Scotty McCreery sings the national anthem at the World Series, Zooey Deschanel to bat clean-up

Last night at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals bested the Texas Rangers 3-2 in the opening game of the 2011 World Series. The biggest baseball event of the year kicked off with the usual pomp and circumstance, featuring a cameo appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama and a national anthem performance by American Idol winner and Billboard chart-topper Scotty McCreery.

Luckily, McCreery’s performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was sharper than his unfortunately-tinted World Series jacket, and he also managed to overcome a bit of a technical snafu at the beginning (the first step to a great performance is to turn on the microphone).

It’s still a little bit jarring hearing that voice come out of McCreery’s face, but he managed to sidestep the usual pitfalls the come associated with the song. He’s had plenty of practice, as he performed it before a North Carolina State football game just a few weeks ago.

For those of you not interested in baseball (which is a shame, because this is the most evenly-matched Series in recent memory) but definitely concerned with music and patriotism, Fox announced the rest of the planned anthem singers for the three sure-thing games remaining.

It’s an especially country-tinged lineup: Trace Adkins will take the microphone before tonight’s game, with Ronnie Dunn holding it down before Saturday night’s game in Arlington, Texas. The most intriguing performance will come Sunday night in Texas, where New Girl star and She & Him member Zooey Deschanel will take on “The Star-Spangled Banner” before game four.

Check out Scotty’s performance below, and let us know who you’d like Major League Baseball to book to sing the national anthem should the World Series extend beyond four games. Anybody else hoping that St. Louis’ own Nelly gets the chance to bellow about the rockets’ red glare?

Read more on EW.com:

Scotty McCreery sells 197,000 copies in first week: How does he stack up against other ‘Idol’ winners?

Review: Scotty McCreery, Clear As Day

Scotty McCreery on life after ‘American Idol’ and the release of his debut album ‘Clear As Day’