Former Cardinal Uncle Charlie still has it even after retirement

Former St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is back to toeing the rubber — except this time, he's facing hitters approximately one-sixth his age. Wainwright had a borderline Hall of Fame career in his 18 years brandishing the birds on the bat, but his final season was anything but a storybook ending. However, he appears to have found his pitching mojo again after wrapping up his time in the major leagues.

Before presumably making children on his own team look helpless against his lethal curveball, Wainwright last struck out nine batters on June 27, 2022, when he fired seven shutout innings against the Miami Marlins. His utter dominance brings back memories of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning knocking out children with his bullet passes on a "Saturday Night Live" sketch.

When Wainwright isn't strutting his stuff on the sandlot mound, he's pursuing his passions within the sport, working as a color commentator for FOX Sports. He will be on the call when the Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs on May 25.

Wainwright is also a budding country musician. Cardinals fans will recall when he sang the national anthem prior to the team's 2023 home opener, and his first full-length album, "Hey Y'all," was released on April 5, 2024. He will headline the concert at Hammons Field, the home of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, on May 31 in what will be the largest non-baseball event in the history of the stadium.

Wainwright continues to be active as the president of Big League Impact and hosted a fundraiser on May 19 at Topgolf in Chesterfield, Missouri, with current Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, who serves as the vice president of the organization. In 2023, according to its annual report, Big League Impact raised $1,333,402.23 for causes including food security, humanitarian aid, education, infrastructure, health and medicine, and military and first responders.

The man who gave his right arm to the Cardinals organization en route to 200 career victories appears to be continuing his winning ways in the St. Louis community and around baseball. And as hitters can testify, he still hasn't lost his competitive streak.