September was an uncharacteristic month for St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright.
In what has historically been one of his best months over the course of his career, Wainwright allowed four or more runs in five of his six starts, losing his spot in St. Louis’ postseason rotation.
Wainwright had attributed his struggles to a “dead arm.”
Now, the Cardinals season is over, and Wainwright’s future is uncertain.
He finished the season with an 11-12 record and a 3.71 ERA in his 32 starts.
On Twitter, Wainwright revealed that the result of his “dead arm” was actually being hit in the knee by a come-backer against the Atlanta Braves, which he says threw off his delivery and his timing.
Want to clear a few things up as I didn’t pitch like I wanted to down the stretch and feel the need to explain. On Aug 28th I was hit in the knee by a comebacker against Atlanta. Without knowing it, after that game my stride length got shorter by almost a foot. Timing was thrown
— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) October 12, 2022
Waino Opens Up About “Dead Arm”
Wainwright tweeted an entire thread explaining what went wrong in the month of September and what caused him to ultimately be skipped in the postseason rotation.
Without making any excuses, Wainwright took responsibility for his struggles and offered an apology to Cardinals fans, saying that he wasn’t “diligent enough” when watching film to try and correct the mistake.
But one thing that he and Cardinals fans can finally be at peace over is the fact that he was not injured, and his arm was not necessarily the problem.
And it makes sense as to why.
What many don’t realize about pitching is that a pitcher’s legs play an important role in his delivery, and even something as minuscule as a come-backer off the knee can cause problems, and such was the case for Wainwright.
He has yet to announce whether or not he’ll be returning in 2023.
If he does, he’ll do so without his longtime batterymate and close friend in Yadier Molina.
