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The St. Louis Cardinals are going all in on the shirtless fans that have given Busch Stadium a jolt.
The Cardinals are dedicating an entire section in the upper right-field bleachers at Busch Stadium for fans to watch the game shirtless.
“Starting tonight, the upper right field bleachers at Busch Stadium will become a dedicated high-energy fan section, inspired by the Tarps Off atmosphere fans have brought to the ballpark,” the Cardinals posted to social media.
“Any fan in the ballpark, regardless of seat location, can join the fun. Shirts optional.”
The “Tarps Off” movement began last Friday during the Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. A group of fans made their way to an empty section. About 100 fans first started the movement, and as the game went to extra innings, the entire section was packed with shirtless fans.
When the Cardinals walked off the Royals in the 11th inning, the section went ballistic.
Caleb Cummings, a 20-year-old on the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team, came up with the idea, and it has since taken a life of its own.
The mob of shirtless fans drew praise from Cardinals manager Oli Marmol for the energy they brought, crediting them for creating an awesome environment.
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“Whoever started that in right field, I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure they come to every game,” Marmol said. “Because that was awesome. Not only them, but everybody that showed up today. That was a fun environment.”
Marmol stayed true to his word, and he bought tickets for them to stay for the team’s game over the weekend. He even brought them down to the clubhouse after the team’s win on Saturday.
“What you guys did for them was actually pretty damn special. Cause they fed off of it, they loved every second of last night. And then when you all showed up there in about the third, the place went wild,” Marmol told the kids in his office on Saturday.
The shirtless section has also drawn the attention of the players. Ivan Herrera saluted the shirtless fans by pretending to wave his shirt around after clubbing a walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
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After Herrera stepped on home plate, his teammates immediately started taking off his uniform.
With the shirtless section now becoming a staple in St. Louis, Marmol and the Cardinals hope they bring that same energy every home game throughout the season.
The Cardinals (28-20) will look to deliver a win to their raucous fans on Wednesday when they play the Pirates (25-24) in the final game of a three-game series at 1:15 p.m. ET.
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