It's been three years since the St. Louis Cardinals have truly had a franchise legend on their roster. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina retired in 2022, with Adam Wainwright following suit after the 2023 season. But no franchise legend's impact on the organization is ever forgotten.
Wainwright is still heavily involved in Major League Baseball as a broadcaster for FOX Sports and MLB Network, and he had more than his fair share of great moments during his career. He was in the league for 18 years and spent his entire career in St. Louis .
Sunday is a special day for Wainwright as he celebrates his 45th birthday. On X, the Cardinals wished him a happy birthday.
Oct 1, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Adam Wainwright (50) tips his cap as he receives a standing ovation before his final at bat during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Wainwright made his Major League debut in 2005, but became a household name in 2006. Here are a couple of his best moments over the years.
First career home run
Pitchers typically aren't known for their hitting abilities, but Wainwright was different. He was no Shohei Ohtani with the bat, but he wasn't too shabby for a pitcher. On the first pitch of his first at-bat, he hit his first career home run.
The Cardinals trailed a game against the San Francisco Giants early in 2006 and had to burn through two pitchers in the first three innings. But Wainwright came along in the fourth and ended up eating three innings for St. Louis. He gave up two runs, but the main highlight of that day was his home run. He ultimately earned his second career win that day as well.
Wainwright would hit nine more home runs over the course of his career.
Shining in the postseason
Later that October, Wainwright had two signature moments. In Game 7 of the NLCS against the New York Mets , he faced a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals were one out away from the World Series, but had to get through Carlos Beltran first.
Wainwright settled down and got ahead 0-2 before unleashing the best curveball of his career to freeze Beltran for the final out. One week later, he struck out Brandon Inge to secure the World Series for St. Louis over the Detroit Tigers .
Seven years later, Wainwright was the ace of the Cardinals' starting rotation, but he got a chance to fill his old role as the closer in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Pittsburgh Pirates . He started the game and only allowed one run, but also went the distance to shut down the Pirates and send St. Louis to the NLCS.
200th career win
2023 was Wainwright's last season , and much like the rest of the Cardinals, it was a challenging year for the two-time World Series champion. He went on the injured list twice and went 5-11 with a 7.40 ERA.
However, on September 18, he turned back the clock one last time and fired seven scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers . St. Louis had scored a run, but in 2023, one run typically didn't hold up for the Cards. Wainwright made sure it did this time, and in the ninth inning, closer Ryan Helsley shut the door to secure the historic win for Wainwright.
It would turn out to be the last game Wainwright ever pitched and the last win he ever recorded, but he ended his pitching career on a high note.
Final weekend
Wainwright was unable to take the mound for the rest of the month, but he still got a nice sendoff in the final weekend of the 2023 season. In the series opener, he took an at-bat as a pinch hitter and got to tip his hat to the crowd. He grounded out in that at-bat, but the next night, he put on a postgame concert, sharing three new songs that would kick off his country music career once his playing days were over.
The final day was special. The veteran right-hander got a nice retirement ceremony in front of a sellout crowd, and even got to reunite with Pujols and Molina, who made the trip to St. Louis for the occasion. Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, Tony LaRussa and others were also present.
Miles Mikolas started that game for St. Louis since Wainwright was unable to pitch, but the Cardinals weren't about to let him not appear in the game on his last day. From the press box, Molina held up a sign demanding that Wainwright be used as a pinch hitter one last time.
In the bottom of the eighth, manager Oli Marmol obliged, and Wainwright took one final at bat, tipping his cap to the crowd and even walking up to the plate with one of his new songs playing.
Unfortunately, Wainwright struck out in that at-bat, but it didn't ruin the moment as he walked off the field one last time and saluted the loyal fans of St. Louis.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as 4 Career Highlights for Adam Wainwright on his 45th Birthday .
