Adam Wainwright is set to retire after the 2023 season.
But before he does that, the St. Louis Cardinals ace has one more thing he’d like to participate in.
The World Baseball Classic is set to take place in March of 2023 after COVID-19 put it on hold in 2021.
On Tuesday, Wainwright announced that he would be participating in the Classic, representing Team USA.
Wainwright is the third Cardinal to announce his participation in the WBC, joining MVP Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
On Twitter, Bally Sports Midwest, the TV home of the Cardinals, reported the news of Wainwright’s decision to participate in the WBC.
Waino makes it three #STLCards on the U.S. team at the #WorldBaseballClassic. pic.twitter.com/o9nFtM6I71
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) November 29, 2022
Waino Joins Team USA
Wainwright is the sixth pitcher to announce his participation in the Classic, joining David Bednar, Nestor Cortes, Dillon Tate, Merrill Kelly, and St. Louis area native Devin Williams.
Team USA’s starting rotation now features a solid top three of Wainwright, Cortes, and Kelly.
The Cardinals now have three of their stars participating in the WBC.
The 41-year-old was St. Louis’ best pitcher until the month of September.
The right-hander allowed four or more runs in all but one start in the final month of the season, which caused manager Oliver Marmol to skip over him in the postseason rotation.
Still, the veteran right-hander and two-time World Series champion finished with a respectable 3.71 ERA, winning 11 games in the process.
The three-time All-Star announced he would be returning to the Cardinals for one final season in October after the team’s Wild Card Series loss to the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.
NEXT: Adam Wainwright Gets To Represent His Country One Last Time