Adam Wainwright Says He Won’t Throw Another Pitch, But Wants One Last At-Bat for Cardinals

The St. Louis ace wants one final send-off in a Cardinals uniform.

Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright said Tuesday that he’s thrown his last pitch for the franchise, but he’s hoping to contribute in another way before the season comes to a close.

Speaking to reporters, Wainwright said he believes there’s a chance he could make a final at-bat for St. Louis during its final series of the regular season.

“I think there’s a very good chance that you might see me take an at-bat. At least one at bat, right? I’m thinking like one or two at-bats, maybe,” Wainwright said. “I got pine tar on the batting gloves in there. We’ve been working on it.”

Waino is trying to get at least one at-bat during the final series of the season pic.twitter.com/jptk87b9iO

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 26, 2023

Wainwright made his last start in a Cardinals uniform on Monday, Sept. 18. He logged seven scoreless innings on the mound, his longest outing of the year, and struck out three batters. 

“I knew the day after I pitched that it was going to be very hard for me to throw a ball competitively ever again,” Wainwright said, via the Associated Press. 

The 42-year-old intends to retire after the 2023 season, a decision he says he’s “at peace” with. He’s pitched 18 seasons in MLB, all of them for St. Louis, making 478 appearances for the team. 

“I’ve literally left everything I had out there, for real,” he said.

The Cardinals (68–88) are eliminated from playoff contention and have just five games remaining on the schedule. The team started a three-game series on the road in Milwaukee on Tuesday and will return home to close out the year against the Reds back at Busch Stadium in a series starting on Friday.