Thunderous applause and roaring cheers followed Arenado throughout the day: When he first took the field on the back of a Ford-150 truck — a home opener tradition — and circled the field, when he was introduced before his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning and during each of his at-bats that followed.

After a whirlwind offseason clouded by trade talks, eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado is back for his fifth season with the St. Louis Cardinals. And he started it off with a bang, crushing a key insurance home run in Thursday's Opening Day victory.