Out of every team in Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals are sending the most players to the World Baseball Classic a month from today.
Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado will represent Team USA, while Lars Nootbaar will suit up for Team Japan, Tommy Edman for Team Korea, Ivan Herrera for Team Panama, Genesis Cabrera for the Dominican National Team, and Tyler O’Neill for Team Canada.
And one of their former stars in catcher Yadier Molina will be managing Team Puerto Rico.
So naturally, after years together as batterymates, he and Wainwright are looking forward to competing against each other for the first time.
On Twitter, Cardinals writer John Denton revealed some of the fun banter that has been taking place between the two team legends.
When #STLCards RHP Adam Wainwright joked to Yadier Molina that he couldn't wait to pitch against Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, the P.R. manager said confidently: "Well, I'll know every pitch that's coming." That duo holds MLB records for starts (328) & wins (213).
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 7, 2023
Last season, Wainwright and Molina broke and set the all-time record for most starts together as a battery, as well as most wins as a battery.
The two of them have closed out four postseason series together, including the NLCS and World Series in 2006.
Needless to say, these two have been through a lot together.
Now, for the first time, the two will be competing against each other.
Clearly, Molina believes he has the advantage, as he knows Wainwright’s ins and outs as a pitcher and what to expect from his former teammate.
But the veteran right-hander is a crafty pitcher, and is certainly looking forward to the challenge.
And whoever wins will have ultimate bragging rights over the other.
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