AROUND THE
Cardinals: The Cardinals announced prior to Friday’s series opener against the Cubs at Busch Stadium that right-hander Adam Wainwright had been signed to a one-year extension to return for the ’22 season. The deal is for $15 million, which the club has not confirmed, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. “I don’t want to be anywhere else,” Wainwright said in his Zoom news conference with reporters. “Who am I kidding?” He’s 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA in 32 starts this season, including three complete games and a shutout. His 206 innings pitched so far are the most for him since 2014. Wainwright said the 2022 season would likely be his last, but wouldn’t commit to it. Team owner Bill DeWitt Jr. also would not speculate on anything after next season. “We’re thrilled that Adam will be with us next year and, who knows, maybe beyond,” DeWitt said. “We look at him as a lifetime Cardinal and one whose legacy will remain among the top players forever.” Wainwright joined Hall of Famer Bob Gibson this season as the only Cardinals pitchers with 2,000 career strikeouts.
MLB: Dodgers righthander Walker Buehler has a lot of pride in reaching 200 innings pitched this season, especially considering he’s battled injuries through parts of his career, including Tommy John surgery. Considering the current state of big-league pitching, it’s even more impressive. “I’ve never done it before and it’s weird because it used to be the norm,” Buehler said. “It’s been a goal of mine for a long time.” It appears that just four pitchers will reach the 200-inning mark this season, including Buehler, Phillies right-hander Zack
Wheeler, Cardinals righthander Adam Wainwright and Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara. That would be the fewest in a full season in modern MLB history. Buehler’s durability has been a bonus for the Dodgers, who have won 102 games and are still in the hunt for another NL West title. “It’s great, certainly considering what we’ve been through with pitching,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “To really be able to bank six or six-plus (innings) every time he takes the mound is huge.” It wasn’t long ago that 200 innings pitched in a season was a common occurrence in the big leagues — a sign of a solid, healthy season but nothing special. Just two years ago, 15 pitchers topped the mark. In 2011, there were 39, led by Justin Verlander’s 251 innings. No one will get close to touching 250 this season. Wheeler could top 220 depending on how many innings he throws in his final start as the Phillies chase slim playoff hopes in the NL East.
Blue Jays: Blue Jays slugger Marcus Semien set a major league record for home runs by a second baseman when he hit his 44th of the season on Wednesday night against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. Semien’s homer, a two-run drive into the left field bullpen, broke a tie with Davey Johnson (1973 for the Braves), and gave the Blue Jays an early lead in their September showdown against an AL wild-card rival. Rogers Hornsby (42 home runs in 1922), Brian Dozier (42 in 2016) and Ryne Sandberg (40 in 1990) are the only other second basemen in big league history to reach the 40-homer mark. Semien’s home run was the 249th of the season for the Blue Jays, which is tops in all of baseball. Four of Semien’s homers came at shortstop.