ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - "That’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever had happen to me on the field, honestly," said St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, talking about a historic day for him, his teammate Yadier Molina and the moments they shared together through nine innings of baseball on Sunday.
If you haven't heard by now, Wainwright threw a complete game in St. Louis' 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. And it was pretty darn impressive.
Here are 10 reasons why it was so special:
1. It was Wainwright's birthday and he turned 39 – the oldest active player in the National League this year.
"I told John Gant and a couple other relievers, ‘Take the day off. I got you.’ And I wanted to deliver on that," Wainwright says.
5. Helped St. Louis avoid a fifth loss in a row. They went 6-6 on the 12-game, 11-day homestand and are in Cincinnati on Monday night.
8. This was Game No. 269 that the Wainwright-Molina duo have started together. They are seventh on the list of MLB batterymates to appear in a game together since 1914 and with their next start will tie Steve Rogers and Gary Carter of the Montreal Expos.
9. Together, Wainwright and Molina were 28,173 days old on Sunday – the oldest combined pitcher/catcher duo to work a complete game for the Cardinals since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
10. Both Yadi and Waino put on masks before embracing each other with a big hug. Molina said he snuck the mask in his back pocket before the ninth and was ready for a celebration.
"We were prepared, that’s for sure," Molina says.
"I saw him put his on, and for a brief second I forgot that we were living in a 2020 world right now where everything is a little bit different," Wainwright says. "It’s good for optics. People want to see us do the right thing. And I want to do the right thing too. Put the mask on. Give a hug. I know 6 feet apart is the real deal or whatever, but there is not anything in the world that could have kept me from hugging Yadier Molina right there."