St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is playing out the final season of his memorable MLB career. Wainwright is expected to retire from baseball at the end of the 2023 MLB regular season.

With the Cardinals virtually out of the running for the playoffs, St. Louis can align some of their moves to give way for nostalgia — such as the upcoming scheduled start of Waino on the road against the Atlanta Braves — the team that selected him in the first round (29th overall) of the 2000 MLB Draft.

“This one’s going to be pretty big, I think because a lot of people have been waiting for years to come see me play in Atlanta that hadn’t been able to, but they know this is the last time they’re going to get a chance,” the 42-year-old Wainwright said (h/t Daniel Guerrero of St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Wainwright was initially scheduled to make a start in the series finale this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at home. But the Cardinals decided to move his next start to Thursday in the closeout contest of a three-game series versus the National League powerhouse Braves at Truist Park. Adam Wainwright has a career record of 10-4 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 career appearances (16 starts) against the Braves.

Wainwright is not having quite a great 2023 season on the mound with the Cards, as he's just 3-10 with a dizzying 8.10 ERA through 18 starts. However, he looked a bit closer to his vintage self in his most recent start, as he tossed six innings of one-run ball, albeit in a 4-1 home loss at the hands of the San Diego Padres last Monday.