After their heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the unfortunate reality that life without Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina had begun.
However, it was less clear with Adam Wainwright.
Wainwright had yet to announce whether he intended to pitch again in 2023 or retire along with his fellow Cardinals legends.
After a bad September, Wainwright did not pitch in the postseason, and it appeared that he too would be walking away.
But today, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch announced that the veteran right-hander would indeed be returning for at least one more season.
Adam Wainwright will be returning to #stlcards for the 2023 season, Post-Dispatch has been told. Look for news story shortly @stltoday.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) October 26, 2022
Waino Returns For 2023
Wainwright had a mostly successful 2022 season, going 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts.
With his longtime batterymate in Molina gone, Wainwright’s future was uncertain.
But it appears that he’ll be back in 2023.
This is good news for the Cardinals and their fans.
Wainwright is a fan favorite and is the last holdover from their 2006 and 2011 World Series championship teams.
At 41, Wainwright still possesses a strong repertoire of pitches, including his signature curveball.
That curveball is one that haunts fans of the New York Mets, as Wainwright used it to strike out Carlos Beltran in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.
Wainwright has been the leader of the Cardinals pitching staff ever since the departure of Chris Carpenter and has been the team’s workhouse since 2007.
Over his 17-year career, Wainwright owns a record of 195-117 and an ERA of 3.38.
He is five wins shy of 200 for his career.
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