ST. LOUIS — He may be the oldest pitcher in the National League, but so far in 2021 he's been the most dependable starter for the Cardinals. However, Adam Wainwright has at least thought about the fact his career is close to coming to an end.
In an interview with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the 39-year-old Wainwright divulged that he's almost ready to trade the ballpark for more time at home.
"I love my family. I love baseball," Wainwright told Rosenthal. "It's a great problem to have. Jeff Suppan always told me, 'Play as long as you can.' But nobody is going to scoff at you if you retire at 40. I'm getting near the end. If it's not this year, it's no more than next year. Just because of everything that goes on in our lives."
You can read about Rosenthal's entire interview with Wainwright on The Athletic's website here.
Wainwright told Rosenthal that spending more time with his family (wife Jenny, four daughters and a son) is a large contributor when he thinks about how soon he may want to retire.
His performance on the mound is still sharp as ever, though.
So far in 2021, Wainwright is 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA and two complete games. He's been the team's most consistent starter by a wide margin.
For his career, Wainwright has been one of the most successful pitchers in the history of Cardinals baseball. He's third in wins as a Cardinal, sixth in innings pitched, second in strikeouts and sixth in ERA (minimum 1,500 IP).