Bernie: Wainwright, Molina And The Glorious Show That Doesn’t End.

The indestructible Yadier Molina is the only 38-year-old starting catcher in the majors this season. Including the postseason, Molina has caught 2,110 games for the Cardinals. Please forgive younger catchers for feeling envious, or perhaps a bit embarrassed, when they glance at Molina’s .329 average, five homers, 18 RBIs and .997 OPS. 

Adam Wainwright is 39 years old, going on rookie. He’s the oldest regular starting pitcher in baseball this season. Cardinal Wainwright has thrown more innings (42.2) than many of the young dudes who probably were pitching Little League during Wainwright’s 2006 rookie season. He’s one of only five MLB starting pitchers to deliver two starts of eight-plus innings so far, and the other four guys are 33 or younger. Waino has a 2.70 ERA in his last six starts. 

They’ve been together since 2006. Including Wainwright’s superb work as a reliever in ‘06, Molina has caught his friend to the tune of a 3.25 ERA in 324 regular-season games. And they’ve done it in the postseason, with 28 pitcher-catcher partnerships (including 15 starts) that produced a 2.89 ERA. 

Sometimes we see the older players stay too long, and hang around, hoping to scratch together a decent year or two before the end of the career. Sadly, they don’t always know when it’s time to go. 

Molina and Wainwright haven’t stayed too long. Definitely not. If anything, Cardinals fans worry that their diamond set of pitcher-catcher won’t stay long enough. And every time No. 50 throws to No. 4, it reaffirms another conclusion. It is not time for them to go. Nope. Molina will be 39 in July, and Wainwright’s personal calendar flips to 40 in August. But they aren’t close to leaving. 

And I can testify to something: this is no nostalgia act. I made a mistake a few years ago, trying to get snarky with the cool kids on Twitter, asking the Cardinals if they were trying to win or put on a nostalgia show. Wainwright had some early problems in a start, and it looked like the game was about to go off the tracks. And chronic elbow problems had rendered him largely ineffective. So what was going on here? Was this Waino start all about nostalgia? I took a cheap shot. It was stupid. The usual Twitter contest to see who can be the biggest snark shark.

Wainwright worked out of a jam and proceeded to cruise to a terrific start. He didn’t know what I’d tweeted until after the game. Let’s just say he was hurt by my comment. Offended by it. And he was livid, which he indicated (ahem) in a post-game text message. He’s never forgiven me. 

And I can’t say I blame him. But that won’t stop me from writing about how special this is, watching Wainwright and Molina. We can view them separately, of course,  based on their individual achievements and accolades. But really, I think it’s best to view them as brothers. 

If this is a nostalgia act — and it is not — then please make it last. Don’t dim the lights, and silence the crowd, and bring the curtain down. 

They’re making up for time lost to injuries. Making their way deeper into Cardinals history. In 2019, Waino had a 4.25 ERA when Molina caught. Last season their pitcher-catcher ERA improved to 3.26. This season, it’s down to 3.16. Are they getting older? Sure. Are they getting better? Sure seems that way. 

What do you expect from 34 combined seasons of talent, knowledge, competitiveness and high standards? Oh, and let’s not forget about the winning.

Since Molina and Wainwright began sharing clubhouse space and cultivating a successful team culture in 2006, the Cardinals are tied for third in the majors for regular-season victories, have made it to the postseason nine times, have powered to 47 postseason victories, have put up three NL pennants, and raised two World Series trophies. Coincidence? Heck, no. 

Molina is a nine-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and a future Hall of Famer. Wainwright has been a top-three finisher four times in the NL Cy Young voting. He’s won a couple of Gold Gloves. Is a three-time All-Star. Received a silver slugger award for his pitching. But more than that is Wainwright’s mark on a hallowed franchise. He ranks third in career wins, second to Bob Gibson in strikeouts, and has started more games than all but three Cards pitchers. 

They were both young men in 2006 when Wainwright the rookie closer locked down all three winning postseason rounds with his money saves. In one of the most iconic moments in franchise history, Wainwright’s epic Game 7 curve froze the Mets’ Carlos Beltran and looped into Molina’s glove for the NLCS triumph that sent the Cardinals to the World Series. 

They’ve won showdowns, playoff rounds, championships, piles of awards. They have set records, earned universal respect and in line to become one of the rarest of sightings: two highly accomplished athletes who track through prestigious and lengthy careers for one franchise, aging gracefully, and doing it together.

That just doesn’t happen anymore. Not when all professional sports franchises emphasize player development and youth, choosing cheaper but inexperienced talent over costly more experienced talent for the sake of payroll efficiency. Not when star players have multiple opportunities to pursue free agency to land more lucrative contracts. 

Or to put it another way: pitchers aren’t supposed to last 16 years, and still be pitching complete games (or close to it) and leading the way at age 39. Catchers aren’t supposed to set up behind the plate for an 18th season, running their innings-caught total to more than 17,000 painful miles. 

And even then, if they do last this long — surely it’s absurd to expect them to consistently perform at an elite level. 

And even if they do last this long, and do their jobs successfully, they’re not supposed to be doing this together — for the same team no less — like perpetual brothers in arms. 

They both should be in other places by now; that’s how the industry works. It’s a business. But thankfully, some still crave the merriment of playing a game. Thank goodness, Molina and Wainwright are still a team within the team. These men are so very different. So very special. They conquer, stay loyal, stay in St. Louis, stay together, stay in our hearts. They get hurt, heal and rally, and return to make things better. Can’t keep them down. Can’t keep the Cardinals down. Can’t keep our spirits down. 

Wainwright and Molina were in classic form Sunday when the Cardinals subdued the Rockies 2-0 to complete a three-game sweep that elevated the Cardinals (21-14) to the NL’s best record.

Cardinals fans have been incredibly fortunate to take in the simultaneous careers of two of the greatest Cardinals, watching them do so many marvelous things, and doing it through the sacred baseball alliance of pitcher-catcher. 

I’ve talked about all that Wainwright and Molina have done as Cardinals. I don’t want to leave out something that’s obvious and overlooked at the same time. 

They make people happy.

Over and over again.

There are no advanced metrics for this — unless, of course, you want to count the smiling faces at Busch Stadium.

I’m talking about Cardinals fans, but this could apply to anyone who loves baseball and tradition. 

Wainwright and Molina constantly, unfailingly make people happy. Because even when they come up short, you can’t be disappointed in them. They bring their best to the competition (always) and bring joy to the field (always.) Their enthusiasm is sharable; the emotion transfers to the fans in the stands, and to those watching at home. They’re bouncing around like two teenagers at a time when many of their peers are long retired. So many years later, they’re still frolicking like it’s Shea Stadium in New York, 2006, moments after NLCS Game 7. They provide winning performances, and rich entertainment value that flows from their colorful stage personas and personalities. 

Are Wainwright and Molina intense? Yes. Legendarily so. But even in the heat of the competition, through all of that seriousness, you can see that The Pitcher and The Catcher are loving every second of it. They would not want to be doing anything else. Or doing it for any other franchise, in any other city. They want to be here, doing it for their team, and doing it for you. This not only fills them with elation, but Wainwright and Molina want to share this jubilation with you. 

Sports can make us mad, sad, disillusioned.

Not this story. Not these guys.

Not The Pitcher and The Catcher.

Weekday games, night games, weekend games, afternoon games. Wainwright pitches, Molina catches, the Cardinals win, and everyone celebrates. Not just because of the victory, either. The glee comes from the experience of watching and treasuring The Pitcher and Catcher, one more time. And hopefully for many times,  while we still can. 

Thanks for reading …

–Bernie 

Please check out Bernie’s sports-talk show on 590-AM The Fan, KFNS. It airs Monday through Thursday from 3-6 p.m. and Friday from 4-6 p.m. You can listen live online and download the Bernie Show podcast at 590thefan.com  … the 590 app works great and is available in your preferred app store.