San Diego Padres vs St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park

The St. Louis Cardinals arrive at Petco Park on May 7 carrying one of baseball's deepest traditions — eleven World Series titles, a fan base that treats baseball as civic identity, and a roster that competes every year regardless of the circumstances. A Cardinals series at Petco in May is the kind of early-season test that defines what a Padres year is going to look like — quality opposition, a significant away following in the stands, and a home crowd that responds by being louder and more present than usual. Petco Park in early May has one of the best views in baseball: the Coronado Bridge faint on the horizon, the bay beyond the right-field wall, the city entirely present even as the game takes over the foreground. Cardinals vs Padres is the National League East vs West rivalry in its most formal traditional clothes. Show up early.