Adam Wainwright

At 42 years old, Adam Wainwright has this physical status:

Professional career

In the first round of the 2000 MLB draft, the Atlanta Braves selected Wainwright 29th overall, with a compensatory pick from the Arizona Diamondbacks for signing Russ Springer in the offseason. Wainwright decided against college to go straight to the pros, earning a $1.25 million bonus. Since being a youth, the Braves had been his favorite team. Wainwright signed to the Atlanta Braves rookie team and then advanced to the Class A Danville Braves in the Appalachian League, less than two weeks after high school graduation. In 2001, he played for the Macon Braves in the South Atlantic League, where he tied for the team's record for strikeouts, previously held by Bruce Chen by 184.

Wainwright spent the 2002 season in the Carolina League and also participated in the All-Star Futures Game that season. In 2003, Wainwright was sent to Greenville, a member of the Braves. In 2003, he was Baseball America's top Braves prospect. In December of that year, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Jason Marquis and Ray King, as well as outfielder J. D. Drew and utility player Eli Marrero to the Braves.

When Wainwright was suspended for the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury, he played only 12 games for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. In 63+2/3 innings pitched, he set a 4-4-0 win-loss record (W-L) with a 5.37 earned run average (ERA). He struck out 64 batters and allowed 68 hits and 28 walks (BB). He resigned to pitch ten innings in the Arizona Fall League. He played in 30 games, completing 182 IP, and knocking out 147 runs. His win-loss record was 10–10. Wainwright made his MLB debut for St. Louis on September 11, 2005, after two relatively uneven seasons in the Cardinals' minor league system.

After being a starter for the entire minor leagues, Wainwright made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster as a relief pitcher. He recorded a home run against Noah Lowry of the San Francisco Giants on May 24, 2006. He became the 22nd batter, and only the seventh pitcher in Major League history, and his 11th National Leaguer to reach a home run off the first pitch throw in his first at-bat.

Wainwright performed admirably as a middle reliever in September, but Wainwright was forced to serve as the closer as the replacement. On September 27 and 30, he missed two critical games as St. Louis held off the Houston Astros' late charge and lifted the NL Central Division championship. Despite an incredible 83–78 regular season record, the Cardinals eked out the 10th world championship in franchise history in October. Wainwright closed out the Cardinals' National League Division Series as the season came closer, with the Cardinals losing to Carlos Beltrán in Game 7 and propelling the Cardinals to the 2006 National League Championship Series, where he spectacularly struck out the Cardinals' World Series. Wainwright defeated Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge to win the championship in Game 5 of the 2006 World Series.

For 2007, Wainwright went from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Wainwright emerged as the Cardinals' most reliable starter after losing ace Chris Carpenter for the year due to elbow surgery. On August 10, he played his first complete game of his career, a 2–1 loss to Los Angeles, and the Cardinals' first complete game of the season. Wainwright had established himself as the staff ace in Carpenter's absence in September, going 9–6 with a 2.94 ERA from mid-May to the end of the season. He spent his first year as the club's captain in virtually every pitching category—games, strikeouts, and victories—while compiling a 3.70 ERA and a 14–12 record. His 14 victories were the most in franchise history for a first-year starter. His 2.71 ERA after the All-Star break was third-best in the NL.

Wainwright signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals worth $21 million in March 2008, with two club options available for 2012 and 2013 that increased the potential total value $36 million. In each of his first seven starts, he gave up four runs or less. In Wainwright's eighth start, the Cardinals lost 8-3, with Ryan Braun striking two home runs off him. In June, he suffered a strain on his pitching hand's middle finger, causing him to miss 2+12 months of the season. He went from 11-33 with a 3.20 ERA in 20 starts.

At Dodger Stadium, Wainwright pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers for 5+13 innings before Orlando Hudson broke it up with a clean single to left field on August 19, 2009. In his next game against the Astros, he pitched eight shutout innings to win by a 1–0 margin. Wainwright's 25th straight start with at least six innings pitched. He played 35+239 IP with just one walk and 22 SO in five August starts that season. Wainwright pitched eight innings and struck out eleven out for a 6–3 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 26, his 19th victory. Wainwright ended with a 19-8 record and a 2.63 ERA, leading the National League in wins, games started (34), and innings pitched (233). On third-strike curveballs, he also hit out a major-league high of 140 batters.

Wainwright was named the NL Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Year on October 28, 1998. On November 11, 2009, he received his first Gold Glove Award. Wainwright, along with colleague Chris Carpenter and eventual winner Tim Lincecum, was a leading contender for the Cy Young Award. He was only the second pitcher to receive the most first-place votes and not win the grand prize.

Wainwright took home one inning in his first All-Star Game. He faced five batters, 17 pitches for ten runs and seven balls, but no runs were allowed with just one hit—a double off the glove of fellow Cardinal All-Star Matt Holliday—one walk, and two strikeouts. He compiled 66+163 IP in nine of those starts and allowed two earned runs for a 0.27 ERA in a 11-game stretch leading up to August 16.

Wainwright's 2010 season was 20-41 with a 2.42 ERA, five complete games, 213 strikeouts, 15 home runs allowed, and a WHIP of 1.05 in 230+1'3 IP. His victories, strikeout, complete game, and shutout totals were all career-bests. His win total and ERA were both good for second place in the National League (behind only Josh Johnson's 2.30 ERA and Roy Halladay's 21 victories). In 2010, he pitched his first two shutouts of his career, one against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 4 and a two-hitter against the Florida Marlins on August 6.

In voting behind unanimous winner Halladay, Wainwright came in second place for the 2010 NL Cy Young Award. Of 32 second-place votes, Wainwright received 28 of 32. He had elbow pain and nerve swelling at the end of the season. He was cleared after the season by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

When returning to spring training, Wainwright complained of pain in his right elbow during pitching batting practice on February 21. Wainwright will miss the entire 2011 season, as well as the first three months of the next season, after discovering that ulnar collateral ligament injury necessitated Tommy John surgery (TJS). The team physician, George Paletta, underwent the surgery in St. Louis on February 28 and was described as "a success" by the team's leader. Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garca, and Kyle McClellan were among the former patients of the same surgery. Wainwright's contract had options for 2012 and 2013, totaling $21 million, with a clause that they would not automatically vest if he ended the 2011 season on the disabled list.

The Cardinals made the playoffs as a wild card play, defeating the Braves on the final day of the season. They eventually won the World Series, defeating the Texas Rangers four games to three. Despite not pitching the entire season, the Cardinals gave Wainwright his second World Series ring.

Wainwright was 100% recovered after TJS and recovery, and he was ready for spring training. The 2012 season was a complete failure by Wainwright's standards, with a 3.94 ERA. However, it was encouraging in terms of his right arm's fitness as he went through the entire season without having to worry. In addition, pitchers returning from TJS often find it difficult at first to throw with the same command as before the operation, and subsequently obtain post-surgery results that are similar to pre-surgery findings. Wainwright was the first instance to investigate this.

In his ninth complete game, he threw his first complete game shutout since August 6, 2010 (the third of his career). It was a four-hit, 4–0 victory over the San Diego Padres at home, with nine out nine and just one walking only one. On July 29, Wainwright reached his 1,000th appearance in his career. The May 22 start marked a turning point in the season. He pitched 85+2/3 innings from September 3rd, knocking out 83 runs and 17 BB, allowing only four home runs and 17 BB. Wainwright attributed the change to his pitching ability in late innings, which had eluded him earlier in the season, thus making his pitches more accessible. During a bullpen session before starting his game against San Diego, he also fixed a subtle flaw that had been gripping his curveball. Due to the flaw, throwing the curveball for consistent strikes became more difficult.

The Cardinals and Wainwright announced on March 28, 2013, that they had agreed to a five-year contract extension. At the time, he was under the responsibilities of his previous year, so the new deal extended him until 2018. It was the highest deal for a Cardinals pitcher ever, with a total value of $97.5 million. In his first four starts of a season, he became the first pitcher in baseball since 1900 to hit 28 strikeouts and zero walks. Slim Sallee set the franchise record early by not releasing a walk in his first 40 innings. After 34+2/3 innings and 133 batters faced, Wainwright's streak came to an end in Washington on April 23.

In a 2–1 loss of the Mets at Citi Field on June 13, the first MLB pitcher to win in a 2–1 victory. In addition, his strikeout of David Wright was his first of the game and his 1,000th in his career. He took six hits but pulled out a total of four. Wainwright earned his first runner of the Month for June with a 4–2 record and 1.77 ERA. Wainwright took only six walks in a month of strikeouts, despite being held to a.220 average. He was 11-5" with a 2.22 ERA and was the MLB champion with four complete games and a 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio at this time in the season, and was the highest average player with four complete games and a 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Wainwright allowed 15 runs against the Reds in late August, both losses. In a 5–0 victory over the first-place Pirates on September 7, he struck out eight in seven shutout innings in his 16th victory of the season. In September, the Pirates, Reds, and Cardinals were all close contenders for the Central division crown. The Cardinals gained their first position over the Pirates by a half-game and 1+12 games over the Reds. Wainwright's seven strikeouts raised his career total to 1,103, defeating Dizzy Dean (1,095) for second place among Cardinals' pitchers. Only Bob Gibson (3,117 in 528 games) had more.

Following the All-Star break, Wainwright had walked 14, compared to 15 in 146+220 IP before the break. Shelby Miller, a fellow starter against Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmermann on September 26, denied Zimmermann his 20th victory. Wainwright, the Chicago Cubs' second in the league with 18 players, defeated the Chicago Cubs in their last game of the season, tying Zimmerman for the lead in wins at 19. Wainwright was also the third player in franchise history to twice lead the league in wins after losing, including Dizzy Dean (1934–35) and Mort Cooper (1942–43). He was also leading the NL in games (34), wickets allowed (243+223), batters faced (253), and batters faced (956), and third in strikeouts.

The Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, and they called on Wainwright to start Game 1 against Jon Lester. It was Wainwright's first World Series appearance since 2006 and the first attempt. He allowed five runs but St. Louis lost 8–1. The Cardinals lost in Game 5, a rematch against Lester, this time 3–1. In a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers in 1968, Wainwright struck out ten out in seven innings, becoming the first Cardinal to reach double digits in strikeouts. The Red Sox took the final three games after the Cardinals took the lead in a 2–1 Series sweep.

In 2013, Wainwright received his second Gold Glove Award. Wainwright finished second in the Cy Young polling, his second highest position in the NL MVP competition, and 23rd overall.

Wainwright made his 100th appearance as a Cardinal against the Reds on Opening Day on March 31, 2014. In a 1–0 victory, he struck out nine out nine out of nine wickets and gave up only three singles. He pitched a two-hit shutout at Nationals Park against Washington on April 17, winning 8–0. In the second inning on a high infield chopper, Wainwright gave up the first hit, but no one came out until the ninth. He walked three times and struck out eight people. It was his seventh shutout in his career. Wainwright went out of eight innings against the Pirates on April 27 to begin a streak of 25 runs as the Cardinals defeated the Cardinals 7–0, but he was suspended before he could play properly due to injuries on April 22. In the first innings against the Cubs, he allowed six runs, he came to a loss.

On May 20, a one-hitter against the Diamondbacks, it was easily the best game of Wainwright's career. He batted down the first 11 batters before giving up a double to Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth inning. Wainwright retired the final 16 batters after the tragedy, with just 28 batters remaining for a perfect game. He walked none and struck out nine out of nine runs, tossing 115 pitches, 86 for strikes. It was Wainwright's seventh victory of the year, tying for the National League lead, and his 106th victory over 59 losses. It also placed him eighth on the all-time Cardinals' pitching win list, and it was his eighth shutout in his career. On May 25, Wainwright continued his effort with eight more scoreless innings. He took up just one walk and smashed out a record-leading 21 batters in 17 scoreless innings between the two teams. He was named NL Co-Player of the Week by Dodgers starter Josh Beckett, who threw a no-hitter on May 25. Nevertheless, he missed his June 16 against the Mets due to elbow tendinitis, but an MRI revealed no physical injury to the Tommy John surgically repaired ligament.

Wainwright was selected to his third All-Star Game at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after leading the NL with a 1.79 ERA and 11 victories through July 6. For the first time in his career, he was selected as the NL's starting pitcher. Wainwright had 13 runs in 16 of his first 18 starts, including two starts in which he gave up seven runs to the Giants and six to the Cubs. Nine out of nine starts featured innings of seven or more innings pitched with zero earned runs allowed. It was the first time a pitcher in Major League history that had achieved this feat in his first 18 starts of the season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (ESB).

Wainwright, a musician, and a 1.83 ERA when the Cardinals defeated the Brewers 10–2 on July 12, set a new all-star break record and a 1.83 ERA. Steve Carlton was also a member of Hall of Fame in the 1970s, winning less than 2.00 and at least 12 games before the All-Star break. Wainwright's was off to a good start in the season with at least seven innings pitched and two or fewer runs allowed in that match. His RBI-single hit rookie Oscar Taveras for his 100th appearance on the field.

Wainwright caused a lot of buzz over his remarks about opposing leadoff hitter Derek Jeter in the All-Star Game. Jeter, who was out early in the season, was doubling down on Wainwright's second pitch of the game. He admitted that he gave Jeter a quick pitch to hit during interviews. "I was going to give him a few pipe shots." Wainwright said he deserved it. "I didn't know he was going to get a double," says the author. Wainwright later confessed that it was in joke and that he was "not intentionally giving up hits out there."

"He grooved them?

Following the All-Star break, Wainwright struggled to maintain the rhythm of the first half of the season due to constant elbow aches. He surrendered just four earned runs in 31 innings for a 1.16 ERA in June and July for a 1.62 ERA. His results were reversed in August when he allowed 22 ER in 38+13 IP for a 5.17 ERA. With 29 SO and a 5–0 W—L, he had a 1.38 ERA in 39 IP in September. In September, he was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for the Month.

Wainwright underwent surgery on October 24 to repair portions of the right elbow's cartilage. He had modified his mechanics to reduce the pain at certain times—commencing in June. In his third-to-last and second-to-last starts of the season, as in the NLDS against the Dodgers and NLCS against the Giants, Warwick was unable to finish five innings in both starts. Wainwright was questioned about whether he was pitching with pain, which he denied.

He had an ERA+ during the 2014 season, the third-highest for an active pitcher with a minimum of 1,000 innings and a.643 winning percentage, fourth-highest for active pitchers. In 2014, Wainwright's third appearance in the Cy Young voting and fourth time he appeared in the top three.

In what was also the first-ever MLB Opening Night game, the Cardinals selected Wainwright to start his fourth career Opening Day and the season-opening game for MLB in 2015. When the Cardinals beat the Cubs 3–0, he was credited with the victory. After suffering an ankle injury while batting on April 25, Wainwright called the game against the Brewers in the top of the fifth. The Cardinals put him on the 15-day disabled list and announced the next day that he had an Achilles tendon rupture and would likely miss the remainder of the season. On April 30, he underwent successful surgery to repair the tendon.

Wainwright had appeared on four occasions during the season, going 1–1 with a 1.44 ERA, with a recovery that was expected to take nine to twelve months. He had vowed to return to pitching before the season's end. The Cardinals announced on September 21 that he was cleared to return to baseball games two weeks before the regular season's conclusion. His real recovery took five months.

Wainwright pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the first game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh on September 30, his first appearance of the season since April. It was his first relief appearance since the 2006 World Series. For 2015, Wainwright was named the Hutch Award Laureate.

Wainwright would be the Opening Day starter for the Cardinals in 2016, his fifth appearance in spring practice. He had been 41–19 with a 2.61 ERA in three previous seasons. The Cardinals opened the MLB season for the second straight season, this time against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 3. The Cardinals lost by 4-1, with Wainwright losing their first game of the season. In a 10–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on May 2, he earned his first home run of the season, while his second victory was credited to him. Per Elias Sports Bureau, he was the first Cardinal pitcher to score an extra base hit while batting in any of four consecutive plate appearances starting April 27 to May 7. He struggled early, posting a 5.04 ERA in his first 16 starts of the season, according to the octagonist.

Wainwright won by 5-1 over Miami on July 15, 2016; the first hit he allowed was a double to Adeiny Hechavarria in the sixth inning. With four RBI against Colorado on September 20, Wainwright's season total hit number soared to 18, the most since Ferguson Jenkins drove in 20 for the Cubs in 1971.

The Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on April 21, 2017, Wainwright struck out nine outfield and hit a home run with four RBI. His appearance in May 27 was his 330th appearance of his career, tying him with Larry Jackson (1955-1962) for tenth place in games played for the Cardinals. When passing Al Hrabosky, he noticed him. On June 1, Wainwright pitched six scoreless innings against Los Angeles, while Brandon McCarthy scored a two-run home run against Brandon McCarthy for a 20 win.

Bill Doak won his fifth place in victories (145) for the Cardinals on July 17. Wainwright was the only active major league pitcher with multiple seasons of 10+ RBI (2016–17).

Wainwright was on the 10-day DL on July 25 due to mid-back tightness, retroactive to July 23. It was the fourth time he had been placed on the DL in his career. On August 6, Wainwright was activated from the DL, totaling 11 innings in three starts. The Cardinals placed him on the DL for right elbow injury on August 18. For the second straight season, Wainwright complained of pain in his right elbow and saw a sharp decrease in power in his most recent starts. Wainwright's right elbow surgery included cartilage trimming and a platelet-rich plasma injection into the joint. He had a 5.12 ERA with a 125 WOL record in 23 games he had started. Wainwright returned to pitch from the bullpen on September 18 for the remainder of the season.

Wainwright earned his first Silver Slugger Award in his career, the first Cardinal pitcher to win the award since Bob Forsch (1980 and 1987) and Jason Marquis (2005). He batted.262/.452, a career-high OPS, and two home runs. Wainwright led all pitchers with seven runs scored and 11 RBI, and they were among those with at least 40 plate appearances and OPS. He also scored at.462 with runners in scoring position.

Wainwright underwent right elbow surgery to repair a cartilage flap, the first elbow surgery since having Tommy John surgery in 2011. The cartilage flap was believed to have caused a bone bruise, which resulted in reduced speed and effectiveness in his breaking pitches. In time for the 2018 season, the recovery process was forecast to take six weeks with full fitness.

With a left hamstring sprain, Wainwright began the 2018 season on the 10-day disabled list. He was activated on April 5, but he was put on the disabled list again on April 22 with right elbow pain. On May 13, Wainwright was activated once more against the San Diego Padres on the same day. San Diego defeated St. Louis 5–3. He gave up two runs and walked six batters in 2213 innings. Wainwright was put back on the 10-day DL two days later before being moved to the 60-day DL on May 17.

Wainwright's contract with the Cardinals has been a one-year, $2 million contract extension before the 2019 offseason. Wainwright won by 5–2 over the Brewers on April 24, 2019. During the regular season, he went 14-10 for a 4.19 ERA, striking out 153 over 171+2/3 innings. Wainwright was out 19 over 162/3 innings and had a 1.62 ERA in the 2019 MLB postseason.

On November 12, 2019, Wainwright and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year deal for the 2020 season. Wainwright played his first complete game since 2016 against the Cleveland Indians in a 7–2 victory on his 39th birthday. On September 16, he pitched his second, although 7-inning complete games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Wainwright was 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 54 strikeouts in over 622 innings during the 2020 season.

Wainwright signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Cardinals on January 28, 2021. In a 2–1 loss, Wainwright pitched a complete game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 26, Rhys Hoskins hit two solo home runs off the batsman. It was his second attempt in his career to pitch a 9-inning complete game and lose since losing by 2–1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007.

Wainwright won his first game of the season in a 6–5 win over the New York Mets on May 3, while Derek Birds recorded his 1,000th strikeout at Busch Stadium, making him the only Cardinals pitchers with 1,000 strikeouts at their home ballparks. Wainwright's 1,900th strikeout against the Miami Marlins was recorded on June 14, his 1,900th strikeout. On Father's Day, June 20, he pitched his second complete game of the year, albeit 7 innings against the Atlanta Braves in the first game of a doubleheader, losing only one run while allowing just one run. Wainwright pitched his first shutout since 2016 and his first Maddux against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 10, tossing 88 pitches. He was the first pitcher to record a shutout since Bartolo Colón in 2015. After going 5–1 with a 1.45 ERA, he was named National League Pitcher of the Month for August, striking out 36 runs in a total of 1.45 innings while walking just six over 44 runs. Wainwright and battery mate Yadier Molina launched their match against the Brewers on September 3, their 300th appearance as a battery. They are the fourth battery in MLB history to reach 300 runs. The Cardinals won the game 15–4, with Wainwright winning the game. On September 23, Wainwright recorded his 2,000th strike out of the Milwaukee Brewers against Luis Urzas. Wainwright made history by becoming the second in franchise history alongside Bob Gibson, who helped reach the milestone.

The Cardinals and Wainwright signed a one-year contract on October 1, 2022.

Wainwright had his best season since 2014, going 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 2021, 201-1103 runs outs. Wainwright was second in overall victories (17), third in innings pitched (206+13), tied for first in complete games (3) and tenth in average innings pitched (1.057). With 14 hits, he led the major leagues in sacrifice hits.

In the 2021 NL Cy Young Award nominations, Wainwright came in seventh place.

Wainwright and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million contract for the 2022 season on October 4, 2021.

On Opening Day, Wainwright's 100th game at Busch Stadium was a 9–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching six shutout innings with six strikeouts. Wainwright and Molina won their 203rd victory together on May 15, 2022, becoming the most profitable team in MLB history. Wainwright and Molina established another MLB record by starting alongside one another for the 325th time, beating Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Detroit Tigers for the most starts by a battery.

'Notes' note: Throughout the 2019 season. Baseball-Reference.com is a website that publishes baseball statistics.com.

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