“It had to be one of the best baseball games ever played,” said Wainwright, the team’s rookie closer. “Just unbelievable tension right to the last pitch.”[1]

A Hard-Fought Game From the Start

Coming off a 4-2 loss in Game 6, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa turned to veteran starter Jeff Suppan, who had thrown eight shutout innings in a 5-0 victory in Game 3. La Russa also opted to use his sixth different lineup of the series, moving Molina from eighth to seventh in the order while dropping Ronnie Belliard to eighth.

That decision ultimately proved key to the victory.

Both teams scored early. In the first inning, David Wright singled to drive in Carlos Beltrán for a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals answered an inning later when Belliard laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Jim Edmonds from third, tying the game 1-1.

Endy Chavez’s Incredible Catch

From there, both starting pitchers took command. Mets starter Óliver Pérez allowed just four hits through the first five innings, but trouble arose when he walked Edmonds with one out in the sixth. The free pass drew Mets manager Willie Randolph out of the dugout, and after a brief chat, Mets fans applauded when Randolph walked away, leaving his young starter in the game.

The decision almost backfired.

On the next pitch, Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen hit a high fly ball that seemed destined for the stands. Mets left fielder Endy Chavez, however, timed his leap perfectly, pulling the ball back from over the wall and doubling off Edmonds at first base to end the inning.

“It was an unbelievable play – I thought it went over the fence,” Rolen said.[2]

“It seemed like destiny was on our side,” Mets closer Billy Wagner said.[3]

Jeff Suppan Delivers Seven Strong Innings

Suppan delivered seven strong innings, working around five walks while allowing just two hits. Across his two NLCS starts, Suppan allowed just one run on five hits in 15 innings.

“I never thought I’d be in a situation like this,” Suppan said. “We got here because we focused on what we had to focus on and we were able to persevere.”[4]

After Suppan walked Beltrán to open the eighth, La Russa called on reliever Randy Flores, who delivered in the high-pressure moment. Flores struck out Carlos Delgado and Wright before getting Shawn Green to ground out, keeping the game tied 1-1.

Yadier Molina’s Clutch Home Run

The deadlock continued into the ninth inning. Mets reliever Aaron Heilman returned to the mound for his second inning of work after a scoreless eighth. This time, however, he ran into trouble. With one out, Rolen singled to left, setting the stage for Molina.

The Cardinals’ 23-year-old catcher had hit just .216 during the regular season, but was the team’s hottest hitter during the postseason, batting .333 with two homers and a team-high seven RBIs.

His hot streak continued when Heilman hung a changeup.

“It’s great. A great feeling,” Molina said. “It’s the best moment of my life.”[5]

“I just wanted to look for my pitch and put a good swing on it,” he added. “If it’s not there, I don’t swing.”[6]

“Obviously, he’s been seeing the ball a lot better the last couple of weeks,” said Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols. “Right now, when we need him, he’s coming through with some big hits for us.”[7]

Adam Wainwright Saves the Game

For the bottom of the ninth, La Russa once again called upon Wainwright, the highly touted rookie who had inherited the closer’s job following a season-ending injury to Jason Isringhausen.

As was usual for the 2006 Cardinals, it didn’t come easy. José Valentín and Chavez each singled to open the inning. With Heilman’s place coming up in the batting order, Randolph called upon Cliff Floyd to pinch hit. Wainwright struck him out looking, then got José Reyes to line out to center. A five-pitch walk to Paul Lo Duca, however, brought Beltrán to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs.

Wainwright struck him out on three pitches, including a sharp curveball that caught Beltrán looking to end the game.

“Unbelievable. I was so happy,” Wainwright said. “When I got him 0-2, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to make one more good pitch. One more great pitch and let’s go to the Series.’”[8]

On KTRS, former Cardinals star Mike Shannon called the final pitch: “The 0-2 delivery. Curve, struck him out looking! The Cardinals are going to Michigan to take on the Tigers! They mob, they mob Adam Wainwright on the mound! They are National League champions and headed toward Detroit as they mob the pitcher and now Yadier Molina. In come the bullpenners to pile on! The Cardinals have won this game 3-1 on a two-run home run by their catcher, Yadier Molina.”

In 2024, Wainwright replied to a social media post to explain that Molina’s pitch-calling made the strikeout possible, beginning with the first-pitch changeup that Beltrán watched for a strike.

“You can tell it kind of confused him,” Wainwright wrote. “What rookie pitcher would have the stones to throw his fourth-best pitch in that situation to start an at-bat? One that was too confident to know better and who trusted his catcher completely.”

Furthermore, the Cardinals’ scouting report said that while Beltrán would be aggressive early in the count, he would be patient the deeper he got into the at-bat.

“We knew he’d be aggressive early and in the middle of the count, but if he fell behind, (he) would be super patient based off previous at-bats against us,” Wainwright recalled. “A conversation with Yadi before the game led to the strike 3 pitch. A gamble to throw it in the zone. But homework pays off.”

That was kinda fun….

Couple things to know here:

1. People asking why he took the first pitch. That was a changeup. Masterfully called by the best defensive catcher to ever live. As fate would have it I started that in off the plate and worked it back to the inside part.

— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) October 19, 2024

A Season Defined by Resilience

With their 90^th win of the season, the Cardinals set a date to face the Tigers in the World Series. Detroit had swept the Athletics in the ALCS earlier that week.

“It’s been a unique season because we’ve had so many ups and downs,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said. “We’ve had so many injuries, a new ballpark, uncertain how things are going to play out. Having lost (Mark) Mulder early in the year. Losing Izzy (Isringhausen) at the end. But this team continues to be resilient, bounce back, and play well.”[9]

“We’ve all had a tough year. It’s been a long year,” Edmonds said. “To get to this point, after the year we’ve had, is the most unbelievable feeling I’ve ever had.”[10]

Meanwhile, the Mets, who had won 97 games and captured their first NL East title since 1988, were left to ponder what might have been.

“It was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever been connected with,” Floyd said.[11]

“I don’t know how you can look at this as a good season,” added Wagner. “We didn’t win anything. We all expected to go to Detroit. To sit back and watch another team celebrate on our field, that’s tough.”[12]

The Cardinals carried their momentum from the NLCS into the World Series, beating the Tigers in five games and capping the series with a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “Season of torment stays tough to the end,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2006.

[2] Joe Ostermeier, “Rolen felt the pain of hitting a home run that wasn’t,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[3] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

[4] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[5] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[6] Joe Ostermeier, “La Russa shifted his lineup for Game 7,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[7] Joe Ostermeier, “La Russa shifted his lineup for Game 7,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[8] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[9] Derrick Goold, “Resilient Redbirds flag down pennant,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2006.

[10] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[11] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

[12] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

The post 2006 NLCS Game 7: Cards beat Mets, clinch World Series berth first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Born to a 17-year-old mother and a father who was in federal prison (as he would be for almost all of Pham’s childhood), Pham grew up in poverty.

“I’m not your typical baseball player,’’ Pham said in 2019. “Most of these baseball players, they grew up in a two-parent household where their dad went out and played catch with ‘em, and stuff like that. I’m the complete opposite. My dad’s been in prison my whole life. If I wanted to play catch, I had to play catch with a brick wall with a tennis ball. If I wanted to work on my hitting, I had to throw a whiffle ball up and hit by myself. …

“I come from a background where my mom was getting evicted out of houses, getting her car repo-ed, stuff like that. She always had to work for stuff that people take for granted.”[1]

As if that wasn’t enough for Pham to overcome on his way to the majors, he was diagnosed with keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition in which the cornea becomes cone-shaped, like the end of a football. He struggled in the minors for three years before his condition was discovered.

“His overcoming that issue, and this is not hyperbole, that’s one of the most impressive athletic feats,’’ said Mike Shildt, who managed Pham in the minors and also has keratoconus. “Baseball is the most highly visual game there is. This guy has dealt with a disability that is hard for people that have it, speaking from experience, to just function. And you’re talking about being an elite major league player.’’[2]

With that background in mind, perhaps it’s no surprise that Pham has been fearless throughout his career, including his rookie campaign. In 52 games as a rookie in 2015, Pham hit .268/.347/.477 with five homers and 18 RBIs. Just as the rookie set high standards for his own play, he expected the best from his teammates and wasn’t afraid to tell them when they failed to meet those expectations.

In May 2024, MLB Network host Greg Amsinger shared a story he heard from former Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who was telling him that Pham, now a veteran outfielder, was the perfect acquisition for teams seeking to shore up their clubhouse culture. When Amsinger asked Wainwright to explain, the former Cardinals ace pointed to Pham’s rookie season.

“He’s been in the big leagues for three months. The Cardinals are losing, in a bad stretch, and Tommy Pham stands on a stool and starts airing everybody out,” Amsinger recounted. “This is a rookie Tommy Pham, in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, just standing and saying, ‘You don’t show up to the yard on time. You’re not giving 110%,’ and he’s just going around the room.

“Adam said he looked at Yadier Molina, and they’re the two leaders in the clubhouse, going, ‘Should we cut him off?’ and they’re like, ‘Nah, we’re going to let this go. He’s not wrong.’ So they let him air everybody out, and then Wainwright walks up to him and puts his arm around him and goes, ‘Hey, Tommy, that was great. Let’s give it another year before you do that again.’”[3]

The Cardinals went on to win the NL Central that year, though they fell to the Cubs in the NL Division Series.

Pham played three more seasons with the Cardinals. His best campaign coming in 2017, when the 29-year-old hit .306/.411/.520 with 23 homers, 73 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.

At the 2018 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays for Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, and Justin Williams. From there, Pham played for the Rays, Padres, Reds, Red Sox, Mets, Diamondbacks, and White Sox before the Cardinals traded for him midway through the 2024 season.

Pham hit .206 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games in St. Louis. With the club fading from the playoff chase, the Cardinals waived Pham, and he signed with the Royals. He spent the 2025 season with the Pirates, batting .245 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs.

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[1] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[2] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[3] “MLB Network lead host Greg Amsinger,” The Opening Drive, 101 ESPN, May 2, 2024. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nCxQNq2uYVlLPFffGYgl2.

The post A classic Tommy Pham story shared by Adam Wainwright first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I had an idea coming to the park today that I was … going to lay it all out here, because I really wanted it to happen here,” Wainwright said. “The crowd was unbelievable tonight. I felt them cheering on every pitch I made, every big strikeout, we had a couple of double plays, and the crowd was just going crazy. They were on their feet all night and I felt that.”[1]

Cardinals fans certainly had every reason to go crazy, as Wainwright gave his best performance of the season, shutting out the Brewers across seven innings before handing the game off to the bullpen for a 1-0 victory and the 200^th win of his career.

“That’s as good as we’ve seen,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “If you talked to him right before the game, and if he’s being really honest, he was being held up by duct tape before the game started, and for him to go out there and do what he did is highly impressive.”[2]

The Cardinals acquired their future ace in a December 2003 trade that sent J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero to the Braves for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Wainwright.

Wainwright’s march to 200 wins began in 2005, when the 23-year-old made a pair of relief appearances. The Cardinals used Wainwright as a reliever again in 2006, where he picked up the first two wins of his career, then earned his place in Cardinals history when he struck out Carlos Beltran to close out the NLCS.

Wainwright proved up to the task in his first season as a starter, winning 14 games with a 3.70 ERA, and in 2009 he led all of baseball with 19 wins while finishing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting and winning his first Gold Glove Award.

Despite missing the 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, Wainwright continued to rack up victories, winning 20 in 2010, 14 in 2012, 19 in 2013, and 20 again in 2014. Injuries that kept him out most of the 2015 and 2018 seasons postponed his march to 200, as did the shortened COVID season in 2020, but after winning 17 games in 2021 and 11 in 2022, Wainwright entered what he had announced would be his final season just five wins shy of the milestone.

What followed was the Cardinals’ worst season during Wainwright’s 19 years with the club and the most challenging on-field campaign of the righthander’s career. A weight room injury suffered at the World Baseball Classic postponed Wainwright’s first start of the season until May. On May 18, Wainwright earned his first win of the season against the Dodgers despite allowing five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Five days later, he earned win No. 2 against the Reds, once again allowing five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

After two no-decisions in early June, Wainwright earned win No. 3 against the Mets on June 17. Despite a 5.56 ERA, Wainwright held a 3-1 record and seemed well on his way to 200 wins.

It would be almost three months before he earned his next win.

Wainwright lost his next three starts, including a 3 1/3-inning performance in which he allowed seven runs. After that start, Wainwright was sent to the disabled list. When he returned, however, his losing streak continued. On August 11, after he allowed eight runs in a one-inning start against the Royals, his ERA was up to 8.78. Ahead of his September 12 start against the playoff-bound Orioles, Wainwright was just 3-11 on the season and had lost his last 10 decisions.

With the season drawing to a close, however, Wainwright found reason for optimism, holding the Orioles to two runs over five innings in a 5-2 win that placed him on the cusp of history. At most, Wainwright only had three starts remaining to reach the milestone.

As it turned out, he only needed one.

Wainwright gained momentum early in the game. After allowing a one-out walk to William Contreras in the first inning, he got Carlos Santana to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play. He retired the side in order in the second, ending the inning with the 2,200^th strikeout of his career when he caught Rowdy Tellez looking.

Wainwright danced out of danger in the third. With runners on first and second and two outs, he got Contreras to ground out to Paul Goldschmidt at first base, ending the inning and maintaining the scoreless tie.

In the bottom fourth, it was Contreras’s older brother, Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who finally put a run on the board against Freddy Peralta, who had cruised through the first three innings. In his first season in St. Louis as the successor to Yadier Molina, Willson Contreras had battled adversity of his own, including a period in May in which the Cardinals briefly removed him from the catcher position. Despite the ups and downs, Contreras was finishing the season strong, and since September 1 he had hit .389 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

With a solo home run that was 114.7 mph off the bat,[3] Contreras reached 20 home runs for the third consecutive season.

“I know (Wainwright) has been battling a lot of stuff and he’s been pitching the best that he can this year,” Contreras said. “I’m glad that he was able to reach the 200 mark on wins. And I’m glad that I was back behind the plate for him.”[4]

From there, it was up to Wainwright and the Cardinals’ bullpen to make Contreras’s home run stand up. Wainwright retired the side in order in the fifth, then got Santana to ground into another inning-ending double play in the sixth.

Brewers outfielder Mark Canha opened the seventh with a single to center field, prompting a mound visit from Marmol. After a brief conversation, Marmol stuck with Wainwright, who retired Willy Adames, Tellez, and Josh Donaldson in order.

They proved to be the final outs of Wainwright’s career. As he walked off the mound for the final time, Cardinals fans gave him a standing ovation.

“I didn’t want to tip my hat or anything because I didn’t know if I was done,” Wainwright said, “but I did feel that crowd and it was a special walk off.”[5]

Lefthander John King took the mound in the eighth. Like Wainwright before him, he benefited from a ground-ball double play, but when Sal Frelick singled, Marmol turned to Helsley to record the final four outs of the game.

“They came to me in the bullpen down there and they were like, ‘Hey, could you give us one plus if we need you?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll give you whatever I’ve got to help Waino get to 200,’” Helsley said. “I was just happy to go out there and execute and help him get it.”[6]

Helsley struck out William Contreras to end the eighth, then retired the side in order in the ninth for his 12^th and most important save of the season.

“For sure, you know what’s at stake,” Helsley said. “You’re thinking about it all day. It was a close game. You’re thinking you’re going to be in there. I was definitely on edge most of the game and praying to the Good Lord above that he’d help me nail it down for him.”[7]

Though none of Wainwright’s 93 pitches exceeded 88 mph,[8] he held the Brewers to just four hits and two walks over seven innings.

“For at least a night, I was a real pitcher out there,” Wainwright said. “The guy I want to be. Seven innings, shutout, a couple of hits. Got through a couple of tough at-bats out there and made adjustments, worked in and out, up and down. For tonight, I was me.”[9]

With three strikeouts in the game, Wainwright moved past David Wells for 65^th all-time among big-league pitchers. Only Bob Gibson’s 3,117 strikeouts ranked higher in Cardinals history.

“He just kept guys off balance,” Marmol said. “He didn’t have what he had last time as far as the (velocity) being there, but there weren’t a whole lot of comfortable swings or hard-hit balls for the most part. He went through that lineup and was in control the whole time. It was just fun to watch him out there competing.”[10]

For his part, Wainwright admitted that this one meant a bit extra, and compared it to that 2006 strikeout of Beltran in the NLCS.

“Tonight, for me, this is tied for first,” he said.[11]

“Having to work as hard as I had to work for it made me savor it that much more. There was a time where I really wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep going, or if they were going to let me keep going. … That’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever pitched in my whole life.”[12]

With 200 career wins, Wainwright joined rarefied air. Only Gibson (251) and Jesse Haines (210) had more wins while wearing the birds on the bat, and only five other active players had reached the milestone. The next closest active player was Johnny Cueto with 144.

“I think in today’s game it means a lot,” said Wainwright’s former teammate Chris Carpenter. “It goes well with all different adjectives for what it means. It means one has longevity, shows he’s been a winner, shows he’s been good, shows he’s been healthy, shows he’s been consistent. All of the above. It’s a neat number. Does it represent all of his career? No. It is a neat number.”[13]

No. 200 proved to be the final game of Wainwright’s career. Admitting that he had battled pain all season long, the Cardinals announced a few days later that he would be limited to pinch-hitting opportunities in his final days.

“When you think of the St. Louis Cardinals, you think of Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for the last 20 years,” Helsley said. “Him pushing for his 200^th win is obviously a huge ordeal, and he’s just been a great role model for all of us in here, pitchers and position players alike.”[14]

In The Athletic, beat writer Katie Woo wrote about the legacy Wainwright was leaving behind after almost two decades in St. Louis.

“Wainwright’s impending retirement brings with it the end of a generation,” she wrote. “He is the last household name of the mid-200os era, which introduced franchise staples like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Chris Carpenter. He is a fan favorite, and his career will undoubtedly end with a red jacket, enshrined in the organization’s hall of fame. He pitched most of the season hurt, wear and tear chipping away at his ability. But he never quit until he delivered for himself and for the city, one more time.”[15]

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[1] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[2] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[3] Derrick Goold, “200 for Wainwright!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2023.

[4] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[5] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[6] Lynn Worthy, “Wainwright might not make another start for Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[7] Lynn Worthy, “Wainwright might not make another start for Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[8] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[9] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[10] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[11] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[12] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[13] Derrick Goold, “200 for Wainwright!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2023.

[14] Jeff Jones, “Wainwright joins Gibson, Haines in Cardinals’ 200-win club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[15] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

The post How Adam Wainwright earned his 200th win first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The Cardinals’ final home game of the season – an October 3 contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates – had long been earmarked as a special occasion. That March, Pujols returned to the Cardinals for what he announced would be the final season of his 22-year career. Molina too had announced that 2022 would mark his final season, concluding a 19-year career in St. Louis.

When the Cardinals announced a pregame ceremony honoring the careers of Pujols and Molina, it was clear that Wainwright – who made his debut in 2005 – would play an important role, even though he was schedule to pitch that day. Wainwright had not announced whether he planned to return for 2023.

“I declined at first because I knew it was going to be in my warmup,” Wainwright said. “And I was asked again and I thought, you know what, this is a special time for those two and I feel like I owe it to them to be a part of it. I wouldn’t have done it if I was a second-year player. But I’ve been here a long time and been teammates with them a long time and felt like I ought to. I wouldn’t miss that.”[1]

“He could have done it a lot of different ways but he wanted to make sure it was special for those two guys,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, noting that Wainwright could have filmed his remarks in advance.[2]

Instead, Wainwright altered his pregame routine to be part of an on-field ceremony that saw Cardinals Hall of Famers Ray Lankford, Jason Isringhausen, and Matt Holliday in attendance to honor their former teammate. The ceremony included remarks from owner Bill DeWitt Jr., president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, Wainwright, and Pujols and Molina.

The team gifted both players with golf clubs and embroidered golf bags, plaques outlining their career accomplishments, and paintings commissioned from Puerto Rican artist Carlos Mercado. St. Louis mayor Tishaura O. Jones presented official proclamations from the city declaring that October 4 would be Yadier Molina Day and October 5 would be Albert Pujols Day. Molina, of course, wore No. 4 throughout most of his career (he wore No. 41 in 2004 and 2005) and Pujols wore No. 5 throughout his Cardinals career (he wore No. 55 with the Dodgers in 2021).

“It is extraordinary when you have the opportunity to see two young players play together and you watch their friendship become a brotherhood,” said Mozeliak, who drafted both players. “It is a special friendship that became family.”[3]

Even Pirates closer David Bednar was impressed. “How long have those guys been doing it?” he said. “To see them celebrated, it was really cool to watch.”[4]

It was a moment that seemed impossible after Pujols signed with the Angels following the 2011 season. His return, however, was just the beginning. After batting just .215/.301/.376 for a .676 OPS and an OPS+ of just 92 (8% below league average) during the first half, Pujols returned to the form so many Cardinals fans remembered.

“I’m really blessed to be back here and to finish my career where everything started for me,” Pujols said. “If you look around, the history of this organization is all about winning, from bringing guys here that can play the game and developing them in the system. … There’s no better feeling than to raise a championship trophy at the end of the year.”[5]

Pujols acknowledged his second-half resurgence in his pregame remarks.

“I have faith in the Lord, and there’s no way he brought me back to the city of St. Louis to embarrass myself,” he said.[6]

When the 40-minute ceremony concluded and the game began, Pujols continued his hot hitting. After Wainwright threw a 1-2-3 first inning, marking his record 328^th start with Molina as his catcher, Pujols got the Cardinals out to an early lead with a two-run double. Two batters later, Molina hit a sacrifice fly that scored Pujols and gave the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead.

It was as if the first inning had been scripted by the baseball gods.

The Pirates, however, were determined to play spoiler. Jack Suwinski drew a leadoff walk and Calvin Mitchell singled for Pittsburgh before Ben Gamel hit a three-run homer to right field to tie the game. An inning later, rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz singled and stole second, then scored on a sacrifice fly that gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the third, Pujols stepped to the plate for what would prove to be the final regular-season at-bat of his career in St. Louis. Facing Roansy Contreras, a rookie righthander and fellow native of the Dominican Republic, Pujols hammered the second pitch he saw over the center-field wall.

It marked the 702^nd home run of his career and tied him with Babe Ruth for second all-time with 2,214 career RBIs. Only Henry Aaron, with 2,297, had more.

The home run gave Pujols 23 homers for the year and 17 in 153 at-bats since the all-star break.

“He always rises to the occasion in big moments,” Wainwright said.[7]

In the fourth, after Wainwright threw another 1-2-3 inning, outfielder Dylan Carlson and shortstop Paul DeJong hit back-to-back doubles to regain the lead, 5-4. Although Wainwright originally had been slated to throw approximately 50 pitches and had already thrown 61, he returned for the fifth inning with a chance to earn the win.

It wasn’t meant to be.

Pirates second baseman Ji Hwan Bae led off the fifth with a single before Cruz followed with a double. After Wainwright struck out Bryan Reynolds, Miguel Andujar hit a ground ball that scored Bae and Suwinski hit an RBI single to score Cruz.

With the Pirates leading 6-5, Wainwright’s day was over. When Marmol emerged from the dugout to relieve Wainwright in favor of left-hander Zack Thompson, Wainwright was joined by Molina and Pujols. Together, the three Cardinals legends walked side-by-side off the field.

“That was a surprise,” Wainwright said. “I thought that was cool.”[8]

After Thompson struck out Rodolfo Castro on three pitches, Wainwright’s line was complete: six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He finished with four strikeouts.

“I was proud to walk off the field with those guys even though I was pouting a little bit,” he said. “It still was a good moment for me to say I was teammates with two of the greatest ever. That was a cool time for Albert and Yadi and our whole team to see how St. Louis celebrates some of the greatest players, not just Cardinals, but players ever.”[9]

After the game, Marmol said he regretted not removing them one inning earlier. Wainwright wouldn’t have been eligible for the win, which requires the starter to go five innings, but he would have left the game with the lead.[10]

Wainwright had allowed just five runs over his previous nine starts against the Pirates.

“We had a really good approach,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We did a nice job with the breaking ball, which we had not done in the past. We made him execute pitches. We made him work. That’s a challenge for a young group of players, but I thought they did a really nice job sticking to the game plan.”[11]

The Pirates added just one more run when Reynolds homered off Thompson in the seventh to make the final score 7-5. After Contreras and Pirates reliever Chase De Jong got Pittsburgh into the fifth inning, Duane Underwood Jr., Yohan Ramirez, Robert Stephenson, and Bednar combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. De Jong earned his sixth win of the season and Bednar earned his 19^th save.

“Really proud of our guys,” Shelton said. “There was a lot of stuff going on and we battled. You get down 3-0 early with a young group, you could go away. We didn’t. We came right back, had good at-bats, and made things happen. We ran the bases well. This was definitely a growing moment.”[12]

With a sellout crowd of 46,680, the Cardinals’ season attendance exceeded 3.32 million, far exceeding the 2.75 million the Cardinals estimated prior to the season. Vice president of ticket sales Joe Strohm credited Pujols for the difference, estimating that the legend’s return and chase for 700 home runs drew an additional 500,000 fans.[13]

St. Louis finished with 93 wins to win the National League Central Division by seven games. Though the Cardinals hosted both games of the Wild Card Series, the Phillies swept the series on their way to the National League championship. As a result, the Cardinals’ final regular-season home game proved the best farewell St. Louis could offer for Molina and Pujols – at least until they received an invitation to Cooperstown.

“As part of DeWitt’s remarks, he acknowledged the Cardinals have had at least one person in uniform who is inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame every year since 1909,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman. “Pujols and Molina will be a part of that stretch when their times come, and in so doing, will be as permanently embedded in the national baseball consciousness as they are locally, legends among legends, secure in their circle.[14]

Enjoy this post? Find similar stories listed by decade or by player.

[1] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[2] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[3] Benjamin Hochman, “Powerful ceremony honored two greats,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[4] Jason Mackey, “Pirates play role of spoilers,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 3, 2022.

[5] Benjamin Hochman, “Powerful ceremony honored two greats,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r9-4S4gu_w

[7] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[8] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[9] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[10] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[11] Jason Mackey, “Pirates play role of spoilers,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 3, 2022.

[12] Jason Mackey, “Pirates play role of spoilers,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 3, 2022.

[13] Rick Hummel, “Mikolas and Quintana set to pitch on Monday,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

[14] Jeff Jones, “Cardinals’ game vs. Pirates all about Pujols, Molina, Waino,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2022.

The post Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina bid farewell: October 2, 2022 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On September 23, 2021, Wainwright joined the 2,000-strikeout club, whiffing Brewers infielder Luis Urias to reach the milestone in his 16^th major league season. Paul Goldschmidt homered twice and the Cardinals won their 12^th consecutive game in a streak that would reach an incredible 17 games.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Matt Carpenter said of Wainwright’s 2,000^th strikeout. “It’s the kind of guy he is. His work ethic, his character, and most importantly, his competitiveness. He takes the ball every day with the expectation to not just win, but to go out and dominate.”[1]

Wainwright originally was a first-round draft pick by the Braves before he was traded to St. Louis in the 2003 trade that sent J.D. Drew to Atlanta. The three-time all-star had finished among the top three in the National League Cy Young Award balloting four times in his career and twice reached the 20-win plateau.

Along the way, Wainwright collected three seasons with more than 200 strikeouts, including a career-high 219 in 2013. At age 40, Wainwright remained capable of missing bats, as the strikeout of Urias marked his 170^th of the season. He joined Bob Gibson as the only pitchers to collect all 2,000 strikeouts with St. Louis and became the 85^th pitcher in big-league history to join the 2,000-strikeout club.

Though Wainwright entered the game one strikeout shy of 2,000, it wasn’t clear early in the game that he would last long enough to get it. Former Cardinal Kolten Wong led off the bottom of the first with a single, and with two outs, Wainwright walked Eduardo Escobar and Urias. With the bases loaded, Tyrone Taylor hit a grand slam to left field to give the Brewers an early 4-0 lead.

Wainwright retired the side in order in both the second and third innings. Then he led off the fourth inning by making history. On a 3-and-2 pitch, Wainwright’s longtime partner, catcher Yadier Molina, called for “Uncle Charlie.” Urias swung over the curveball and Wainwright had the 2,000^th strikeout of his career.

“That’s a lot of punchouts,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “It’s an impressive number. It speaks to a lot of things. Obviously, duration. You’ve got to have a strikeout pitch, or pitches. He’s got the signature curveball, but he’s got other weapons as well.”[2]

Taylor followed Wainwright’s big moment with his second home run of the game. In the fifth, Dylan Carlson tripled down the right-field line and Molina drove him home with a single to right. Later in the inning, Carpenter pinch-hit for Wainwright, ending the veteran’s historic day.

Though he only pitched four innings, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks, the day’s work gave Wainwright 200 1/3 innings for the season. It marked the first time he had surpassed 200 innings since 2014.

“It is a cool number,” Wainwright said. “It means you carried your team into the game a lot of times. That’s really what starting pitching is all about. It’s not the end-all, be-all by any stretch, but it is a cool number.”[3]

The Cardinals came back to tie the score in the top of the seventh. Edmundo Sosa started the rally with a one-out single before Harrison Bader and pinch-hitter Lars Nootbar each walked. Brewers manager Craig Counsell called upon reliever Brad Boxberger, who got Tommy Edman to ground into a force out that scored Sosa.

With Paul Goldschmidt at the plate, Edman was picked off but advanced to second on a throwing error that also allowed Bader to score. Goldschmidt then homered to left field, tying the game 5-5.

One inning later, the Cardinals claimed their first lead of the game. Nolan Arenado walked and scored on a passed ball, and Molina hit a sacrifice fly that gave St. Louis a 7-5 lead. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Goldschmidt hit his second home run of the game. Giovanny Gallegos retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his 12^th save of the season.

“They picked me up big time today,” Wainwright said. “Goldie hit some really good swings. I gave him a big old smooch on the top of his head and I don’t care who knows it.”[4]

Goldschmidt and Carlson each finished the game with three hits, and T.J. McFarland earned the win after throwing a scoreless seventh inning. The Cardinals’ 12 consecutive wins was their longest win streak since 1982 and just two shy of the franchise record of 14 set in 1935.

“It was a great team win,” Wainwright said. “I put us in a hole and they came back and won that game.”[5]

Enjoy this post? Take a look back at Adam Wainwright‘s home run in his first major league at-bat.

[1] Ryan Herrera, “Waino pads standout resume with 2,000^th K,” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/adam-wainwright-2-000th-career-strikeout.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright joins Cards’ 2K club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2021.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright joins Cards’ 2K club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2021.

[4] Joe Totoraitis (Associated Press), “Goldschmidt homers twice as Cards extend win streak to 12,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 25, 2021.

[5] Joe Totoraitis (Associated Press), “Goldschmidt homers twice as Cards extend win streak to 12,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 25, 2021.

The post September 23, 2021: Adam Wainwright throws his 2,000th strikeout first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On September 14, 2022, Wainwright and Molina, both age 40, broke a major-league record even older than they were. With their 325^th start together, they topped the 324 games in which pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan started for the Tigers from 1963 through 1975.

Together, the Cardinals’ battery had 36 years of major-league experience, all with the Cardinals. Molina made his debut in 2004, then became the team’s starting catcher the following year, a position he held for 18 years. Over that span, he earned 10 all-star nods, nine Gold Glove awards, four Platinum Gloves, and a Silver Slugger Award.

Wainwright made his big-league debut one season after Molina. Acquired in a 2003 trade with the Braves, the 6-foot-7 righthander appeared in relief twice in 2005, then became a key part of the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2006, famously striking out Carlos Beltran to end the 2006 NLCS and send the Cardinals to the World Series.

In 2007, the Cardinals inserted Wainwright into the starting rotation. On April 6, 2007, with Molina starting at catcher, he won his first major-league start. Fifteen years, 194 wins, and three all-star selections later, Wainwright and Molina were poised to make history with a late-season home game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

It hadn’t been an easy path. Wainwright had missed the entire 2011 season with Tommy John surgery. In 2015, he tore his Achilles tendon, and following elbow surgery at the end of the 2017 season, he looked as though he might nearing the end of his career. In the COVID-shortened 2020, however, he returned to form, and in 2021 he placed seventh in the Cy Young Award voting with a 17-7 record and 3.05 ERA.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that Molina was considering retiring ahead of 2022. The opportunity to break the battery record with Wainwright not only convinced him to come back for one more year, but also convinced him to return from a June knee injury that kept him out of the lineup until August.[1]

Wainwright and Molina received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 46,459 when they emerged from the bullpen for their record-setting start. Brewers leadoff hitter Christian Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP, dug into the batter’s box as Wainwright, a veteran of 387 career starts and more than 2,500 major-league innings, battled to maintain his poise.

“It was a lot to manage, early on,” Wainwright said. “The crowd was so awesome, making me get constant chills and tearing up. (I) was trying to manage my adrenaline because it wanted to go through the roof.”[2]

Wainwright officially made history with an 87.2 mph sinker.[3] Yelich never moved.

“I had no intention of swinging at the first pitch, you know,” he said. “They deserve that moment, that respect to have that ball. You allow them to have that ball and do whatever they want with it, rather than, you know, swinging at it and who knows what happens. Just wanted to make sure that they had the ball.”[4]

Having safely landed in Molina’s mitt, the ball was returned to the Cardinals dugout for authentication.

“I thought that was a really classy move,” Wainwright said. “You could tell he was going to give that to us.”[5]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch later reported that Wainwright requested the ball be cut exactly in half – one for him and one for Molina.[6]

“It’s probably cooler for me than Yadi,” Wainwright said. “He has so many cool things. Next to the Roberto Clemente Award, this is probably the coolest thing of my career.”[7]

“Such a great feeling, just to reach that number,” said Molina. “To be at the top of that list. Such a great feeling.”[8]

Of course, before Wainwright and Molina could celebrate, they had a game to play. After Wainwright struck out Yelich, Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez followed with one-out singles. Former Cardinal Kolten Wong then drew a two-out walk to load the bases.

“I thought, ‘I’m getting out of this because we’re supposed to win today,’” Wainwright said. “Usually I feel like I’m going to get out of it anyways, but I really felt like I’m getting out of this because we’re supposed to win today, and we did.”[9]

On a 1-and-1 pitch, Wainwright got Andrew McCutchen to hit a ground ball back to him. Disaster averted.

The Brewers got to Wainwright for a run in the second inning when center fielder Tyrone Taylor hit a sacrifice fly to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. An inning later, the Cardinals took the lead with two runs off Corbin Burnes, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner. Nolan Arenado opened the second inning with a solo home run, and after Brendon Donovan and Alec Burleson each singled, Molina punched a single into left field to score Donovan.

Center fielder Lars Nootbaar made the score 3-1 in the fifth inning with a solo home run. When the Cardinals took the field for the sixth, Andre Pallante took the mound. Wainwright had thrown five innings, allowing one run on eight hits and two walks.

St. Louis maintained its two-run lead until the eighth, when Albert Pujols, the other member of the Cardinals’ over-40 club, doubled to score Tyler O’Neill. With the run driven in, Pujols, who was only three short of his 700^th career homer, joined Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only players with 2,200 RBIs.

“Seems like every day he passes them or comes up next to them or ties one of those legendary hitters,” Wainwright said. “He’s in that class.”[10]

Following scoreless innings from Pallante, Jordan Hicks, and Giovanny Gallegos, Ryan Helsley took the mound in the ninth inning. The all-star closer worked around a two-out single from Tellez to seal the win.

“We had the mindset ready to win this game, no matter what,” Molina said. “And that’s what we did.”[11]

The win was Wainwright’s 11^th of the season and the 195^th of his career. Of his 2,548 career innings, Molina caught 2,136 (83.8%).[12]

After the game, the Cardinals toasted Wainwright and Molina with custom bottles of champagne with the number “325” on the sides. Team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, and manager Oliver Marmol each said a few words, and then the longest-tenured battery in baseball history was tossed into laundry baskets and doused with Cherry Coke, Sprite, and any other liquids their teammates could obtain.

“You see me, right?” Wainwright said at the postgame news conference, his Cardinals hoodie drenched. “Do I look wet? I’m wet. I am soaked. A whole bunch of nasty stuff you don’t want on your head, but it’s a pretty sweet taste.”[13]

Marmol, who at age 36 was four years younger than Wainwright and Molina, noted that he was drafted by the Cardinals out of the College of Charlston the year the duo made their first start together.

“A lot has taken place in that time span,” Marmol said. “That’s why I don’t see anyone coming close to touching it ever again. When you can be in the record book and know that it’s not going to be touched? Just to be able to have the career that Yadi’s had behind the plate with the same team – that’s a lot of years catching – and then Waino being able to come close to matching him on years? Just to do it together for 325, it’s definitely meaningful.”[14]

Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon agreed.

“It’s hard to imagine anybody topping the new mark Wainwright and Molina are setting together,” he wrote. “How many high-end pitchers and catchers will keep pushing their physical limitations? And how often will an elite tandem spend so much time playing together?”[15]

Fellow columnist Benjamin Hochman summed it up: “A kid from Georgia and a kid from Puerto Rico have become eternal St. Louisans, representing and encapsulating the pride of the Cardinals, the bond of friends, the passion for winning, and the fun that can be had along the way.”[16]

Wainwright and Molina combined for three more starts together to finish with 328. At season’s end, Molina retired, concluding a 19-year major-league career that included 2,224 games. Along the way, he had appeared in 10 all-star games and helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series championships.

After the season, Wainwright announced that the 2023 campaign would be his final major-league season.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “A curve, a keepsake, Cherry Coke: How Cards battery made history,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2022.

[2] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[3] Derrick Goold, “A curve, a keepsake, Cherry Coke: How Cards battery made history,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2022.

[4] Derrick Goold, “A curve, a keepsake, Cherry Coke: How Cards battery made history,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2022.

[5] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[6] Derrick Goold, “A curve, a keepsake, Cherry Coke: How Cards battery made history,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2022.

[7] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[8] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[9] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[10] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[11] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[12] Jesse Rogers, “St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina make record 325^th start as battery,” ESPN.com, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34594137/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-yadier-molina-make-record-325th-start-battery.

[13] Derrick Goold, “A curve, a keepsake, Cherry Coke: How Cards battery made history,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2022.

[14] Benjamin Hochman, “Duo’s bond extends to Cards fans,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 2022.

[15] Jeff Gordon, “Wainwright, Molina turn back clock,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 14, 2022.

[16] Benjamin Hochman, “Duo’s bond extends to Cards fans,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 2022.

The post September 14, 2022: Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina set new battery record with 325th start together first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On March 28, 2022, after 10 seasons on the West Coast with the Angels and Dodgers, Pujols agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million plus incentives to return to St. Louis.

“This organization never closed the door on me, and I never closed the door on this organization either,” he said. “It’s just a great opportunity.”[2]

Pujols’ first stint with the Cardinals was the stuff legends were made of. A 13^th-round draft pick out of Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Pujols spent one season in the minors before making the major-league roster out of spring training in 2001. It marked the beginning of an 11-season run that included the National League Rookie of the Year Award, nine All-Star appearances, six Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, the 2003 batting title, and MVP trophies in 2005, 2008, and 2009. Along the way, Pujols and the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 and 2011.

After the 2011 championship, however, Pujols signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels. Pujols continued to reach significant milestones, collecting his 500^th and 600^th home runs and his 3,000^th career hit with the Angels, but he never reached the same heights he enjoyed in St. Louis. Leg injuries, then age, slowed the big man down.

Pujols was in the final year of his contract, batting just .198 with five homers and 12 RBIs, when the Angels cut him in May 2021. He signed with the nearby Dodgers, where he was used as a power bat off the bench. Facing primarily left-handed pitchers, Pujols hit .254 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 204 plate appearances.

The 2022 season offered a unique opportunity for Pujols to return to St. Louis. After almost 50 years of use in the American League, Major League Baseball introduced the designated hitter to the National League that offseason.

With lefty-swinging outfielder Corey Dickerson signed to a one-year deal and righthanded-hitting rookie Juan Yepez set to make his big-league debut, the Cardinals had the makings of a platoon at the new position. However, the 24-year-old Yepez was just 3-for-16 without an extra-base hit that spring at the time of Pujols’ signing.

“We’re wanting to give Yepez the most opportunity and see what we got there,” first-year Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said one day before Pujols signed. “Has he performed the way he’d like to? No. Is he carrying himself in a way that gives us the belief he can do a good job? Yes. We want to see as much of that as possible. We’ll see a decent amount of at-bats for him moving forward.”[3]

Behind the scenes, Wainwright and another veteran Cardinals star, Yadier Molina, were pushing for Pujols’ addition. In fact, Molina was video chatting with Pujols at 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 27, as contract negotiations were being finalized.[4]

By the following day, it was official.

“This reunion with Albert was a wonderful opportunity, for not only him and the Cardinal organization, but for our great fans and the city of St. Louis,” team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “The players and staff and everyone connected to the Cardinal organization looks forward to seeing Albert with the birds on the bat.”[5]

Pujols didn’t wait long to make his first public appearance. Wainwright had just completed the first inning in his spring training outing against the Astros when the right-field gate at Roger Dean Stadium opened and Pujols walked onto the field and toward the dugout. The stadium – and Pujols’ new teammates – applauded.

“I felt like, yes, I might be wearing a different uniform, but I felt like I never left,” Pujols said. “The people still treat me the same way, whether I was wearing the Cardinal uniform, whether I was wearing the Angels or the Dodgers, they never change. That’s what’s so special about the Cardinals’ fans. They love you when you wear their uniform, but they still love you because you’re part of this organization.”[6]

With Pujols’ announcement that 2022 would be his final season, prices for the Cardinals’ home opener skyrocketed. There was also a run on tickets for the Cardinals’ final home games of the season – the final regular-season game for Pujols and Molina. The Cardinals catcher had also announced that 2022 would be his final campaign.[7]

“He will do amazing things in his last year,” said former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa after Pujols signed. “There’s no doubt in my mind. He did it last year with the Dodgers. He will rise to the occasion – and he’s got two legs to stand on to hit now, which hasn’t been true for years. I went to see him when he was playing with the Angels a couple of times, and he would pull his pant leg up, and his knee was swollen like a basketball.”[8]

“I think he’s motivated,” Wainwright said. “Any time Albert’s motivated, it’s a very, very dangerous thing. He’s motivated to show people he’s not too old and he’s not over the hill. I don’t think he wants it to be just nostalgia. I think he wants to go out and prove something.”[9]

Arenado, who hit with Pujols in Southern California during the offseason, said the veteran’s presence off the bench would be a game-changer for the Cardinals.

“He’s still got a lot of power, and he’s still scary,” Arenado said. “Nobody wants to go up there and face Albert Pujols. I don’t care who you are. Everybody knows in the back of their mind that when that guy steps up to the plate, damage can be done. And that’s a pretty uneasy feeling. I feel like last year we didn’t have that as much … and now we have him. It’s going to make a huge difference for us.”[10]

Arenado may have even underestimated Pujols’ impact on the 2022 season. Playing in 109 games, the 42-year-old posted his highest OPS (on-base plus slugging) since 2011 and his highest home run total since he blasted 31 in 2016. Across 351 plate appearances, Pujols hit .270 with 24 homers, 68 RBIs, and an .895 OPS.

At the All-Star Game (the 11^th of his career), Pujols was celebrated by his peers, and the summer showcase seemed to invigorate him. After batting .215 with six homers and 20 RBIs in the first half, Pujols hit .323 with 18 homers and 48 RBIs after the break. Along the way, he hit his 700^th career home run and passed Alex Rodriguez for fourth on baseball’s all-time list.

“What I’m doing right now, that was something that, when I signed here, I was really looking forward to – helping this organization,” Pujols said.[11]

By season’s end, Pujols was a mainstay in the Cardinals’ lineup, playing a key role alongside National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt and fellow All-Star Arenado.

“Obviously, growing up, he’s one of my favorite players ever, and to be in a Cardinal uniform with him, it’s a pretty surreal moment,” Arenado said. “Growing up watching him with the Cardinals, watching him hitting homers with the Cardinals – I’m in a Cardinals uniform and I get to play with Albert Pujols, one of the greatest Cardinals ever.”[12]

Pujols wasn’t only successful on the field, but he also appeared to enjoy the season more than ever before. Known for his singular focus during his first run with the Cardinals, Pujols seemed more relaxed and willing to share his knowledge than ever before. He even pitched an inning in a nationally broadcast 15-6 loss to the Giants.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson described Pujols’ new attitude this way:

“Pujols returned happier, quicker to smile and laugh. He called himself the grandpa of the club. He embraced a limited role and then expanded it with his production, never griping about at-bats that did not come his way.

“He taught by example before. He did again this season, but it was accompanied by bear hugs and arms thrown over shoulders. Not to be forgotten along with the records that will stand in baseball history forever are the images of Pujols laughing while pitching in a blowout, wrapping Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright in dugout embraces, and mentoring whatever young hitter came his way.”[13]

On October 2, before their final regular-season home game of the season, the Cardinals held a brief pregame ceremony honoring Pujols and Molina. When Wainwright, that day’s starter, was removed from the game with two outs in the fifth, Marmol took the opportunity to remove Pujols and Molina as well. Together, the three stars who had defined much of the Cardinals’ 21^st century walked off the field.

“The moment was great, just to walk with Albert and Waino next to me,” Molina said. “It was a great moment for baseball, I think.”[14]

After helping the Cardinals win the National League Central Division to qualify for the Wild Card Series, Pujols held true to his word and retired. His 22-year career included a .296 batting average, 703 home runs, and 2,218 RBIs. Pujols will be eligible for the Hall of Fame beginning in 2028.

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[1] Jeff Jones, “‘This is it for me’: Pujols to play final year with Cardinals,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 30, 2022.

[2] Tyler Kepner, “For Albert Pujols, One Last Run Where It All Began,” New York Times, March 28, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/sports/baseball/albert-pujols-cardinals.html.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Pujols returning to the Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 28, 2022.

[4] Jeff Jones, “‘This is it for me’: Pujols to play final year with Cardinals,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 30, 2022.

[5] Jeff Jones, “‘This is it for me’: Pujols to play final year with Cardinals,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 30, 2022.

[6] Tyler Kepner, “For Albert Pujols, One Last Run Where It All Began,” New York Times, March 28, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/sports/baseball/albert-pujols-cardinals.html.

[7] Derrick Goold, “This Is My Last Run,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2022.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Back Where It Began,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 2022.

[9] Derrick Goold, “This Is My Last Run,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2022.

[10] Derrick Goold, “This Is My Last Run,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2022.

[11] Ben Frederickson, “You Can Go Home Again,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 2, 2022.

[12] Derrick Goold, “This Is My Last Run,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2022.

[13] Ben Frederickson, “You Can Go Home Again,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 2, 2022.

[14] Rick Hummel, “A big send-off for Pujols, Molina; Waino struggles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2022.

The post Albert Pujols returns to the Cardinals: March 28, 2022 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

He celebrated the occasion with a game-winning home run, becoming just the fifth Cardinal since 1900 to hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning or later in his home debut.[1]

Just a little more than two months earlier, the Cardinals shocked the baseball world by sending left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber and four minor-league prospects to the Rockies to obtain the eight-time Gold Glove third baseman.

“With the addition of Nolan, we think we went from a good to great team,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said.[2]

Arenado lived up to the hype on the team’s season-opening road trip, hitting .360 with a home run and three RBIs in six games, including four Cardinals wins. In St. Louis’s second game of the season, a 9-6 loss to the Reds, Arenado hit his first home run as a Redbird.

His first blast at Busch was much bigger, pushing ahead the game-winning runs in a 3-1 win.

“Baseball is a magical game, and it was magical today,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “The story created itself. What an amazing moment for a guy who loves to play the game. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”[3]

Entering the game on a three-game win streak, the Cardinals turned to Adam Wainwright for their home opener. Due to COVID-19, it marked the first game at Busch Stadium with fans in attendance since October 2019. It was also Wainwright’s sixth home opener, tying the franchise record set by Bob Gibson.[4]

The 39-year-old veteran right-hander was coming off a 5-3 season during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, posting a 3.15 ERA in 10 starts. His first start of 2021, however, had not gone as well, as he allowed six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

In the home opener, Wainwright squared off against the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes. He threw five innings, striking out six while allowing just one run in the third. He left the game with six strikeouts.

“The first three innings, I felt completely out of sorts,” Wainwright said. “The ball was flat.”[5]

Burnes, who went on to win the National League Cy Young Award that season, was sharp from the start. He left the game after six innings with just one hit allowed and nine strikeouts.

“The ball kept coming out great,” he said.[6]

With Burnes gone by the seventh inning, however, the Cardinals took advantage.

After Brewers reliever Eric Yardley retired the first two batters he faced, Yadier Molina slapped a single to right field and Dylan Carlson followed with a double into the right-field corner. With runners on second and third, Yardley walked Justin Williams to face Tyler O’Neill, who had struck out five times in his last six at-bats.

This time, O’Neill made contact, sending a ground ball up the middle that Brewers second baseman Daniel Robertson fielded. Robertson, however, was unable to beat Williams to second, and the speedy O’Neill was safe at first to tie the score, 1-1.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth. Austin Dean, pinch-hitting for Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos, drew a one-out walk to bring Arenado to the plate. On the first pitch he saw, Arenado sent a 97-mph fastball 374 feet for what proved to be the game-winning homer over the left-field wall.

“It was amazing to see the flight of the ball take off,” said Paul DeJong, who had a perfect vantage point from the on-deck circle. “I just put my hand in the air because I knew it was gone. Nolan is cemented in Cardinals fans’ minds with that moment.”[7]

At the urging of the raucous Busch Stadium crowd, Arenado re-emerged from the Cardinals dugout for the first curtain call of his career.

“To get one of those was just an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “I’ve never had that. So pumped up. Hard to put into words how special it was.”[8]

Alex Reyes pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the young season. Gallegos earned his second win of the season after throwing a scoreless eighth inning.

Arenado went on to hit 34 home runs on the season while batting .255 with 105 RBIs. He was selected to his sixth All-Star Game and won his ninth career Gold Glove Award. With the addition of Arenado to their lineup, the Cardinals went 90-72 to finish second to the Brewers in the National League Central and qualify for the league wild-card game.

“I don’t know if our fans know this or not, but he is so focused on being a world champion St. Louis Cardinals player that you can’t even believe it,” Wainwright said. “The guy eats, sleeps, drinks, breathes baseball, and he wants to win as bad as anybody I’ve been around. And he wants to win here.”[9]

Arenado built upon his 2021 campaign with a .293 average, 30 homers, and 103 RBIs in 2022. His 7.9 wins above replacement led the league as he won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and finished third in the NL MVP race (teammate Paul Goldschmidt won the award).

Unfortunately, that proved to be the peak of Arenado’s Cardinals career. He earned All-Star honors again in 2023, batting .266 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs, but hit numbers fell to 16 homers and 71 RBIs in 2024. In 2025, he hit just .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs.

On January 13, 2026, the Cardinals traded Arenado and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “O’Neill leaves game with injury,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 11, 2021.

[2] Benjamin Hochman, “Deal could lift Redbirds from ‘good to great,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 3, 2021.

[3] Steve Overbey (Associated Press), “New guy steals the show,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 9, 2021.

[4] Steve Overbey (Associated Press), “New guy steals the show,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 9, 2021.

[5] Steve Overbey (Associated Press), “New guy steals the show,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 9, 2021.

[6] Steve Overbey (Associated Press), “New guy steals the show,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 9, 2021.

[7] Derrick Goold, “Arenado’s HR caps victory in home opener,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 2021.

[8] Derrick Goold, “Arenado’s HR caps victory in home opener,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 2021.

[9] Ben Frederickson, “Newest Cards star rises to the occasion,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 2021.

The post Nolan Arenado hits game-winning homer in home Cardinals debut first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The deal represented the largest contract the Cardinals had ever awarded a pitcher, and the third-largest in team history behind deals for Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols,[1] but Wainwright wasn’t concerned about the money. Instead, he was overcome by the emotion of the moment.

“I feel like my heart is in St. Louis,” Wainwright said. “I love it here. I love driving to the field and seeing the Arch, driving up and seeing the amazing Busch Stadium. It’s a treat to work there every day, and it’s something that continues to catch me off guard and make me feel like I’m way too blessed.”[2]

Wainwright used the press conference to express his appreciation for everyone who helped him along the way.

He thanked his mother Nancy, who raised him as a single mother, and his older brother Trey.

“The guy who taught me how to play baseball,” Wainwright said.[3]

He thanked pitching coach Derek Lilliquist and former pitching coaches Dave Duncan and Marty Mason. He thanked Chris Carpenter for teaching him to be a better competitor. He even hugged Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt and general manager John Mozeliak.[4]

“I’m a hugger,” he said.[5]

Several times he had to stop and regain his composure – once when he noticed several teammates observing the press conference from the corner of the room.

“My teammates were a big factor in me wanting to come back here,” Wainwright said. “I love our clubhouse, from the attendants to every player in there. I don’t know if it gets better anywhere else. I’ve had opposing players come up and say, ‘You don’t know how good you have it here.’ Actually, I do realize how good I have it.”[6]

He paused again when he began to speak of his wife Jenny and his three daughters, who were all in attendance. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that, “Each time his voice cracked, (6-year-old) Baylie and her sister, 4-year-old Morgan, moved forward in their seats, ready to race to their father if allowed.”[7]

“They’ve never seen me like that, probably,” Wainwright said. “I think my girls are great comforters. They wanted to make their dad feel better. They didn’t know I was crying from joy. … It started at breakfast. I could hardly eat. I’m not a nervous pitcher, so I can’t relate to that. It was deeper than that. It was like I knew what was going to happen. I was fighting the tears. I wasn’t winning very well.”[8]

Wainwright said that the tears in his eyes blurred his vision so much that he couldn’t read his notes, causing him to forget to thank Dr. George Paletta, who performed the Tommy John surgery that allowed him to return after missing the 2011 season.[9]

“Usually, I am not at a loss for words, but the city of St. Louis means so much to me that it’s taken me a little bit to get it out,” he said.[10]

Wainwright’s new contract was the product of almost two months of negotiations.[11] Wainwright initially sought a five-year deal approaching $110 million. Meanwhile, the Cardinals offered five years for $90 million.[12] Wainwright’s agent, Steve Hammond, agreed to the framework of the deal on Tuesday, March 26, as he and Mozeliak watched Wainwright make his final start of spring training. The details were finalized the following day before the contract was signed.[13]

Five years earlier, Wainwright had agreed to a four-year, $15-million deal with team options for $9 million in 2012 and $12 million in 2013.

“When you try to quantify personality traits and player makeup, it’s difficult to put a dollar sign on,” Mozeliak said, gesturing to Wainwright and his family. “We just saw it – what makes him so special. That’s part of the package.

“The other part is the things we don’t see and hear about, especially the public. The things he does with young pitchers, the things he does to work with them and mentor them. Those are all important to what makes Adam who Adam is. We believe he’s a top-of-the-rotation talent and when you combine his talent with his intangibles and what he brings as a leader and a mentor and he’s just the ideal person to anchor our rotation moving forward.”[14]

Even as Wainwright’s contract surpassed the five-year, $63.5 million contract Carpenter signed in 2006 to become the largest deal ever given to a Cardinals pitcher,[15] Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that Wainwright could have earned more had he waited until after the 2013 season and entered the free-agent market.[16]

“I just realized I have complete peace about staying in St. Louis. That’s worth more than a few extra dollars,” Wainwright said. “The opportunity to keep Cardinal tradition alive means a tremendous amount to me. This is honest stuff. It’s sincere. I’m not saying it because I feel any need to say it. If it wasn’t true, the situation might be different.”[17]

Just as Mozeliak pointed to Wainwright’s intangibles, manager Mike Matheny pointed to the impact Wainwright could have on the Cardinals’ crop of young pitchers.

“We start talking about a Michael Wacha, a Shelby Miller, a Joe Kelly, a Carlos Martinez, and you realize that they need somebody to pass that on,” Matheny said. “He’s going to have to bear that reputation that this organization has to keep going. That’s a great responsibility and it couldn’t happen to a better person.”[18]

Of course, Wainwright’s primary responsibility was to pitch. During the press conference, he turned to DeWitt and said, “I can’t wait to make you proud of this contract.”[19]

In 2013, he led the National League with 29 wins and 241 2/3 innings pitched, posting a 2.94 ERA on his way to a second-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting.

In 2014, the first year of his new contract, he won 20 games for the second time in his career, posting a career-low 2.38 ERA over 227 innings. This time, he placed third in the Cy Young voting.

In April 2015, Wainwright suffered a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that kept him out the remainder of the season and continued to impact him in 2016, as he won 13 games, but also saw his ERA spike to 4.62, the highest of his career.

In 2017, Wainwright experienced elbow pain as he went 12-5 but also struggled with a 5.12 ERA. After the season, he underwent surgery to remove a cartilage flap. The surgery was successful, but Wainwright suffered through an injury-plagued 2018 season, pitching in just eight games in the final year of the contract.

Ahead of the 2019 season, Wainwright signed a one-year, $2 million contract. That April, he earned the 150^th win of his career on his way to a 14-10 record. In the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Wainwright again returned on a one-year deal, this time going 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA. In 2021, he enjoyed his best season since he tore his Achilles tendon, going 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA over 206 1/3 innings.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[3] Chuck King (Associated Press), “Wainwright, Cards finalize $97.5M deal,” Springfield News-Leader, March 29, 2013.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[7] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[8] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[9] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[10] Chuck King (Associated Press), “Wainwright, Cards finalize $97.5M deal,” Springfield News-Leader, March 29, 2013.

[11] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[12] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[13] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[14] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[15] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[16] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[17] Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse leadership,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[18] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

[19] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright extension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 2013.

The post How Adam Wainwright signed his five-year extension in 2013 to remain in St. Louis first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On February 24, 2011, the Cardinals officially announced that Adam Wainwright would require season-ending Tommy John surgery.

“Not to be melodramatic, but you’re losing an ace,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “It’s not something you can just replace overnight. Some different people are going to have to step up.”[1]

A 6-foot-7, 230-pound right-hander from Brunswick, Georgia, Wainwright had been the Cardinals’ best starter in each of the past two seasons, leading the National League with 39 victories over that span.

He was coming off the best season of his career in 2010, going 20-11 with a 2.42 ERA and 213 strikeouts over 230 1/3 innings. That summer, Wainwright made the first All-Star appearance of his career, and that fall he finished second to Roy Halladay in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

The 2010 season was just a shade better than his performance in 2009, when he led the National League with 19 wins, 34 starts, and 233 innings pitched. With a 2.63 ERA, Wainwright placed third in the Cy Young voting that year and won the Gold Glove Award.

Heading into spring training 2011, the Cardinals were looking for Wainwright to lead their starting rotation alongside 36-year-old Chris Carpenter. With left-hander Jaime Garcia as a third starter and Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook rounding out the rotation, St. Louis expected its pitching to be a bedrock for the 2011 season.

That foundation was dealt a serious blow when Wainwright felt his elbow twinge on the 33^rd pitch of a 35-pitch session. Though he didn’t immediately say anything, by the time he returned to his spring training home, he knew he was dealing with far more than early-season soreness.

“My elbow had stiffened up on me completely,” he said.[2]

Wainwright had missed his last start of the 2010 season with what was diagnosed as a forearm strain. At the time, the Cardinals’ medical team prescribed rest and rehabilitation.[3] Wainwright was placed on an offseason workout program designed to strengthen his shoulder and allow him to place less stress on his elbow.

“I eliminated the shoulder weakness, but the elbow still failed,” Wainwright said.[4]

On Wednesday, February 23, Cardinals medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta sent Wainwright’s MRI results to Dr. Lewis Yocum, an orthopedist in Orange County, California.[5] Yocum confirmed the Cardinals’ fears, and Paletta was scheduled to perform the surgery on Monday, February 28.[6]

“You’re talking about a guy who won 20 games,” Albert Pujols said. “That’s pretty hard to take.”[7]

“I don’t feel bad for us; I feel bad for Adam,” Carpenter said. “There’s no worse feeling than to be hurt. If you’re struggling or not performing well, you can always try harder by working on something. If you’re hurt, you can’t do anything.”[8]

Ahead of the procedure, Wainwright spoke with Carpenter, Kyle McClellan, and Jason Isringhausen, each of whom had undergone the surgery. Paletta performed both Carpenter and McClellan’s procedures.[9]

“I’m a little disappointed, but at the same time, I know I’m probably prolonging my career now by going ahead and doing this when I’m doing it,” Wainwright said. “There was no getting around it. Both doctors that I saw – Dr. Paletta and Dr. Yocum – gave me a 10% chance to heal without surgery, so it was something I had to do. Basically, the whole (ligament) was mangled.”[10]

To replace Wainwright’s injured ligament, doctors used a tendon from his left hamstring. As a result, Wainwright emerged from the surgery with scars on the back of his right elbow and beneath his left knee.[11] Initial estimates suggested the surgery would keep Wainwright out for 12-15 months, but Wainwright immediately set a goal of being back in time for the 2012 spring training.

“I’ve been told that everything went very well,” Wainwright said. “I feel great, to be honest with you. … I had a gut feeling that it was probably the time my elbow was gone. The only thing that was such a shame about it was that I was feeling so great. I felt like I was throwing the ball really well and had a great session up until the pitch I hurt it on. It just goes to show you that it was time for it to happen.”[12]

With Wainwright rehabbing with an eye on 2012, the Cardinals began to explore their options to fill his spot in the rotation. Mozeliak was asked about possibly pursuing 36-year-old free agent Kevin Millwood, a former 18-game winner with the Braves who was coming off a 4-16 season in Baltimore with a 5.10 ERA.

“Today I would say the answer is no,” Mozeliak said. “As days start to push toward opening day, we’ll explore things. There’s nothing that jumps out to us that we feel we need to chase at this point.”[13]

“We’re not going to look outside the organization. The answer is here,” manager Tony La Russa declared.[14]

The same day that Wainwright underwent his MRI, McClellan took his first batting practice of the spring.

“That’s because it’s the first day that he’s been thought of in this camp as a potential starting pitcher,” pitching coach Dave Duncan said.[15]

A 27-year-old who was drafted out of Hazelwood West High School just outside of St. Louis, McClellan was used to competing for a starting job during spring training. In 2009, he was prepared to start the season in the rotation if Carpenter was unavailable to return. In 2010, he and Garcia competed for the fifth spot. After Garcia claimed the job, McClellan threw 75 1/3 innings out of the Cardinals’ bullpen, posting a career-low 2.27 ERA.

“Games haven’t started yet, so it’s not a big transition,” McClellan said. “It’s early, and I’ve got plenty of time to adapt and go from there.”[16]

For better or worse, the Cardinals were accustomed to competing with an ace on the disabled list. In 2007, Carpenter required surgery after experiencing elbow discomfort during his opening-day start. The Cardinals won just 78 games and finished third in the National League Central.

The following season, Carpenter pitched just 15 1/3 innings, and while Lohse led the team with 15 wins and Wainwright went 11-3 in his first full season as a major-league starting pitcher, the Cardinals’ 86 wins were only good for fourth place.

“We gotta keep going,” Lohse said. “No one’s going to feel sorry for us if Adam is gone. We just have to go do our work. You just keep going on and do your thing.”[17]

“The only thing I can say is this doesn’t change my mentality,” Garcia said. “Anyone on this staff can be a No. 1 or No. 2 guy. I don’t think we have any No. 5 guys. All I have to do is go out every day and just try to keep learning and get better.”[18]

La Russa preferred to point to the 2002 season, when the Cardinals overcame a rash of early-season injuries and the June death of starting pitcher Darryl Kile to win the National League Central and advance to the NLCS.

“It’s much more unfortunate for Adam,” La Russa said. “You can’t help but be affected, but it’s much tougher on him. You make the adjustment, and one of the keys is how deep you are. If you’re not very deep, a hit like this could sink you. … We are looking at what we have, not what we’re missing. We have enough here to be believable contenders.”[19]

They certainly did, especially after making a season-altering trade that sent Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters to Toronto for outfielder Corey Paterson and pitchers Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, and Marc Rzepczynski. The acquisition of Jackson allowed the Cardinals to replace the fatiguing McClellan in the rotation, while Dotel and Rzepczynski bolstered the bullpen.

With Carpenter anchoring the starting rotation and the bullpen shouldering a heavy load, the Cardinals won their 11^th world championship in a seven-game World Series against the Rangers. By the time the Cardinals reached the postseason, Wainwright was beginning to throw once again, though he wasn’t ready to compete.

Though he didn’t appear in the postseason, Wainwright did get clarity regarding his Cardinals future that October. When Wainwright signed a four-year, $15 million extension ahead of the 2008 season, it included a two-year option for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The option would pay him $9 million in 2012 and $12 million in 2013, but it only vested automatically if Wainwright was not on the disabled list with an arm injury at the end of the 2011 season.[20]

The day before David Freese cemented his place in St. Louis history in Game 6 of the World Series, the Cardinals confirmed that they had vested Wainwright’s option, guaranteeing that he would remain in St. Louis for at least two more seasons.

Wainwright admitted that it was bittersweet watching his teammates play in the World Series without him.

“Do I think I could have piggybacked with ‘Carp’ real well (during) this whole playoff thing? Absolutely. I live for that,” Wainwright said. “But these other guys have stepped up. I’d like to think we could have been better with me, but are we in a different situation right now? We’re playing in the World Series. How much better could it possibly be?”[21]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cards change course,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 25, 2011.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Wainwright eyes spring ’12,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 2011.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Cards pessimistic,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Wainwright eyes spring ’12,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Cards pessimistic,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Cards change course,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 25, 2011.

[7] Joe Strauss, “Cards pessimistic,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[8] Joe Strauss, “Cards pessimistic,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Wainwright eyes spring ’12,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 2011.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Wainwright eyes spring ’12,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 2011.

[11] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright OK with deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 17, 2011.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Wainwright eyes spring ’12,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 2011.

[13] Derrick Goold, “‘Opportunity for someone,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[14] Joe Strauss, “Cards pessimistic,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[15] Derrick Goold, “‘Opportunity for someone,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[16] Derrick Goold, “‘Opportunity for someone,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[17] Bryan Burwell, “Handling adversity,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[18] Bryan Burwell, “Handling adversity,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 24, 2011.

[19] Joe Strauss, “Cards change course,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 25, 2011.

[20] Derrick Goold, “Wainwright, Carpenter form core,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 21, 2008.

[21] Derrick Goold, “Co-ace will be back with Birds,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 27, 2011.

The post Cards announce Adam Wainwright will miss 2011 season: 2/24/2011 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.