Five years ago, veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright walked off the mound at Petco Park with an elbow injury, leading to speculation that he might retire after the 2018 season.
The veteran right-hander returned and once again established himself as a steady presence in the St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation.
Entering this season, he was five wins away from reaching 200 for his career.
On Thursday, he gave the Cardinals 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and helping lead the Cardinals to a 16-8 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wainwright earned his first win of the season and came to within four of reaching the historic milestone.
After the game, the two-time World Series champion commented on inching closer to 200 career wins and what it means for him to be a part of the Cardinals organization.
Wainwright on getting one win closer to 200: “I’ve just been fortunate to play at this specific place for so long, and what a wonderful blessing that’s been. To be on any of those leaderboard lists in a storied franchise like St. Louis, doesn’t even make sense to me.” #STLCards pic.twitter.com/EEPbOcx2E7
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 19, 2023
Wainwright has spent his entire career with the Cardinals.
He won 11 games last season, but was motivated to return by a rocky September that cost him a spot in the postseason rotation.
On Thursday, he delivered another strong performance for the Cardinals.
With his son present for the postgame interview, Wainwright expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to pitch in St. Louis for as long as he has.
The three-time All-Star even said that it almost doesn’t make sense to see himself on the leaderboard for wins in franchise history.
Wainwright also joked about reporters commenting that he was four wins away from 200, and asked if people would be happy if he finished the season with a mere five wins.
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