Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright said Tuesday that he’s thrown his last pitch for the franchise, but he’s hoping to contribute in another way before the season comes to a close.
Speaking to reporters, Wainwright said he believes there’s a chance he could make a final at-bat for St. Louis during its final series of the regular season.
“I think there’s a very good chance that you might see me take an at-bat. At least one at bat, right? I’m thinking like one or two at-bats, maybe,” Wainwright said. “I got pine tar on the batting gloves in there. We’ve been working on it.”
Waino is trying to get at least one at-bat during the final series of the season pic.twitter.com/jptk87b9iO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 26, 2023
Wainwright made his last start in a Cardinals uniform on Monday, Sept. 18. He logged seven scoreless innings on the mound, his longest outing of the year, and struck out three batters.
“I knew the day after I pitched that it was going to be very hard for me to throw a ball competitively ever again,” Wainwright said, via the Associated Press.
The 42-year-old intends to retire after the 2023 season, a decision he says he’s “at peace” with. He’s pitched 18 seasons in MLB, all of them for St. Louis, making 478 appearances for the team.
“I’ve literally left everything I had out there, for real,” he said.
The Cardinals (68–88) are eliminated from playoff contention and have just five games remaining on the schedule. The team started a three-game series on the road in Milwaukee on Tuesday and will return home to close out the year against the Reds back at Busch Stadium in a series starting on Friday.
