Who would have thought the most crucial piece in the 2003 deal that sent J.D. Drew from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Atlanta Braves was a 22-year-old pitcher from Georgia? That youngster would become one of the most essential players in the organization's history.
Adam Wainwright has three more starts to try and get his 200th career victory before he retires. It took several attempts to get victory 199. He gets an opportunity for his 200th win tonight as the Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers in St. Louis. Wainwright and the Cardinal fan base have high hopes Uncle Charlie can get his 200th win and sit back and enjoy the final games of his career.
Wainwright is 199-128 for his career with an ERA of 3.54. He has 28 complete games, 11 shutouts, 2,661.1 innings pitched, and 2,199 strikeouts. He's been a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award in five seasons. He's won the NL Gold Glove for a pitcher on two occasions. He won the Silver Slugger in 2017. He was the MVP of the 2006 World Series.
He has influenced young players in the Cardinals system for several years. Wainwright's legacy and work ethic will continue once he retires from baseball. Without a doubt, his legacy will last decades.
There have been many memorable moments for Wainwright. Let's discuss three of the best.
Best Adam Wainwright moments: 3. Performance in 2006 NLCS and WS
With Jason Isringhausen suffering an injured hip, the Cardinals desperately needed someone to step up and close out games. By the end of the World Series, Wainwright would gain legendary status in Cardinals lore as the relatively unknown pitcher stepped up and shut down two impressive opponents in the Mets and Tigers.
Wainwright pitched in three games each of the NLDS against the Padres, the NLCS against the Mets, and the World Series against the Tigers. He earned four saves during the fantastic stretch. Waino had 15 strikeouts as the baseball world quickly learned about his knee-buckling 12-6 curveball. See how Carlos Beltran fared against Wainwright's pitch.
It was a fantastic way to introduce yourself to the baseball world. Wainwright would be a Cardinals Hall of Famer for the 2006 postseason alone. But his career with the Cardinals only grew from then.
Best Adam Wainwright moments: 2. 28 complete games for the Cardinals
After the 2006 season, Wainwright converted to a starter for the Cardinals. In 2007, he was 14-12 with an ERA of 3.70 over 202 innings pitched. He had his first complete game that season. He had one in each of the next two seasons.
And in 2010, he threw five complete games and two shutouts.
He didn't pitch in 2011, missing out on the World Series run. But he did come back slowly in 2012, with three complete games and two shutouts. In 2013 he did it again with five complete games and two shutouts. In 2014, he had five complete games and three shutouts.
Wainwright was sidelined with an Achilles injury in 2015. He returned in 2016 with one complete game shutout, which fell on the night the Cardinals had a 2006 World Series reunion. Wainwright and his long-time catcher, Yadier Molina, put on quite the show that night.
Wainwright struggled over the next three seasons. In the COVID-19-shortened 2020, he had two complete games. In 2021, he had three complete games and one shutout. He had one complete game in 2022.
He hasn't had a complete game this season. And he's never had a no-hitter. It would be amazing to see him get both in one go in one of his final games, but his and the Cardinals' season thus far indicates that would be a huge ask. Just getting that 200th win will be great. Anything else, like a complete game, would be icing on the cake.
Best Adam Wainwright moments: 1. He relationship with Cardinals fans and teammates
The Cardinals will have a long goodbye weekend for their ace on the final weekend of the season. He will have a concert where he will perform music from his upcoming album. Fans got a taste of his singing talents when he sang the National Anthem on opening day at Busch Stadium.
There will likely be a pregame ceremony like the one received on Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina's final games in 2022. The ceremony will have many memorable moments to honor the extraordinary man.
He's done much for the global community through his Big League Impact organization. He won the Robert Clemente Award for his work with this organization.
It is hard to believe that trade in 2003 would still have such an impact to this day. Adam Wainwright has enormously impacted the Cardinals organization and fan base.
He will be missed but his work will live on in Cardinal lore for many years.