The St. Louis Cardinals released their spring training schedule for the 2009 season. The 35-game Florida slate begins on Wednesday, February 25, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., vs. co-tenants, the Florida Marlins.
The Cardinals’ Grapefruit League schedule also features a home contest against the Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic team on Thursday March 5. Spring competition will wrap up with two exhibition games in Memphis, Tenn., against the club’s Triple-A affiliate, on April 3 and 4.
This coming spring marks the 12th year that the Cardinals will train at Roger Dean Stadium. Cardinals’ pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Jupiter on February 14. The remainder of the Cardinals players are scheduled to report February 17.
The Cardinals will play 22 games at Roger Dean Stadium, including three games as the visiting team against the Florida Marlins. In all, the Cards will square off with the Marlins six times this spring. St. Louis will see the Baltimore Orioles the most with four home and away games each, including a pair of home and away split squad games on Friday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 18. The club’s only night game is slated against the O’s on March 13 with a 7:05 p.m. start at Roger Dean Stadium. St. Louis faces a couple new spring foes this season, making trips to the Gulf Coast to play the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies (March 15) and American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays (March 19). The two 2008 World Series participant clubs will make trips to Jupiter on March 2 (Rays) and March 20 (Phillies).
The 2009 spring schedule also features two games with the Boston Red Sox, at Jupiter on March 12 and in Ft. Myers March 27 and a return trip to Ft Myers for the Cardinals on March 29 to play Minnesota. The Cardinals will play Houston and Detroit in home-and-away contests and they will face the New York Mets five times and Washington Nationals three times.
