“That was a surprise,” said Wainwright. “I thought that was cool."
But he added, “I was done. I needed to be done."
Wainwright, who hasn’t announced any retirement plans as have Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, allowed six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings of the Cardinals’ 7-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Some were bloops. But a leadoff walk bedeviled him in the second, as did a Ben Gamel three-run homer off a bad sinker.
The plan had been for Wainwright, who has one win in exactly a month, to throw 50 or so pitches, “get on track and get out of there.