It's hard to say that Adam Wainwright turned back the clock for one night. He's been terrific once again for the St. Louis Cardinals in the past few seasons. But he pitched with a little extra fire in their 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Waino was spectacular on the mound, striking out 10 batters and allowing just a pair of hits from San Diego while pitching a shutout through his seven innings of action.
His double-digit strikeout total was the most by a Cardinals pitcher aged 40 or older in the franchise's entire history.
Age is just a number, especially for Uncle Charlie. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/CkRJsP0ESA
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) June 1, 2022
But to Adam Wainwright, getting there sounded more like an expectation rather than an accomplishment.
“I had very good command tonight. First time all year that I commanded everything —everything was working for the most part,” said the Cardinals pitcher. “Both sides and up and down. About time, huh? What took me so long?”
It didn't just happen for him out of the blue or by chance. Wainwright revealed that he tried something different which partly shook things up in terms of how batters were anticipating his pitches, partly why he struck out five Padres batters looking.
“I put a little cut on my four-seamer tonight. I probably threw more four-seamers tonight in this game than I have in any start of my entire career, for sure I would bet,” Adam Wainwright said.
Waino on his masterful outing against the Padres: "That was very good command tonight. First time all year that I commanded everything —everything was working for the most part. … About time, huh? What took me so long?" #STLCards pic.twitter.com/fAGddfh6yU
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) June 1, 2022
Even at 40 years old, Adam Wainwright is still adding tricks to his game. It's part of the reason why he's almost two decades into his career with the Cardinals and still going strong.
Follow Us
Subscribe