With the 2023 season winding down, Adam Wainwright was in a race against time when it came to his pursuit of 200 wins, as he had already announced prior to the start of the campaign that he'd be retiring at season's end. Wainwright needed just five more wins to breach that mark, but it has been a trying season, to say the least, for both himself and his beloved St. Louis Cardinals. But on Monday night, Wainwright finally made history, and he did so in convincing fashion, blanking the NL Central leader Milwaukee Brewers, allowing no runs on just four hits in seven innings of work.

It was a long, winding road for Wainwright to get to where he is now, but he has finally done it, even if it has come at the cost of some wins for the Cardinals given how putrid his numbers have been this season. Nevertheless, the 42-year old starter cemented his legendary status for the franchise by notching his 200th victory, as he became just the third pitcher in franchise history to reach 200 wins or more, joining Hall of Famers Bob Gibson (251) and Jesse Haines (210) in the process.

Moreover, Adam Wainwright became just the fifth active pitcher in today's game to reach the 200-win mark. The Cardinals starter joined the elite club consisting of only the best of the best, such as Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Zack Greinke, as pointed out by Gateway Grinders on Twitter (X).

Now, Wainwright, despite tallying a 7.40 ERA to this point of the season, can now retire in peace, paving the way for the Cardinals to look toward a brighter future with the hopes of bouncing back from their uncharacteristically bad 2023 season.