Wainwright endorses Martinez for Opening Day: 'He earned it'
Adam Wainwright isn't about to lose sleep after learning his Opening Day streak was over.
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals officially tabbed fellow right-hander Carlos Martinez for the first game of the 2017 season, April 2 against the Chicago Cubs. But though Wainwright has pitched the last four Opening Days for St. Louis, he's confident the club made the right call bypassing him for Martinez.
"I think he earned it with the way he pitched last year, and the year before that," Wainwright told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. "Vice versa, the way I pitched last year, I didn't earn that. I thought it was well-deserved."
If rolling with your best pitcher rather than your most experienced is the smart move, then the Cardinals made the right choice going with Martinez.
In 2016, Martinez made 31 starts for St. Louis, crafting a 3.04 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 195 1/3 innings. Wainwright, having been with the Cardinals for his entire 11-year career, posted a 4.62 ERA in 33 starts last season and allowed 102 earned runs, the most among qualified pitchers in the National League.
Rather than stress about it, however, Wainwright already has his eyes set on winning back his Opening Day role in 2018.
"I don't want to have earned anything just because I've been here for a while," Wainwright told Langosch. "If they give me the ball on Opening Day, I want them to look at me in the eyes and go, 'This is your day. We are banking on this being your day.' That is what I want and that is what I expect next year.
"I told Mike, '(Choosing Martinez) is an easy decision for you. Next year it's going to be tough when we both go out and win 20.'"