Cardinals kick off final home series with incredible opportunity for fans

Depending on who you ask, many St. Louis Cardinals fans aren't all that sad about the end of the 2025 season being upon us. While there was hope early in the summer that this young Cardinals team was going to be a real contender for the Wild Card all season long, their play on the field faded as the months went on, and now we are kind of just waiting out the end of the John Mozeliak era.

While the play on the field at this point isn't much of a draw, and the Cardinals aren't exactly playing for anything meaningful down the stretch, the club is providing fans with a reason to get to the ballpark on Friday, though you'll need to be one of the first 150 fans present in order to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.

Adam Wainwright will be signing autographs for Cardinals fans Friday at Busch Stadium

The Cardinals announced yesterday that to kick off "Fan Appreciation Weekend", legend Adam Wainwright will be in attendance and signing autographs on Ford Plaza for the first 150 fans when gates open.

As an organization, the Cardinals have been very good about bringing back fan favorites and team legends for experiences like this, but it's extra special when that player is someone like Wainwright. The former right-handed pitcher retired with the team following the 2023 season, retiring as a two-time World Series champion with the club, four-time Cy Young finalist and two-time runner-up, and recording his 200th career win in his final start with the club, which yesterday was the two-year anniversary of. Over 18 seasons with the Cardinals, Wainwright posted a 3.53 ERA and 2202 strikeouts over 2668.1 innings pitched.

Since retiring from baseball, Wainwright has been active in his two new career ventures - music and broadcasting. This has allowed fans to continue to keep up with their beloved hero even in his post-playing career, and I don't know about you, but I'll never stop dreaming about a day when Wainwright would sign on to be a part of the Cardinals' local broadcast team, no matter how unlikely that may be.

This isn't the first time Wainwright has returned to St. Louis in surprise fashion since his retirement. Earlier this summer, Wainwright was a surprise guest player for the Savannah Bananas when they played in St. Louis, and that was a huge hit among fans.