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.

Nolan Arenado's eighth-inning blast didn't give the St. Louis Cardinals the lead -- they were already in front at the time -- nor did it complete a big day for him at the plate. But it had plenty of extra meaning,

Arenado, the subject of trade rumors all offseason, hit an eighth-inning homer in Thursday’s 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. He subsequently took a curtain call and waved to the crowd. Cardinals fans roared for Arenado during pregame introductions.