ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - For the second season in a row, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is the oldest player in the National League. But he sure didn't look like it last night.
The 39-year-old struck out 10 batters, allowing just five hits and one run over seven innings of work in the 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals, Tuesday night. But what he did in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings was something we haven't seen in baseball since Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver.
Related
Wainwright recorded seven of his 10 Ks in his final three innings of work, allowing just one hit in that stretch (home run to Josh Bell).
He became just the third pitcher – 38 or older – to strike out seven or more batters the third time through a lineup, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Only Ryan and Seaver have ever done that before. The baseball saying goes that the advantage goes to the batter in the second or third time you face a pitcher because now you've seen his stuff. But Wainwright was so dominant he breezed through the lineup with only that one mistake to Bell.
It was his 11th career double-digit strikeout performance.
Ryan completed the feat four times in his age-38 season in 1985, his most recent was in 1989 at 42-years-old. Seaver pulled it off once, when he was 40 in 1985.
In another impressive feat for Wainwright at his age, on Tuesday he became the second-oldest Cardinals pitcher to have a double-digit strikeout game. He tied Chuck Finley, who did it twice during the 2002 season when he was 39 (39.26 and 39.27 to be exact, per Baseball-Reference). But Wainwright will have a chance later this season to break the record
Tuesday was also another start for Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina together as the Cardinals battery – for 278th time. They're now four starts away from tying New York Yankees teammates Red Ruffing and Bill Dickey (282) for fifth on the all-time list.
Related
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved