anthem and was met by a resounding ovation, a jubilant grin spreading on Wainwright from ear to ear.

In terms of the national anthem, Wainwright showed he really isn't just a pitcher. He sang confidently and held out some notes while the crowd cheered him on. It was certainly the perfect kickoff to his retirement tour.

Going into his last season, Wainwright is ready to cap off a hall-of-fame career. He has 195 wins, and if he was able to surpass 210, he would sit tied at second in Cardinals history for most wins only behind the legendary Bob Gibson (251).

Despite it being his final year, he comes in hungry and motivated after a lackluster finish to the campaign in 2022. He pitched to a respectable ERA of 3.71, however, he had only two wins and a 7.22 ERA over his last six starts. He hopes to finish much stronger until he calls it quits.

The perfect ending to his career would be a World Series ring, and the Cardinals certainly have the team to do so. Led by stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, Wainwright hopes his last season ends in his second World Series ring.