“I don’t want to retire that way 바카라 (embarrassed).”
Major League Baseball’s veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright, 42, took the mound against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on 12 December.
Coming into the game, Kansas City was 37-80 on the season with a .316 winning percentage and in last place in the American League, but Wainwright turned in one of his worst outings of the year against a struggling Kansas City team.
Wainwright gave up four runs on four hits in the first inning. It was a bad start. He was back on the mound in the second inning, but couldn’t get a single out. He gave up three runs on two home runs, bringing his total to eight. His final line was eight runs on nine hits (two home runs) and four walks in one inning, raising his ERA to 8.78 from 7.81.
Wainwright pitched poorly against Kansas City, a team at the bottom of the league.
Wainwright was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2000 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He made his big league debut with St. Louis in 2005 and never changed clubs. He has a career record of 472 games (405 starts), 198 wins, 124 losses, 2634 innings pitched, a 3.52 ERA, 2186 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.24. He has established himself as a dominant ace in the league, posting double-digit wins in seven consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2014.
Last year, Wainwright won 11 games in 32 starts and 191⅔ innings pitched. Prior to this season, Wainwright announced his retirement and was on track for a beautiful finish, but he hasn’t performed as well as expected. His ERA is at an all-time high, and his innings per game hasn’t exceeded five.
Wainwright, in particular, has expressed his desire to reach 200 wins in the big leagues, and with two games left to go, he continues to pitch poorly. He hasn’t won in seven straight games since his 198th win against the New York Mets on 18 June. He has pitched more than five innings only twice.
Wainwright has struggled this season.
St. Louis manager Oliver Mamoul told MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, after the game, “I’m disappointed with the result, but I’ll sit down with him and see what happens next.”
“I don’t want to retire like that (in shame). It’s a shame,” he said, adding, “Nobody wants to see that (an embarrassing retirement due to poor performance). I know people are rooting for me. I understand what’s going on, but I want them to believe in me. I’m also confident that I will finish the season strong. I don’t know why, but I know I will, and that’s what’s important.”
As the schedule currently stands, the Reds will end their season on 2 October against the Cincinnati Reds. That’s about two months away. Can Wainwright overcome the slump and get that coveted 200th win?
Can Wainwright (right) finish on a high note with his 200th career win?