Monday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers was great. In September, when these teams are at opposite ends of the National League Central standings, it felt like a playoff game in St. Louis. Over 33,000 fans witnessed a heated pitcher’s battle between Freddy Peralta and Adam Wainwright. In this game that only had 11 hits, the score was as low as it gets. The difference in this game was a Wilson Contreras solo home run in the bottom of the 4th inning.
As a result, 200 career wins number for veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright.
2023 St. Louis Cardinals
200 CAREER WINS FOR ADAM WAINWRIGHT!!!#STLCards pic.twitter.com/QutsyyWRKW
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 19, 2023
Heading into this season, the St. Louis Cardinals had high expectations. After winning the NL Central in 2022, they looked poised to repeat in 2023. However, this season has been one to forget for the Cardinal faithful. This has been the first season since 2007 where the St. Louis Cardinals are below 500. The past few months have been rough, but this team has rallied around their longest-tenured player to ensure he reaches an important milestone.
Waino
With the departure of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright decided to stay in the Majors for one more season. However, this season has not been great for the right-handers. In 101 innings pitched, he has an ERA of 7.40 with a WHIP of 1.910. Despite a hall-of-fame caliber career, the 41-year-old has seen his fair share of struggles this season. Heading into September, it seemed unlikely that Adam Wainwright would even reach 200 career wins. However, the Cardinals beat the Orioles five to two on September 12. This set Wainwright with the chance to win his next game at home. In this game, Wainwright turned back the clock as he pitched seven innings, and allowed four hits, two walks, three strikeouts, and no earned runs.
Legacy
With the win, Adam Wainwright becomes the fifth active Major League pitcher to reach this plateau. The other four are Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke. A milestone that an active pitcher might not achieve for the next few years. The next three active pitchers to possibly reach 200 wins would be Johnny Cueto, Gerrit Cole, and Lance Lynn. Each of them is at least 55 wins away from 200. He also becomes the third member of the St. Louis Cardinals to reach 200 wins. The other two include Bob Gibson and Jesse Haines who both are in the Hall of Fame.
With a few more starts in his career, it is safe to say Adam Wainwright is one of the best pitchers of his generation. With three all-star selections, two gold gloves, a Silver Slugger, and a World Series, Wainwright has had a full career. The 200th win is just the cherry on top.
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