It’s been four days since Phillies swept the Cardinals out of the playoffs in the National League wild-card series.
While Philadelphia’s 2–0 series win ended the legendary careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, it also concluded the season for Adam Wainwright and marked two postseason games that veteran pitcher will look back on and remember that he was unable to play in.
It was an unusual setting for the three-time MLB All-Star, who has recorded 195 career wins. Wainwright has four top-five finishes in the voting for the NL Cy Young award, was a closer in the 2006 World Series and ranks first in complete games (28) and fifth in wins, strikeouts (2,147) and eighth in ERA (3.38) among active pitchers through 18 seasons.
Despite his ledger of success, the 6’7” pitcher struggled in his ability to pitch down the stretch of the season, which stemmed from an injury he suffered in a Aug. 28 game against the Braves. On Wednesday, Wainwright revealed how getting “hit in the knee by a comebacker” limited his pitching stride by almost a foot, leading to the pitching problems he faced and his “timing” being thrown off.
“That had never been a problem for me in the past,” Wainwright tweeted. “My stride length has always been very consistent. Because my timing was so badly off, my front arm started to try and create power by pulling. And when that happens you just pull yourself off target.
“Front side pulling, back arching, head leaning. All new things for me that weren’t normal fixes. It’s why I want able to generate any power with my arm. Fortunately, we got it fixed one adjustment at a time, but the season was over.”
The two-time Gold Glove award winner blamed himself for the prolonged struggles, saying that his lack of diligence in film work to catch the issue immediately was something he could have done better. Had he locked in sooner, Wainwright feels the postseason may have gone a lot differently for him.
“The zip and crispness to my stuff returned as soon as we locked in on the problem,” Wainwright tweeted. “What I was attributing to dead arm was an awful delivery. …Who knows what happens if I’m sharp down the stretch. I feel terrible about it. Y’all deserved better. My team deserved better. I owed an explanation… so there you go. Go @Cardinals.”
Wainwright has not stated whether he will return in the 2023 season following the disappointing end to this season. However, if Wainwright does return, he will do so without two of team’s legends in Pujols and Molina.
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