Wainwright, Pujols Continue Remarkable Seasons For Stellar Cardinals
Wainwright was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of 2000’s Amateur Entry Draft. He was 18 at the time, and a towering lanky figure. He stood 6′6″ and threw 95 miles per hour—intimidating, to say the least.
He quickly became one of the Braves’ system’s best pitchers, as he was named their 7th-ranked prospect after a 2001 season in Single-A in which he went 10-10 with a 3.37 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 164 innings.
He spent the entire 2002 season playing for their high-A affiliate and put up similar numbers: a 9-6 record with a 3.31 ERA, and more strikeouts than innings pitched. As he matured, he filled out his repertoire and relied on offspeed pitches more.
Therefore, his strikeout rate diminished. But with a developing slider, changeup, and curve, he improved drastically and continued to be very effective.
Wainwright was acquired by the Cardinals in the 2003 trade that sent outfielder J.D. Drew to the Braves. St. Louis snagged two other players in that deal—reliever Ray King and starting pitcher Jason Marquis—but he was the centerpiece, and for good reason.
He played two seasons in their minor league system, then after a cup of coffee with the Cardinals in 2005, he had an extremely memorable 2006 season as a reliever.
He began the year as a setup man, then finished it as their closer. Overall, he was brilliant: in 61 appearances, he had a 3.12 ERA, three saves, and seventeen holds. It got better once the postseason rolled around. He was 24 and would play October baseball holding down one of the most pressurized positions in baseball: the closer.
He was nervous–who wouldn’t be?–but you wouldn’t know by his statistics. He closed out the final game of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, then, in the seventh and final game of the National League Championship Series, with the bases loaded in front of 56,000 at Shea Stadium in New York, he fanned Carlos Beltran on three pitches to send the Cardinals to the World Series for the second time in three years.
This time, after being swept in 2004 by the Boston Red Sox, they won. Wainwright ended the Division and Championship Series’, then fittingly put the finishing touches on a World Series victory. He struck out Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge on a slider, then jumped for joy in celebration of St. Louis’ tenth World Series Championship.
He was moved into the rotation the following season, and, considering he was a starter throughout the minor leagues, he made a smooth transition. He went 14-12 during that 2007 season, throwing over 200 innings while touting an above-average 3.70 ERA.
He made a brief stop in the minor leagues, and after a minor tune-up, he was fabulous, going 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA.
Milwaukee Brewers. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) " title="Albert Pujols" width="406" height="512" />Albert Pujols smiles as he jogs back to the St. Louis Cardinals dugout after cranking his first of two homers in the team's victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
His pitches, four of them, are now polished. He is no longer a string-bean either, as he’s grown into that tall frame by putting on forty pounds of muscle. With a refined repertoire and added bulk, he has been more intimidating than ever.
He entered his start against the Milwaukee Brewers with a major league-leading 17 wins (his teammates, Chris Carpenter, trails him with 16), and, expectedly, increased the margin with help from baseball’s best hitter, Albert Pujols.
Pujols’s season at the plate is equivalent to Wainwright’s on the mound. He began the day with 45 home-runs, a .330 batting average, and 121 rbi’s. Just an ordinary season for Pujols, and, little to my surprise, he added to this MVP-caliber campaign.
Wainwright, who homered in his first career at-bat during the 2006 season, led off the fifth inning with a double. He was tripled in by rookie center-fielder Colby Rasmus, then Rasmus trotted home as Pujols proceeded to do what he does best.
King Albert, as he is called, crushed a fastball from former teammate Jeff Suppan deep into the seats in left-center. The lead was stretched to four, more than enough support for Wainwright.
The righty worked efficiently, pitching around any trouble that came his way to toss seven scoreless innings. He scattered five hits, had tremendous control by walking only one, and struck out six. Before he took the mound for the final of his seven innings, Pujols continued his quest to notch his first 50 home-run season by crushing another blast, this time a solo-shot for his 47th homer.
Both were magnificent. Pujols, having already accumulated 30-plus homers and 100-plus rbi’s for the ninth straight season, is a seasoned veteran and one of the best players of all time. Wainwright, despite his minor league and major league success prior to this season, is relatively young, and, if his remarkable season is any indication, he may turn into the pitcher’s version of his teammate.
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