Another year for Waino: Cardinals sign veteran hurler

ST. LOUIS – Father Time hasn’t caught up with Adam Wainwright yet.

Wainwright, 38, will be back with the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2020 season after signing a one-year deal. It will be his 16th season with the Cardinals, more than any pitcher other than Jesse Haines (18 years, 1920-37) and Bob Gibson (17 years, 1959-75).

“We are excited to have Adam returning for 2020 and look forward to watching him continue to add to his tremendous career legacy with the Cardinals,” said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations.

Pitching on a one-year deal last season, Wainwright went 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA in 31 starts, making him the only active National League pitcher with 10 career double-digit win seasons. He led the league with five wins in September as the Cardinals locked down the NL Central title.

Winning 14 games at age 38 is not common. The last Cardinals pitcher to do it was Pete Alexander, who won 16 at age 41 in 1928, while the last major leaguer to do it was the Mets’ Bartolo Colon, who notched 15 victories at age 43 in 2016.

Wainwright is 162-95 with a 3.39 ERA in a career spanning 383 games (316 starts). He will enter the 2020 season ranked fourth all-time among Cardinals in wins, second in strikeouts (1,776) and sixth in innings pitched (2,103.2).