Wednesday night at Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals stalwarts Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina made a rather remarkable bit of history in a 4-1 win versus the Milwaukee Brewers (box score). The duo started their 325th game as a battery, setting a new Major League Baseball record. The two have been teammates since Wainwright was first called up to the big leagues in 2005. Molina debuted in 2004.
The pair received a standing ovation on their way in from the bullpen, as captured here by MLB.com's John Denton:
The first standing ovation of the night comes at 6:39 P.M. as #STLCards franchise fixtures Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright walk from the bullpen to the dugout. Likely many more ovations to come as they make their record-setting 325th start together. pic.twitter.com/VwbRWfryw8
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) September 14, 2022
Wainwright's night came to a close after five innings. He surrendered a run on eight hits and two walks. He also struck out three batters. The Cardinals were ahead by a 3-1 margin when he departed in favor of Andre Pallante. Molina, for his part, went 1 for 4 with a run batted in.
With the start against the Brewers, Wainwright and Molina broke the record held by longtime Tigers teammates Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan. Here are the most common pitcher-catcher starting batteries in history:
Battery | Team | Years | Games |
---|---|---|---|
Adam Wainwright to Yadier Molina | Cardinals | 2007-22 | 325 |
Mickey Lolich to Bill Freehan | Tigers | 1963-75 | 324 |
Warren Spahn to Del Crandall | 1949-63 | 316 | |
Red Faber to Ray Schalk | 1914-26 | 306 | |
Don Drysdale to John Roseboro | 1957-67 | 283 | |
Red Ruffing to Bill Dickey | 1930-46 | 282 | |
Steve Rogers to Gary Carter | Expos | 1975-84 | 270 |
Bob Lemon to Jim Hegan | Cleveland | 1946-57 | 264 |
Early Winn to Jim Hegan | Cleveland | 1949-57 | 250 |
Tom Glavine to Javier Lopez | Braves | 1994-2002 | 248 |
"It's been a good run," Wainwright told the Associated Press last week. "(Molina is) an incredible teammate, friend, and partner in crime. We've been together for a long time. So, you know, we got to finish strong."
Molina has been behind the plate for 325 of Wainwright's 387 career starts, a staggering 84 percent. For comparison, no catcher has caught more than 30 percent of Clayton Kershaw's career starts, or 26 percent of Justin Verlander's career starts.
📽️5,640 days ago pic.twitter.com/0ggbIZoJFU
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 14, 2022
Wainwright entered Wednesday with a 10-9 record and a 3.33 ERA in 28 starts and 173 innings. His resurgence the last three seasons has been nothing short of incredible. Molina has hit .222 with four home runs in 67 games around injuries this year.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 14, 2022
The 40-year-old Molina has announced this will be his final season. Wainwright, 41, has not yet committed to any plans beyond 2022. Fellow Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, who is chasing 700 career home runs, has also said he will retire after the season.
The Cardinals entered Wednesday's series finale with the second-place Brewers with a 83-59 record and a seven-game lead in the NL Central.