Adam Wainwright wasn’t about to let a Barstool rant go unanswered.
After Brandon Walker of Barstool Sports took aim at the Cardinals organization, its fans and even Busch Stadium following Jordan Walker’s Home Run Derby win earlier this week, the longtime St. Louis ace stepped in Thursday to push back hard in defense of the fan base.
“I played there for 18 years. Whatever you think in this Barstool world that you live in over there, you guys don’t know the fanbase better than I do.
I don’t care what you say,” Wainwright said. “Cardinal fans are not walking around saying ‘we’re the best fans in baseball.’
They got that label because they are the best fans in baseball.”
Wainwright, a Cardinals legend and two-time World Series champion, spent his entire career in St. Louis and has seen the fan base from every angle. From his debut in 2005 through his final at-bat in 2023, he was part of plenty of winning teams, plenty of rough stretches, and everything in between.
That perspective is exactly why his response carried so much weight. He’s not speaking from the outside looking in. He’s lived it.
“You go to most stadiums and they’re having a party,” Wainwright continued. “Cardinal fans are watching the game.”
He also made clear that the Cardinals crowd’s reputation comes from how they actually behave in the ballpark, not from any self-promotion. Wainwright said he had the chance to play in front of plenty of other fan bases over the years, but St. Louis stood out because of how locked in the crowd stayed from pitch to pitch.
Felt like the the @Cardinals were getting lots of support from fans clapping back but to take it a step further I wanted to chime in as somebody who played there for a long time and experienced highs and lows with the organization and fan base. Go @Cardinals https://t.co/SxJcdsMZfX pic.twitter.com/wEporPgEKd
Even after three straight years without a postseason appearance, Wainwright’s view of the fan base hasn’t changed. He pointed to the way Cardinals fans stay engaged on hot summer nights and through the ups and downs that come with following the team.
The conversation may or may not continue from there, but Wainwright’s case is the one built on the strongest foundation: 18 years in St. Louis, a front-row seat to the highs and lows, and a firsthand understanding of what Cardinals fans are really like.
In Other News…
Cardinals Had The Perfect Response After A Rival Took A Shot
Paul Sewalds frustration over a weather-related Cardinals postponement did not stay buried for long, and the Arizona closer wound up seeing St. Louis again soon after in a series that carried a little extra edge. The Diamondbacks and Cardinals have already been through one round in Arizona, and the matchup has had the feel of a team response game ever since the complaint surfaced.
Sewalds return to the mound did not exactly settle the matter, either. He was tagged with the loss in the opener and then picked up a save in the next game, leaving his numbers a bit shakier as the clubs move toward more meetings, including a makeup game on a four-city road trip that keeps this one from fading away anytime soon.
Cardinals May Have A Bigger Pitching Problem Than Fans Realize
With the Cardinals hanging around the playoff chase and the trade deadline closing in, the pitching staff is starting to look like the area most likely to be reshaped. St. Louis is expected to explore changes on the mound, including moving pitchers on expiring contracts and reworking the rotation as it tries to stay competitive through the second half.
The bigger issue is that the fixes may not stop with one or two roster moves. Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante have become important pieces, but the club may still need help covering innings and sorting out who fits where going forward, especially if the current mix gets thinned by deadline activity. If that happens, the Cardinals could be leaning on prospects sooner than planned, which makes the next few weeks about more than just adding depth.
Quinn Mathews Is Forcing His Way Into A Cardinals Debate
Quinn Mathews keeps making the Cardinals decision tree a little more complicated. The left-handed prospect turned in another solid outing for Triple-A Memphis, working six innings and allowing one run with four strikeouts, the kind of start that keeps him in the conversation as St. Louis sorts through its pitching depth.
Mathews has been especially sharp in July, and his overall work at Memphis has only strengthened the case for a bigger opportunity. The Cardinals are weighing whether they need another starter for a demanding stretch, and while no move has been made, Mathews has done enough to stay near the front of the line if the club decides to tap into its upper-level arms.
Để lại một bình luận