Cardinals Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina Make History Thursday
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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made history Thursday.
It was the pair's 324th start together as a unit, tying a record previously held by Detroit Tigers greats and 1968 World Series champions Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.
Lolich and Freehan collaborated 324 times with the Tigers between 1963 and 1975, before Lolich was traded to the New York Mets for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton.
Lolich posted a 3.45 ERA and made three All-Star appearances over 13 years with Freehan, who made 11 All-Star trips of his own in that same time. Lolich was the MVP of the 1968 World Series.
The 41-year-old Wainwright and 40-year-old Molina linked up once again Thursday afternoon in the Cardinals' game against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium, tying the historic record that hadn't been touched in 47 years.
After spending the first two years of his career pitching only out of the bullpen, Wainwright made the first start of his career, April 6, 2007 in Houston, back when the Astros were still a member of the National League Central. Wainwright went seven innings deep, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks, picking up four strikeouts and a win to go with it. Molina caught Wainwright in a start the right-handed pitcher will never forget.
For Molina, it was a day at the plate he'd prefer not to remember. The Cardinals catcher went 0-for-4 with a strikeout that day, but the Cardinals' 4-2 win was the start of an era, whether the club realized it at the time or not.
15 and a half years — or 5634 days to be exact — later, Molina and Wainwright took the diamond Thursday for one of their last times together.
Molina has said 2022 will be his last season, and Wainwright has not made his plans post-2022 known, but given his 3.33 ERA over 28 starts, the 41-year-old looks like he still has plenty left in the tank.
The Nationals would spoil the historic day at Busch Stadium, hanging four runs on Wainwright and winning 11-6, bouncing back from Wednesday night's walk-off loss, when the Nationals bullpen blew a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning.
