Fastball

St. Louis Cardinals' Pitcher Gets Fitting Tribute on Final Weekend Before Retirement

In his final weekend in the Major Leagues, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright got an at-bat on Friday night, something he'd been lobbying for.

Brady Farkas

St. Louis Cardinals' Pitcher Gets Fitting Tribute on Final Weekend Before Retirement
St. Louis Cardinals' Pitcher Gets Fitting Tribute on Final Weekend Before Retirement /
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The St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night in a lopsided affair 19-2.

While the loss is just the latest embarrassment in a last-place finish for St. Louis, it did allow for a fitting tribute to Cardinals' legend Adam Wainwright, who is retiring at the end of the season.

Trailing 14-2 in the sixth inning, the Cardinals sent Wainwright to the plate. Due to ongoing shoulder problems, Wainwright won't appear in a game on the mound this weekend, but he had lobbied to get one more at-bat, and this presented the perfect opportunity.

Seeing him come out of the dugout and to the plate allowed the Cardinals fans to shower him with applause one more time.

You can see the at-bat below:

Wainwright, who has 10 career home runs, had a couple of good rips up there against Brandon Williamson but ultimately grounded out to second base.

He finishes his career as a .193 hitter with the 10 home runs and 75 RBI. Despite his desire to swing one more time, Wainwright is obviously much more known for his career on the mound.

He'll finish his tenure after 18 years with the Cardinals. He helped them win a World Series, was a three-time All-Star and an owner of 200 wins. He led the league in wins in two separate seasons.

The Cardinals will host the Reds again on Saturday night with the first pitch coming at 7:15 p.m. ET. There's no word yet on whether or not Wainwright will get another at-bat.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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