Quinn Mathews credits three former Cardinal greats in ascension to majors

The first exciting prospect of the next era of St. Louis Cardinals baseball made his major league debut on Saturday and it was worth the wait. After a minor speed bump last season, Quinn Mathews' fast rise up to the big leagues was completed with a gritty five-inning outing in his first start. With a performance like that, it was obvious to see how a trio of former Cardinal arms guided Mathews to the majors.

Prior to his major league debut, the left-handed Mathews sat down with Cardinals.TV reporter Dani Wexelman, who asked him about his promotion. On the pregame show, the California native shouted out Cardinal greats Adam Wainwright, Jason Isringhausen, and Sonny Gray for their support over the past three years. Mathews was lucky enough to get support from each of them, with credit to Izzy in 2024, Gray in 2025, and Wainwright this season.

Quinn Mathews already has the support of former Cardinals pitchers Isringhausen, Gray, and Wainwright

While Mathews was saddled with the loss in his debut, he worked himself out of trouble multiple times and rarely looked flustered or overmatched by a tough Blue Jays lineup. Some of the base traffic was caused from his own command leaving him briefly, but the lefty was able to settle in and complete his outing with just two earned runs allowed. Mathews would have loved to enter back into the country with a win under his belt, but with the veterans on his side, he will likely be just fine.

Coming into the 2025 season, Mathews skyrocketed up prospect boards after being named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year and pitched at four minor league levels in his first pro season. His seemingly polished stuff fast-tracked him into an invite to big league spring training, where he was locker neighbors with Sonny Gray. Getting paired with the veteran allowed Mathews to learn from Gray, even though the lefty's stay in big league camp was short-lived.

With plenty of movement expected to happen to the Cardinals pitching staff, chances are that Mathews will have the opportunity to start again in the majors. The second half of the season has wiped away hopes of a playoff spot, so seeing how Mathews responds to his first start would do well to continue his development. The biggest issue in his skill set this year has been his command, but he has shown to be more than ready to face a big league lineup. Rather than have him hone in the strike zone in the minors, Mathews can work with the major league coaching staff and work on a normal starter schedule.

An innings limit may be on the table for Mathews, but he had shown capable of handling a heavy workload prior to last season. He threw over 100 innings during his last year in college and in his first season of pro ball, but the lefty had to fight through shoulder issues in 2025. He is approaching that 100-inning mark again and it should be realistic to think that Mathews can handle at least 150 innings this season.

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