There has been a lot that has happened in this final month of regular season baseball. Playoff chases are on and more interesting than ever before, star are being born right before our eyes, and players are more eager than ever to get to October with a chance to win it all. In the mix of all of that, there are also history chases that have been going on as well. Aaron Judge is aiming to pass Roger Maris for the all-time single season home run record in Yankees and America League history by hitting 62 dingers. Albert Pujols is aiming to be just the fourth player in baseball history to hit 700 home runs, right after making his place passed Alex Rodriguez for the fourth most career home runs by a single player in baseball history. While those milestones still have yet to be achieved, there is one historic milestone that is just about to be achieved and not many people are talking about. That being the milestone of the most battery starts by a single pitcher and catcher. That milestone has been acclaimed by no other than longtime St. Louis Cardinals legend, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright.
Today on September 14, 2022, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are set to surpass the all-time record set by pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan with their 325th start together as the starting pitcher and catcher with their start against their division rivals, Milwaukee Brewers. And that is just after nearly four months ago on May 15th, 2022 in a blowout victory against the San Francisco Giants where they set the all-time record with the most teams wins with the same starting battery when the Cardinals won their 203th game together, passing the previous record of 202, which was set by catcher Warren Spahn and pitcher Del Crandall, and now land on 213 victories. Those two have been an absolute dynamite pairing on the mound for many years for St. Louis. From recording the final out in the 2006 NLCS and World Series to being the notable faces of their respective franchise for over the past decade, it’s quite possible we won’t see a pairing like this in the MLB for a very, very long time! Why is that you may ask? Well, we just have to go all the way back to the very beginning.
Yadier Molina came to the Cardinals after he was selected by them in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB Draft. After spending previous years with the Cincinnati Reds organization and grabbing the attention of baseball legends Johnny Bench and Bret Boone during his time there, Molina was in the mindset that he would be drafted by that specific team. That turned out to not be the case as St. Louis snatched him as there were concerns with Cincinnati about his overall offensive production. He was then invited to Major League spring training camp following his draft and immediately made an impression. With most being impressed with his abilities in catching and framing along with having an absolute rocket of an arm that is able to get a huge chunk of base stealers out without much effort. Yadi started his playing career in 2001 with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, advancing one level in each of his four seasons in the minor leagues. It was then on June 3rd 2004, after Cardinals catcher (and later on manager) Mike Matheny went on the DL with a strained rib, that Molina was called up for his first every Major League start as catcher and has mostly kept the title for the good majority of Cardinals games for the past 18 years. He has been the Opening Day starting catcher for the Cardinals every year since 2005 and has been the prime reason for the amount of success that St. Louis has achieved since then. 10x All-Star appearances, 9x Gold Gloves, 4x Platinum Gloves, 2x World Series Rings, and even a Silver Slugger and Roberto Clemente Award to go with it.
Adam Wainwright, on the other hand, was not actually drafted as a Cardinal. Back in 2000, Adam was picked by the Atlanta Braves and 29th overall in the first round of the MLB Draft. It was in December 2003 where Wainwright got traded to the Cardinals along with pitchers Jason Marquis and Ray King in exchange for veteran outfielder J.D. Drew and utility player Eli Marrero. It was then that Wainwright spent two years in the minor league with the Memphis Redbirds that he met Yadier Molina and attempted to build himself up as being a top starting pitcher in the Major Leagues for years to come. However, despite being called up in 2006, Wainwright role’s wasn’t necessarily as a starter but as a reliever. Things got even more complicated and interesting when Wainwright found himself at the tail end of 2006 as a last minute closer, with long-time Cardinal closer Jason Isringhausen undergoing season-ending hip surgery. With the Cardinals playoff hopes crumbling in the final week of September, on the verge of blowing an eight plus game lead in their division, Wainwright was able to save two crucial games on September 27th and 30th which was able to hold off the second place Houston Astros and help the Cardinals secure the NL Central title. It was then that Adam Wainwright would go on to get the final out in the NLDS against the Padres, the NLCS against the Mets, and even the World Series against the Tigers to help the Cardinals land their 10th World Series championship with Yadier Molina right by his side.
After 2006, it was then that Adam Wainwright moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation. His first ever career Major League start occurred on April 6th, 2007 against the Astros with Yadier Molina being the starting catcher. Wainwright would go seven innings and allow only run which was enough to hand the Cardinals their first win of that season and the first win in Waino’s career as a starter. While 2007 would ultimately be a very down year for the Cardinals, with a poor 78-84 record (which btw is the last time the Cardinals had a losing season), it help showcased that Adam Wainwright was an ace in the making for St. Louis. Aside from 2011 where he would miss the whole season due to Tommy John Surgery along with missing a good portion of 2015 and 2018 due to injuries, you’d be hard pressed to find a pitcher in St. Louis not named Chris Carpenter that has left such a great lasting impression with the fans and players. 3x All-Star appearances, 2x Gold Gloves, 2x World Series Rings, along with a Roberto Clemente and even a Silver Slugger award would also help wonders as well! With the exception of Lou Brock and possibly even Nolan Arenado, you would also be hard pressed to name a trade that has impacted the St. Louis Cardinals throughout their history this greatly.
So, yeah. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright have been around the Cardinals for a long time and have made plenty of history through their amazing run in St. Louis, including this year with passing the most teams wins and the most starts totals in battery mate history. However, why is it that there should be more focus on this? Why should there be as much to celebrate as Judge when he gets to 62 or Pujols getting to 700? Because after this season, this tag team will break up.
Before the 2022 season, Yadier Molina confirmed that this season with the Cardinals would be his last. Along with Albert Pujols planning to retire as well, this certainly has helped make for a rather emotional rollercoaster of the year for the Cardinals and their fans. While Adam Wainwright hasn’t 100% confirmed that he would also retire at the end of the year, hinting at possible coming back in 2023, everyone knows that it won’t be the same. With Yadi being Waino’s personal catcher for so long, it would be difficult to imagine him wanting to pitch next year without his best friend and catcher for life right on the field with him. No matter what choice Adam makes, Yadi and Albert choices are set to leave the game in the coming months following the season. With Yadi already having plans to manager for a team in his home country and Albert most likely having to start his 10-year plus service time with the Angels, this will definitely be as big of a swan song we have had since Big Papi and Derek Jeter retired.
There’s an old saying in baseball about how pitching and defense is what wins games and hitting is what sells tickets. That is perhaps why I would imagine there hasn’t been as much focus on this incredible milestone as with Judge and Pujols chasing for theirs. People love action in sports. As much as it is fun to watch your team’s defense make an amazing play or two, it’s the offense and scoring that is the kind of spectacle that fans come to the game to see. Cardinals fans always love to see Nolan Arenado make an incredible diving stop play as much as they do with seeing him hit a game-winning home run. It’s the glove that helps win games but also the bat that helps provide entertainment. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright however, aren’t necessarily known for their bats. While both have received Silver Sluggers awards and have had their share of clutch moments with the bat, it’s mostly Wainwright’s elite pitching and Molina’s elite catching/throwing that is their most common trait. The old Uncle Charlie curveball and the same old Yadi with his fire arm and stealing strike calls from the hitters. In that case, it’s understandable that their accomplishments hasn’t got as much recognition as they deserve but it’s still a major shame regardless.
Overall, the main point I’m trying to make with this piece is to savior the amount of history with Yadi and Waino. They are a pairing that will come to an end in the coming months. They are a pairing that we likely won’t see in baseball for many years to come. They are a pairing that showcases the attitude and leadership that a baseball team should possesses to be able to become constant winners and eventually World Series champions! Like I said earlier this month with Albert Pujols, enjoy it all while you can because you won’t be able to for much longer!
Nevertheless, as a dedicated fan of the St. Louis Cardinals since the mid 2000s, I want to take my time to say thank you so much to Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for everything you both have done for my favorite sports team! You have helped given me so many memories with such an historic franchise that I can simply never forget. I don’t know if any one of you will ever see this piece but if you do, thank you so much for being a Cardinals for life and by heart! You’ve allowed me to watch my favorite team be a consistent winner year-in and year-out and allowed me to be witness to a couple of world championships throughout my lifetime! Thanks again and I wish you both well for whatever the future awaits!
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