St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has been a staple of the team’s pitching staff for more than a decade, but the right-hander’s gaffe Tuesday took the baseball world by storm.
In the fourth inning of the Cardinals’ matchup against the Chicago Cubs, Wainwright let loose of an awful wild pitch that bounced several feet up the first base line.
You can watch Wainwright’s terrible toss in the video below.
🚨This is not a strike 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0KH10nfyYZ
— Andrew Carter (@LetItFlyAndrew) April 5, 2017
And while every pitcher is due for a wild pitch every so often, there apparently was a reason behind Wainwright’s blunder. The two-time World Series champion credited miscommunication between him and catcher Yadier Molina as the reason for the errant throw.
“I saw him shift outside and I was looking at a different part of the plate,” Wainwright told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “When I saw that, instantly – and I saw it before – I thought he was looking for a breaking ball and I had fastball grip. I did not want to throw a ball and hit him in the collarbone or something and have Yadier out. I pull-hooked it and erred on the side of not hitting him – by 20, 30 yards.”
You have to imagine Molina appreciates his battery mate looking out for him, as getting stung by a baseball certainly is not enjoyable.
Just ask Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who had one of the most painful trips around the bases we’ve ever seen.
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports Images
