Adam Wainwright
| Adam Wainwright | |
|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 50 | |
| Relief pitcher | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 11, 2005, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Career statistics (through October 2, 2006) | |
| Record | 2-1 |
| ERA | 3.39 |
| Strikeouts | 72 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Adam Parrish Wainwright born August 30 1981 in Brunswick, Georgia) is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. A highly valued prospect coming out of Glynn Academy, Wainwright planned to play college baseball at Georgia Tech, signing a letter of intent with the Yellow Jackets. But, when he was selected 29th overall in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft by his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, Wainwright chose to forego college and go straight to the pros, signing a contact with the Braves that included a $1.25 million bonus.
In December 2003, Wainwright was sent to the Cardinals along with Jason Marquis in a trade that sent outfielder J. D. Drew to the Atlanta Braves
On September 11, 2005, Wainwright made his major league debut for the Cardinals. He has been a starting pitcher throughout his minor league career, but as of the 2006 season he is working as a reliever or "long man" in the bullpen. With the injury to closer Jason Isringhausen, Wainwright took over the closer duties for the rest of the 2006 season and the playoffs.
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.
2006 Postseason
At the end of the 2006 season, Wainwright took over the closers role over Jason Isringhausen in the Cardinals bullpen and pitched the last inning of each of St. Louis' playoff series:
- 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.
- October 19, 2006, Wainwright, with bases loaded, struck out Carlos Beltran looking on 3 pitches to clinch the National League Championship Series for the Cardinals using his signature 12-6 curveball for the final pitch.
- On October 27, 2006, in Game 5 of the World Series Wainwright struck out Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge with a slider to secure the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-2 win and the World Series Championship, their 10th all time and first since 1982.
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference