NEW PODCAST: Adam Wainwright, St Louis Cardinals Pitcher

THIS IS EPISODE 14 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST

Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. He’s been a mainstay with the organization now for 13 seasons. He’s a 2-time World Series Champion (2006, 2011), a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner.

Adam isn’t just an elite Major League Baseball player, he’s also a man of faith and has taken his love for Jesus into the mission field to start Big League Impact, a non-profit designed to serve and help those in need both in the USA and overseas.

In this episode of the podcast, Adam shares why he believes pitchers are the best athletes, his love for hitting, how often he’s asked about the Carlos Beltran pitch, how he stays grounded in his faith during a long MLB season, and why he started Big League Impact.

PODCAST NOTES:

3:05 – On the famous pitch to strike out Carlos Beltran in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS

5:45 – Taking pride as a hitter

8:25 – Hitting a Home Run on his very first at-bat

10:30 – That moment he became a Christ

15:00 – Staying grounded in his faith during a long, grueling, season.

17:35 – How Big League Impact came to fruition

25:05 – How much longer does Adam want to pitch?

26:45 – What is God teaching Adam right now?

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“When I go to Citi Field in NYC, the entire crowd boos me. It’s a lot of fun.”

“It makes me feel like a total baseball player. I always like to remind our position players that pitchers are the best athletes on the field.”

“I think people would tune in and watch it, and I think MLB would be for it, but the teams themselves wouldn’t want to move forward with it.”

“The great thing about the Gospel is that it is just for you and it is just for me. On that day in 2002, I became whole.”

“During the season we have bible study and chapel but we’re also doing a verse of the week with a couple of teammates and I.”

“Baseball, unless I stop it, will become an idol, and the Lord will take a backseat, unless I’m intentional about pursuing Him.”

“We have the ability to save lives today with what we’re doing.”

“If my body feels good and I’m still getting hitters out, I’ll pitch for a few more years.”

“I don’t really choose to be mediocre. When my time is up, I’ll go be great at something else.”

“I expect to be great at this game. If I’m still pretty darn good at this game, I want to play as long as I can.”

“In our job, we make a lot of money. The more money I make, the more money I can give away and the more money I can use to impact the kingdom.”

“I have no problem with going out there and playing for the Lord to have an impact on his kingdom.”

“The mindset for me and the clear message right now is James 1, when your facing trials of many kinds, you have to stay strong and persevere and God will bring you through this. Being diligent and able to persevere through trials.”

“There’s no quit in this dog, I’m going to keep fighting.”

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