“Waino, Respect!”
Adam Wainwright (42), the ‘eternal ace’ of the St. Louis Cardinals, finally achieved the feat of 200 career wins.바카라
Wainwright took the mound as a starting pitcher in the 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Milwaukee Brewers held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on the 19th (Korean time), and pitched well in 7 innings with 4 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and no runs, and St. Louis lost 1. He won with -0 and was named the winning pitcher.
Wainwright’s highest sinker speed on this day was only 87.6 miles (141 km), but he had a diverse repertoire including sinkers (32), curves (20), cutters (20), changeups (9), and four-seam fastballs (4). He showed off a good pitch.
This meant that Wainwright achieved his 5th win of the season and 200th career win. He made history as the 122nd player in Major League history to record 200 career wins. Currently, there are only five active pitchers who have achieved 200 career wins. Before Wainwright, pitchers who achieved 200 wins and are currently playing in the major leagues include Justin Verlander (255 wins), Jack Greinke (224 wins), Max Scherzer (214 wins), and Clayton Kershaw (209 wins).
When Wainwright achieved his 200th career win on this day, SSG Landers’ left-handed ace Kim Gwang-hyeon also offered congratulations. Kim Gwang-hyun mentioned Wainwright’s nickname ‘Waino’ through his Instagram story and added the word ‘respect’, which means ‘respect’.
The relationship between Wainwright and Gwang-Hyun Kim dates back to 2020. At the time, Gwang-Hyun Kim was a rookie who had just entered the Major League stage. However, as the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) spread globally, the Major League had no choice but to face setbacks in preparing for the new season. It would have been an even more difficult environment to adapt to, especially for a player like Kim Kwang-hyun who was about to make his major league debut.
Gwang-Hyun Kim found it realistically difficult to create conditions for exercise as St. Louis’ home stadium, Busch Stadium, was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, the colleague who appeared like a savior was Wainwright. Wainwright allowed Kim Gwang-hyun to continue training, including playing catch, in his yard. It was truly a relationship worthy of the expression ‘benefactor.’
That year, the Major League had a shortened season, and Kim Gwang-hyun pitched 39 innings in 8 games and finished his successful debut season with 3 wins and an ERA of 1.62. Afterwards, Kim Kwang-hyun held a press conference in Korea and expressed his gratitude to Wainwright.
Gwang-Hyeon Kim said, “The conditions for exercising were really grim. When I moved to St. Louis, all the exercise facilities, including the baseball field and indoor weight training room, were closed. It was really difficult to exercise.” He added, “The yard of Wainwright’s house was large. He could consistently play 50m catch in the yard. “We were able to do it. We became closer while playing catch together.” Wainwright put so much effort into the park that he asked for permission from the sheriff to play catch with Kim Gwang-hyun from a greater distance.
Although Gwang-Hyun Kim last left the U.S. stage after pitching 106⅔ innings in 27 games in the 2021 season, recording 7 wins, 7 losses, and an average ERA of 3.46, he does not seem to have forgotten Wainwright’s favor.
Wainwright has decided to retire after this season. Wainwright, who made his major league debut in St. Louis in 2005, won 14 games in 2007, followed by 11 wins in 2008, 19 wins in 2009, 20 wins in 2010, 14 wins in 2012, 19 wins in 2013, and 20 wins in 2014. They enjoyed their heyday, winning one victory after another. From 2015 to 2018, they struggled due to Achilles tendon, hamstring, and elbow injuries, but following 14 wins in 2019, they achieved 5 wins in 2020, which was a shortened season, and recorded 17 wins in 2021 and 11 wins last year, showing that they are in good health. He also showed off. This year, he only recorded 5 wins, 11 losses, and an ERA of 7.40, but it appears that he will take off his uniform without any regrets after achieving his 200th career win.