MILWAUKEE — Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright joined exclusive company on Thursday in Milwaukee.
With a fourth-inning strikeout of Luis Urias on one of those patented "Uncle Charlie" curveballs, Wainwright joined the 2,000 strikeout club.
The Cardinals went on to win the game 8-5 for the club's 12th win in a row. Wainwright pitched four innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out just one batter.
Wainwright is just the second Cardinals pitcher in history to accomplish the feat after Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. Gibson finished his career with 3,117 strikeouts.
Wainwright is the 86th pitcher in baseball history to get to 2,000 strikeouts, and according to the YouTube broadcast, is just the ninth to do it with only one franchise.
The 40-year-old veteran is also second in pitching WAR, third in wins, sixth in innings pitched and fourth in games started in Cardinals history.
Wainwright's first career strikeout came on April 3, 2006, when he struck out Phillies pinch hitter David Dellucci in a 13-5 win for the Cardinals.
Wainwright has been the Cardinals' ace this season. Coming into his Thursday start against the Brewers, Wainwright is 16-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 30 games started. He's also tied for the league lead in complete games with three so far in 2021.
Wainwright is also among the league leaders in ERA and innings pitched.
The Cardinals have catapulted into the second Wild Card spot in the National League after an 11-game winning streak. According to FanGraphs, the Cardinals now have a greater than 90% chance to play in the postseason, and will face the Dodgers or Giants in the Wild Card game, should they indeed make the playoffs.