ST. LOUIS — Over the years, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have combined for some iconic memories for Cardinals fans. On Sunday, they gave the fans, and the special women in their lives, another memory.
For Wainwright, he was on the mound for the second time since taking a week away from the team to take care of his wife and kids who had contracted COVID-19.
He twirled eight-and-a-third shutout innings and eventually got the win as the Cardinals finished off the sweep over Colorado. After the game, he made sure to shout out his support system at home on Mother's Day.
"There's really not enough presents or flowers in the world for all our mothers and wives do for us, is there?" Wainwright said. "My wife's the most incredible lady in the whole world. I'm convinced of it."
Wainwright also gave a special shout-out to his mom, who helped him get to the big leagues, and his mother-in-law who came into town to help take care of Wainwright's wife and family when he returned to the team after helping them through COVID.
But Wainwright wasn't the only one who had a big game for his biggest fans.
Yadier Molina had two hits in four at-bats with two doubles and an RBI in the win as he caught the shutout. His mom was in the stands to cheer him on, and he gestured to her box multiple times during the game.
"I'm happy for her, I'm happy for me and I'm happy for my family that's here. I'm glad that we got the win and that I got two hits for her," Molina said of his mom after the game. "She was happy for that."
It also appears the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree when it comes to competitiveness on the field.
"She hates losing every time we lose. She doesn't like me to strikeout. But she hates losing. Every time we lose, she's in a bad mood," Molina said.
Molina gave his mom a lot of credit for helping him grow as a baseball player and person, saying she would even try to give him advice about his game from time to time growing up.
"We wouldn't be here without her. She took care of us when my dad was working. She loves baseball. She managed every game. Every time I'd go home after the game she'd say, 'Why did you call that?' She knows about baseball and she likes it," Molina said. "Me, Bengie and Cheo (Jose)... we grew up with her. She was tough on us but she's fun. She's fun to have around and I'm glad that she's here with us."
"It doesn't surprise me that she was here and he got a couple of hits," Wainwright said of his battery mate. "If anytime he's got family in town you can sign him up for at least two hits and usually a home run. But his mom is a sweetie, just a great person. Gives great hugs. And I know he loves performing in front of his family and when she's here he's gonna do great."
Wainwright and Molina may be the oldest and second-oldest players in the National League, respectively, but they look to still be drinking from the fountain of youth in 2021.
"He works hard," Molina said of Wainwright. "He wants to be there for us and our team... This guy amazes me every time he takes the mound. I'm happy for him,"
"At 39 I can't even tell you how much younger I feel than when I was 36 or 37. It's just not even close," Wainwright said. "Especially 35 or 36 I was feeling pretty low, pretty bad so it's good to feel good again and go out there and make pitches."