“Ten straight losses,” not starting when ERA is in the 8s, and a brutal retirement season “198 wins, 200 wins…”
Even with an ERA in the 8s (8.19), he’s not out of the starting rotation. He’s two wins away from 200 career wins in his retirement season, but has lost 10 straight. It’s been a brutal retirement season for St. Louis Cardinals legendary pitcher Adam Wainwright (42).
Wainwright started a road game against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 8 and gave up six runs on eight hits (four homers) with three walks and four strikeouts in 5⅔ innings. Wainwright took another loss as St. Louis fell to 5-8. It was his 10th straight loss and his 11th of the season. His ERA is now 8.19.
After giving up a leadoff homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first inning, Wainwright was bolstered by a three-run second inning from the Saints’ bats. He held the Reds scoreless through the fourth, but gave up a leadoff solo homer to Matt Olson in the fifth. He then gave up two more solo homers in the sixth to Michael Harris II and Acuña.
Eventually, Wainwright was pulled from the game in the bottom of the sixth, ending his streak of 198 wins at 11 games. Wainwright’s last win came on June 18 against the New York Mets. Since then, he has lost 10 of his next 11 games without a win. His ERA during that stretch was 10.72. His season ERA, which was 5.56 when he won his third start, jumped to 8.19. The worst record of his career.
It’s been a long time coming. Drafted by Atlanta in the first round, 29th overall, in 2000, Wainwright made his big league debut with St. Louis in 2005 and has spent all 18 of his seasons with one team until this year. In 476 career games (409 starts-2656⅓ innings), he is 198-128 with a 3.54 ERA and 2196 strikeouts.
The star of the Reds’ 2006 World Series victory, he has 12 seasons of double-digit wins, with only two 20-win seasons. He has endeared himself to Reds fans not only with his talent, but also with his exemplary life. He was a role model on and off the field with his good deeds for impoverished countries and communities.
Last year, he went 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 32 games (191⅔ innings), but it was a year of complete collapse. He participated in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) with Team USA before the season, but a groin injury delayed his start by a month. Both his fastball (88 mph to 85.7 mph) and sinker (88.6 mph to 87 mph) dropped significantly. As his fastball has slowed, he’s struggled with his offspeed pitches, including his signature curveball.
The Reds have struggled this year, going 61-79 (.436 winning percentage) and sitting in last place in the National League Central. With the postseason out of reach early on, the Reds have continued to use Wainwright in the rotation. With Wainwright announcing his retirement at the end of the season, the team honored the legend by giving him a chance to win 200 games before the end of the season.
However, he hasn’t won a game in over 80 days, making it more likely that he won’t reach 200 wins. He could still pitch four more games, but it won’t be easy. Wainwright is also somewhat emotional. According to MLB.com, after the game, Wainwright said, “I saw (former St. Louis pitcher) Mitchell Boggs the other day for the first time in years. He said to me, ‘It doesn’t matter if you win 198 or 200 games, you’ve had an amazing career that’s impacted a lot of people,’ and that really resonated with me,” Wainwright said, adding, “200 wins is a cool number and I’d love to get there, but the difference between 198 and 200 is not that big.”바카라사이트
Opponent Atlanta hasn’t forgotten about Wainwright’s resume. “I’m really proud of his career, and I told him that there’s going to be a statue at (St. Louis’ home) Busch Stadium,” Atlanta coach Brian Snitker said. “It’s an unbelievable career, and he’s a really cool guy. “Wainwright is a living legend. He deserves all the credit.”
