Age is just a number to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who just began his 17th MLB season at the age of 40.
The righty has had a phenomenal career and essentially has nothing to prove at this point.
But he’s not done yet, and he still looks like his vintage self.
Last week, Wainwright got the nod in his team’s regular-season opener, and he put on a show.
It doesn’t seem like the veteran is going to run out of steam anytime soon.
Breaking Down Wainwright’s First Start Of 2022
Wainwright started his 2022 season with a bang.
Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Wainwright turned in a gem of an outing, which allowed the Cardinals to coast to an easy win on Opening Day.
The three-time All-Star turned in six very efficient innings and exited having thrown just 81 pitches.
Along the way, he fanned six, didn’t walk a batter, and kept the Pirates off the scoreboard.
Adam Wainwright, Gorgeous 74mph Curveball. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/0VtnCds6HR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2022
Wainwright allowed five hits, but when all was said and done, he faced just three batters over the minimum in his six innings of work.
St. Louis walked away with a 9-0 win and got its season started on a high note.
Wainwright, of course, was credited with the victory.
Wainwright’s Incredible Turnaround
It’s early, but if Thursday’s game was any indication, Wainwright is going to have another impressive season in 2022.
It’s incredible that he’s producing at such a high level given his age.
Interestingly, it didn’t always look like things were going to turn out this way.
It seemed like Wainwright was starting to show some signs of regression in his age-34 season, which was the 2016 campaign.
He entered that season with a career ERA of 2.98 and FIP of 3.11, but during the 2016 campaign, he struggled to the tune of a 4.62 ERA and 3.93 FIP.
Things didn’t get much better for him the year after that, or the next one, or the next one.
From 2016 to 2019, a span of four seasons, Wainwright registered a 4.58 ERA, 4.18 FIP, and 90 ERA+.
By the end of the 2019 season, he was 37 years old, and it certainly seemed like his best days were behind him.
But that notion is dead now.
The star veteran has found new life in recent years and has re-established himself as one of the game’s top pitchers.
Adam Wainwright, Pretty 89mph Front Door Sinker. 🚪 pic.twitter.com/021ivZdcG4
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2022
Since the start of the 2020 season, he has made 43 starts, and he’s maintained a 3.01 ERA, 3.71 FIP, and 131 ERA+ in that span.
Last season, he did enough to finish seventh in the NL Cy Young race and 20th in the MVP race.
Will he have a similar season in 2022?
Only time will tell, but he’s off to a great start.
Up Next
Wainwright’s next outing is projected to come on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals are 2-1 so far this season, but they haven’t exactly been scoring a lot of runs.
Kansas City has plated just seven runs through its first three games, giving the team an average of just 2.33 runs per contest.
We’ll see if Wainwright makes the Royals’ offensive struggles continue.
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