When Craig Counsell announced his retirement from baseball in 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals were celebrating their World Series victory against the Texas Rangers.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina all contributed heavily that year: they were in their prime, in the middle of their careers, as was Adam Wainwright, who was injured at the time.
Now, the trio is about to close their MLB tenure as accomplished players, some of them future Hall of Famers.
Counsell, now the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (who share the NL Central division with the Cardinals) made some hilarious comments about Pujols and Wainwright.
“Craig Counsell on seeing Albert Pujols back with the Cardinals: ‘I think it’s fun to watch great players and future Hall of Famers play.’ Does that go for Adam Wainwright, too? ‘I’m kind of ready for him to move on’,” Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweeted on Thursday.
Craig Counsell on seeing Albert Pujols back with the Cardinals: "I think it's fun to watch great players and future Hall of Famers play."
Does that go for Adam Wainwright, too?
"I'm kind of ready for him to move on."
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 14, 2022
Counsell Doesn’t Want To Face Wainwright Anymore
The tone of the conversation went from a manager tipping his cap at one of the all-time greats (Pujols), then jokingly wishing for another Cardinals great (Wainwright) to retire once and for all.
Of course, Wainwright, who is 40, had a 3.05 ERA in 206.1 innings last year with St. Louis, and several of his games came against the Brewers.
Against Milwaukee, he was 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA in 27.1 innings: solid production especially considering his age.
Wainwright is a foe that no offense would want to face: what he used to have in fastball velocity, he now has it in pitching knowledge, smarts, command, and control.
And, of course, he still has that beautiful curveball, the one that froze so many hitters on the Cardinals’ way to the championship in 2006.
NEXT: Yadier Molina And Albert Pujols Remain The Perfect Pair