It's not all that controversial to say the Cardinals haven't provided a whole lot of joy this season.
Perpetually hovering around .500 and looking up at multiple teams when it comes to leapfrogging into the playoffs, there hasn't been much cause for happiness when watching this year's club.
Sure you'll get the standard Nolan Arenado crazy play every once in a while or a history-making moment from Yadier Molina, but other than that, the pickings are slim in 2021.
Except for one guy. When Adam Wainwright is on the mound this season, you'd better be watching. Because what he's doing is nothing short of remarkable.
Wednesday night in Pittsburgh was Wainwright's masterpiece of 2021 (at least so far). He threw a "Maddux". That's a complete game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches. Wainwright did it in 88, and allowed just two hits to the Pirates in the Cardinals' 4-0 win. He's the oldest pitcher to throw a complete game shutout on 88 pitches or fewer since pitch tracking started in 1988.
And while the forever-humble Wainwright will always make light of the "age" questions that come up in his post-game media sessions, it's worth appreciating just how remarkable it is that he's still this good at this age.
Wainwright will turn 40 years old on Aug. 30. He's the second-oldest pitcher in baseball after the Mets' Rich Hill. And it didn't always look like a late-career renaissance was possible for the Cardinals' veteran.
Health issues from around 2015-2018 made it look like Wainwright was on his way out of baseball after a proud career. It's something he talks about often. But after he finally got healthy, Wainwright showed why we should have never counted him out.
And as he ages, he seems to be getting even better. And he, "just keeps tricking 'em."
"If you don't get overly concerned with your age, it's not a factor. That's really the only way I know how to answer that," Wainwright said after his complete game shutout Wednesday night. "I feel much younger than I did several years ago and that's all that matters to me. My wife still thinks I'm cute. She's watching. I've got her tricked. So, just keep tricking 'em."
In 2021, Wainwright has been incredibly good at "tricking 'em."
He is the Cardinals' 2021 MVP. It's not his fault the rest of the team can't build on his success. If the team needs a big start, it always seems like it's Wainwright's turn in the rotation. And he almost always comes through.
His 3.27 ERA is the 11th-lowest in the National League. He's only failed to go less than five innings in two of his 23 starts and has pitched the second-most innings in the NL. And he's done it with a nearly 40-year-old arm! This is not normal. This is special.
Unless this team can summon some magic deep down that we haven't seen yet, don't expect any October baseball in St. Louis. But every fifth day, Adam Wainwright has given fans a compelling reason to watch. However, even he's not ready to kick his feet up and pat himself on the back for his late-career surge, yet.
"I don't want to be proud of anything just yet. I want to finish what we start here, and then at the end of the year maybe I'll look back... or at the end of my career I'll look back and be like, 'That was pretty neat.' But I'm trying not to go there right now," Wainwright said. "I'm trying to stay in the moment and do all the little things we do to be prepared for the next five days."
The inevitable question is, "How much longer can this guy do this?"
The ball should be in his court. Wainwright has talked before about possibly having just one more year left in him before he rides off into the sunset to spend some more time with his wife and kids, who are growing up quickly.
When he does decide to hang it up, he'll walk directly into the Cardinals' Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever throw a pitch wearing the birds on the bat. But before that does happen, we should cherish every night like Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Because guys like this don't come around very often.