Jeff Roberson / ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Cardinals won a franchise-record 17 consecutive games just when they needed a boost. Now, there’s one win that they need even more.
In Wednesday night’s National League Wild Card Game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cards will strive to keep their season alive in an elimination contest at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. on TBS.
Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s postseason opener:
1. Waino gets the nod for St. Louis. Who better to start a Cardinals postseason game than Adam Wainwright? The 40-year-old right-hander certainly knows a thing or two about October baseball. In fact, Wednesday will mark his fourth start in a potential elimination game. That’s the most of any pitcher in franchise history. And when he toes the rubber during the first inning, Wainwright will become the second-oldest Cardinal to start a postseason contest—Grover Pete Alexander was 41 when he started Game 2 of the 1928 World Series—and the third-oldest pitcher in Major League Baseball history to start an elimination game. Wainwright pitched the Cardinals to a win over the Dodgers with a strong performance on September 8, working into the ninth inning of a 5-4 victory at Busch Stadium. He hasn’t pitched at Dodger Stadium since Game 1 of the 2014 National League Division Series.
2. A familiar face will take the mound for the Dodgers. We first became acquainted with Max Scherzer while he was striking out batters at Parkway Central and, later, at the University of Missouri. He’s now 14 seasons into a big league career that will likely lead him to Cooperstown. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who was traded to the Dodgers by the Washington Nationals on July 30, has already made two starts against his hometown team this season. Across 14 innings against Redbird batters in 2021, Mad Max has allowed only one unearned run on 10 hits with 22 strikeouts and just one walk. That’s … pretty, pretty good.
3. This will be St. Louis’ second appearance in the winner-take-all Wild Card Game. The Cardinals played in the National League’s first one-game eliminator in 2012, beating the Atlanta Braves, 6-3.
4. The winner draws the Giants. A best-of-five battle in the National League Division Series begins Friday at 8:37 p.m. in San Francisco.
5. Dodgers player to watch: Corey Seager, shortstop. Seager has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball during the past week. Over the final seven games of the regular season, Seager clubbed six homers and drove in nine total runs.
6. Cardinals player to watch: Tyler O’Neill, left field. Seager may be hot, but O’Neill is on f-i-r-e. The National League Player of the Month for September mashed 13 home runs across his final 32 games of the regular season. O’Neill also had the most success of any Cardinal batter against Dodger pitching this summer, picking up nine hits—including three homers—during the season series.
7. You can join fellow fans for a watch party at Ballpark Village. Just because the game is being played 1,800 miles away doesn’t mean you can’t head downtown to catch the action. Ballpark Village will host watch party events at Together Credit Union Plaza, Bally Sports Live!, Sports & Social, and PBR St. Louis. There will be games, prizes, and drink specials, including $17 Budweiser, Bud Light, and Bud Select buckets as a nod to the team’s recent winning streak.
