鈥楽hirtless dudes鈥� trend energizes Cardinals鈥� walk-off win, and Oliver Marmol loves it
The “shirtless dudes” craze that swept its way through college football last fall made its way to Busch Stadium on Friday night. And Oliver Marmol hopes it’s here to stay.
The St. Louis Cardinals manager made a plea on social media for more shirtless fans after a group of bare-chested spectators took over multiple sections of the right-field stands during Friday night’s interleague matchup against the Kansas City Royals. The Cardinals eventually won 5-4 in walk-off fashion in the 11th inning, with scores of fans waving shirts around their heads like a helicopter as Nathan Church scored from third on a Yohel Pozo single.
“Last night’s atmosphere was electric. Let’s run it back this weekend,” Marmol posted on X. “I’ll buy tickets for fans who want to sit in the right field Loge and bring the energy.”
Stephen F. Austin’s club baseball team took credit for starting the shirtless section in a story on its Instagram account. The team is competing in the National Club Baseball Division II World Series in nearby Alton, Ill., and several players attended Friday night’s game between the cross-state rival Cardinals and Royals.
Dozens of half-naked fans migrated to an empty section in the right field stands by the ninth inning, chanting and exhorting the rest of the crowd as the energy in the stadium ramped up. By the time the 11th inning rolled around, multiple sections had gone topless.
“Whoever started that in right field, I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure they come every game,” Marmol told reporters Friday night. “Because that was awesome. Not only them, but everybody that showed up today. That was a fun environment.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time shirtless males have taken control of the atmosphere inside a stadium.
The movement has roots back to an Indiana Hoosiers football game in 2021, but it went national last fall with the Oklahoma State Cowboys’ home loss to the Houston Cougars on Oct. 11. The craze quickly spread across the country, and could now become a thing at Busch Stadium — if Marmol has his way.
“That was pretty damn cool. I’ll sign up for that any day,” Marmol told reporters Friday night.
This article originally appeared in .
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