LOS ANGELES, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/AFP) – The World
Series champion Chicago Cubs opened baseball’s new season with a defeat on Sunday after Randal Grichuk’s single gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory.
Chicago, who ended a 108-year wait for the World Series with victory
over Cleveland last November, slipped to defeat after Grichuk’s decisive play in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Cardinals engineered a game-winning position after Jose Martinez
lined up a double in right-center off Mike Montgomery.
Yadier Molina was then walked intentionally before Kolten Wong worked
another walk, allowing Grichuk the chance for his walk-off hit.
Elsewhere Sunday, San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner
clubbed two home runs but it was not enough to stop the Arizona Diamondbacks snatching a 6-5 win.
Bumgarner became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history
to hit two homers on Opening Day and looked to have helped the Giants into a
game-winning position as they led 5-4 in the ninth.
But Arizona shortstop Chris Owings singled home the winning run with
two outs in a two-run ninth inning to give the D-Backs victory at Chase Field.
Earlier, Bumgarner hit bases-empty home runs in the fifth and seventh
innings to put the Giants 4-3 ahead. On the mound, Bumgarner struck out 11 and gave up six hits and three runs.