Adam Wainwright

Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981 in Brunswick, Georgia) is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals.

2006 , Reliever, Closer, Champion

Wainwright made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster as a relief pitcher after having been a starter for his entire minor-league career. On May 24, 2006, in his first career at bat, Wainwright hit a home run against Noah Lowry of the San Francisco Giants; he became the 22nd batter in Major League history to hit a home run off his first pitch thrown in his first at-bat, and the 11th National Leaguer. Wainwright pitched capably as a middle reliever, but when Cardinal closer Jason Isringhausen underwent season-ending hip surgery in September, Wainwright was pressed into service as the closer. He saved two crucial games on Sept. 27 and Sept. 30 as St. Louis held off a late charge by Houston and won the NL Central Division championship.The Cardinals, who made the postseason despite an unexceptional 83-78 record, rolled through October to win the tenth world championship in franchise history.

On October 8, 2006, Wainwright closed out the final game of the Cardinals' National League Division Series, ending the San Diego Padres' season and propelling the Cardinals to the 2006 National League Championship Series. On October 19, 2006, in the final game of the National League Championship Series, Wainwright, with the bases loaded, struck out Carlos Beltran looking on 3 pitches, ending the New York Mets' season and sending the Cardinals to the World Series. On October 27, 2006, in Game 5 of the 2006 World Series, Wainwright struck out Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge with a slider to win the world championship.


2007 - 2008 , Starting Pitcher

Wainwright moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation for 2007. With Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter lost for the year due to elbow surgery, Wainwright emerged as the most reliable Cardinals starter. On August 10, he threw the first complete game of his career in a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles. (It would be the only nine-inning complete game for the Cardinals in all of 2007). By September he had established himself as the staff ace in the absence of Chris Carpenter, going 9-6 with a 2.94 ERA since mid-May. Wainwright finished his first year as a starter by leading the Cardinals in almost every pitching category--games started, innings pitched, strikeouts, and wins--and compiling a 3.70 ERA and a 14-12 record.

In March 2008, Wainwright passed on free agency, signing a four-year deal with the Cardinals worth $21 million, with two club options for 2012 and 2013 that could push the value of the deal to $36 million. He suffered a finger injury in June that caused him to miss 2 1/2 months of the season but still finished 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA, easily the best in the Cardinal rotation.