On Opening Day at Busch Stadium, there was an absence without Stan Musial, who died in January at 92, in that line. He had been a constant presence on Opening Day in St. Louis for the last 70 years. But while he may not have been at Busch on Monday, he emerged as the centerpiece of the Cardinals’ home opener festivities.

For nine Major League teams, the beginning of the 2013 season was a character-building journey of airline miles, hotel beds, raucous opposing crowds celebrating their home debuts, and uniforms stitched in grey. Monday and Tuesday will change that.

Even most of the top pitchers have their best stuff only two of every three times, so there are plenty of days when it’s about competing and not backing down. That’s what Rangers starter Yu Darvish did on Sunday night against the Angels.

Homers from Lance Berkman, David Murphy and Ian Kinsler helped Yu Darvish, who’s start was limited to five innings because of a blister on his ring finger, lead the Rangers to a series victory over the Angels on Sunday night.

Angels right-hander Jered Weaver left Sunday night’s 7-3 loss at Rangers Ballpark after landing on his left elbow as he dodged a line drive off the bat of Mitch Moreland leading off the sixth inning.

Matt Cain might have been perfect for his first three frames, but the Cardinals didn’t let him off easy the second time through the lineup. Sending 14 batters to the plate, St. Louis used a nine-run outburst in the fourth inning to claim a 14-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday and win the three-game series.

The Rockies won their second series of the season with a clean sweep of the Padres on Sunday afternoon. Opening Day starter Jhoulys Chacin made his second quality start, while the offense rallied early to give him a lead to work with en route to a 9-1 victory.

Adrian Gonzalez drove in four runs on three hits, Carl Crawford provided a spark at the top of the lineup and Justin Sellers homered for his first hit of the season as the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 6-2.

The 2012 World Series championship rings the Giants received in Sunday’s pregame ceremony represented more than just pieces of jewelry. Each is an everlasting memento of a historic postseason, a tribute to a great American city and a symbol of one of baseball’s crown jewel franchises.

Angels lefty C.J. Wilson understands why Rangers fans would not be happy seeing Josh Hamilton come back to his former home in the uniform of the their team’s American League West rivals. It’s a simple case of fans being fans, for better or worse.

J.J. Putz blew a save, but Eric Hinske rescued the D-backs with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the 11th inning, and Arizona held on for an 8-7 win over the Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park.

Josh Reddick sprained his right wrist in the fifth inning against the Astros Sunday after crashing into a wall in foul territory at Minute Maid Park while attempting to make a catch.

Marlon Byrd hit a two-run, walk-off single in the ninth inning Sunday, leading the Mets to a 4-3 win over the Marlins at Citi Field.

Twenty-year-old Jose Fernandez made his Majors debut on Sunday, dazzling with eight strikeouts in five frames, the most ever for a Marlin in his first big league start. But the righty reports that he was calm on the mound, and considering his life experience, this is not surprising.

In a contest that didn’t feel as lopsided as the score indicated, CC Sabathia permitted just four hits and did not allow a runner to touch third base over seven scoreless innings, leading the Yankees to a 7-0 victory over the Tigers on Sunday.

The Phillies tapped James Shields for four early runs, but Billy Butler hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to put the Royals ahead for good in their 9-8 victory Sunday. Butler went 2-for-4 with seven RBIs, and Shields settled down after the first, striking out eight batters in six innings.

Thanks to a great start from Tim Hudson and timely hitting from shortstop Ramiro Pena, the Braves completed a sweep of the Cubs on Sunday with a 5-1 victory.