On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals turned to top pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore in hopes of securing a series win over the division rival Milwaukee Brewers.
The young left-hander, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Randy Arozarena trade, delivered a strong start for the Redbirds, pitching five scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and three walks.
He also struck out six batters.
After Liberatore’s night was over, some pictures were taken in the Cardinals dugout, where veteran Adam Wainwright congratulated Liberatore on his dominant outing against the Brewers.
The team posted those photos on Twitter.
Wainwright was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday, but was pushed back a day.
However, Liberatore did not disappoint as he led the Cardinals to an important 3-0 win over Milwaukee.
"You have learned much, young Padawan." #STLCards pic.twitter.com/WloMJi6Wmp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 18, 2023
Wainwright was once in Liberatore’s shoes.
Back in 2007, he had just become a full-time starting pitcher, but continued to impress the Cardinals with his dominance.
He later became the ace of the staff.
Years later, Wainwright finds himself in the mentor role.
While Liberatore may not be the ace of the Cardinals staff, he certainly is on his way to having a successful career, and having a veteran leader like Wainwright in the dugout certainly helps matters.
After Liberatore exited the game, Wainwright was clearly proud of his young teammate for his strong outing, as his mentorship of the young left-hander had paid off.
With Wainwright retiring and the Cardinals rotation for 2024 being uncertain, Liberatore may be the one that one day carries the torch for St. Louis, just as Wainwright had before him.
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