Adam Wainwright joins MLB Network as on-air analyst after retiring from Cardinals

Former St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will now be pitching in on MLB Network.

The recently retired right-hander will serve as an on-air analyst for the network and is set to make his debut on March 28 as part of the Opening Day coverage, MLB announced Tuesday.

Wainwright, 42, previously signed with Fox/FS1 to call games as a color commentator this season. He had joined that network’s postseason broadcasts after the 2020, 2021 and 2023 seasons.

“I’m excited about this year ahead, and to stay in the game a little bit is exciting for me, to stay in it in that capacity,” Wainwright said Tuesday on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” show. “I love calling the games. I love talking baseball.”

Wainwright retired in October after 18 MLB seasons, all with the Cardinals, with whom he posted a 200-128 record, a 3.53 ERA and won the 2006 World Series. Those 200 wins rank third in Cardinals history, while Wainwright’s 2,202 strikeouts rank second behind only the 3,117 totaled by Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.

Wainwright served as a late-inning reliever during the Cardinals’ 2006 championship run, during which he famously struck out the Mets’ Carlos Beltran looking with a big curveball for the final out in Game 7 of the NLCS.

Wainwright also played a small part in Yankees history, saying he grooved a fastball to Derek Jeter during the latter’s final All-Star Game appearance in 2014. Wainwright later said he was kidding about giving an easy offering to Jeter, who lined a first-inning double against the pitcher for what was the first of two hits that day.