Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is on the verge of a new MLB batting record
Thanks to a four-RBI performance at the dish Tuesday night, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has broken one record and pulled within striking distance of another.
The 6-foot-7 righty went 2-for-2 in the Cardinals' 10-5 win over the Rockies with a 2-RBI double in the second inning and a 2-RBI single in the fifth. That lifted his RBI total on the season to 18, which helped him vault former Rockies pitcher Mike Hampton (16) and Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (15) for the single-season record for RBI by a pitcher in the Wild Card era.
Going back further to the "modern" era in 1969 -- before five-man rotations became the norm and pitchers had more opportunities at the plate -- the Cubs' Fergie Jenkins leads the way for pitchers helping themselves with 20 RBI. Here's a look:
Wainwright will probably make two more starts in the regular season -- on Sept. 26 against the Reds and on Oct. 1 versus the Pirates. That works out to maybe 5-7 more plate appearances depending on how he fares on the mound.
Wainwright's biggest RBI total previously was six, which he accomplished in five separate seasons. If the ducks get on the pond at the right time for Wainwright, he just might leap past Jenkins and perhaps cause Bumgarner to lobby Giants manager Bruce Bochy for pinch-hitting duties.
