Baseball

Pitcher Adam Wainwright to return to Cardinals on 1-year contract

By Jason Romano Oct 11, 2018
Adam Wainwright (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with pitcher Adam Wainwright.

The 37-year-old pitcher signed a five-year deal in 2013 that expired after the 2018 season, and many weren’t sure if the right-hander would play baseball again in St. Louis. But the new deal assures that he’ll return for another season at Busch Stadium.

The three-time All-Star struggled to stay healthy in 2018, but returned to pitch in four key games for the Cardinals down the stretch in September. He pitched a gem in prime-time on Sept. 16 against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers, going six innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine in the Cards’ 5-0 win.

An outspoken follower of Christ, Wainwright shared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast how he came to faith in Christ.

“In 2002, I decided to go to a conference in Dallas, Texas,” Wainwright said. “I really don’t want to be here, but I’m going to listen and we’ll see what happens. I just know that God had me there for a reason and I was meant to be here. Everything in my life led to that conference. During the night sermon, the pastor was preaching on the relationship that was meant to be with Jesus. And for whatever reason, God finally opened my ears and I bought in on the spot. As I was listening to him talk, it sunk in and it punched me right in the face and it punched me so hard that I had to look around and make sure that I wasn’t talking to Jesus himself.”

EPISODE 14: Adam Wainwright

In 2019, Wainwright will play his 15th MLB season, all with the Cardinals, tying Bob Forsch for third among pitchers in terms of longevity with the team.

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