Just a few days after losing the Wild Card round, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright explained his late-season struggles in a social media post.
Wainwright struggled mightily late in the year, which is why he didn’t start either of the Cardinals first and only two playoff games against the Phillies.
Shortly after breaking a battery record with teammate Yadier Molina, the 41-year-old’s season turned south. He gave up 14 runs in just under 14 innings in his final three starts of the year.
Oli Marmol had previously stated that Wainwright had “dead arm” which is about as vague as it sounds. On Wednesday, the Cards hurler went on social media to explain the mysterious end to his campaign and what went wrong.
Cardinals Adam Wainwright remorseful after end of season
“Want to clear a few things up as I didn’t pitch like I wanted to down the stretch and feel the need to explain. On Aug 28th I was hit in the knee by a comebacker against Atlanta. Without knowing it, after that game my stride length got shorter by almost a foot,” Wainwright said.
This was a first for the veteran right-hander, as his timing was off which led to “side pulling, back arching, head leaning. All new things…that weren’t normal fixes.”
By the end of the season, the Cardinals medical staff was able to solve most of Wainwright’s injury woes, but at that point it was too late. The career 192-game winner blamed much of the stagnation in terms of his recovery to not being diligent enough in watching film.
However, his struggles were truly something very few experts could’ve seen coming.
“The end of the season should have been way different for me, and 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,” Wainwright finished.
Wainwright has yet to decide whether or not he’ll return in 2023, or hang up his cleats.
Yet, Wainwright has earned the benefit of the doubt thanks to his years of service to the St. Louis community and organization. As much as fans appreciate the explanation, it’s not his fault this team lost in the Wild Card round.
Hopefully, Wainwright will get a chance to redeem himself, in his eyes at least. The fans surely can’t ask for anything else.