This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Adam Wainwright didn’t get to pitch one last time at Wrigley Field this past weekend -- and he didn’t get invited to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” even though he did offer to do so -- but the 41-year-old pitcher does think he will be heard from again this season, even though it hasn’t gone according to plan.

When he signed to come back for 2023 and his final MLB season before retirement, Wainwright envisioned himself being a key cog on a Cardinals team that would be bound for the playoffs, because, well, that’s what it has almost always have done during Uncle Charlie’s 18 years in St. Louis.

Injuries to his groin and shoulder -- and constant pain in what he calls “an old back” -- have cut into Wainwright’s time on the mound. His so-so season took another dip on June 24-25 during the London Series, when Wainwright began a three-start stretch that sent his ERA ballooning well north of 7.00, making retirement seem closer than ever.

Now, rest, rehabilitation and cortisone have Wainwright’s shoulder and back feeling better than they have all year, and he’s eager to try to finish this last season with a flourish.

After throwing three bullpen sessions and reporting the return of his best stuff, the right-hander will be back on the mound on Monday in Arizona against the D-backs. Regardless of how it goes, it will be the beginning of the end of Wainwright’s storied Cardinals career, and it just might be his last chance to buff out his legacy.

“I’ve got great memories and I’m almost ready for the next adventure,” Wainwright said. “You know, but not yet.”

This past weekend at venerable Wrigley Field, Wainwright relived many of the memories which have highlighted a career that will undoubtedly make him a Cardinals Hall of Famer someday.

He told stories of how he and other members of the Cardinals sprayed champagne on fans after clinching a playoff berth -- Cubs fans who didn’t want the shower and Cardinals fans willingly soaking in every last drop. He recalled winning his 20th game at Wrigley Field in 2014 and '10, and outdueling close friend Jon Lester in Chicago on Opening Day in '15. He did all of that, of course, while taking plenty of verbal barbs from Chicago fans who love to razz him.

“It’s the best here,” Wainwright said of the trash talk from the Wrigley bleacher creatures. “Why I always wear my uniform out to batting practice is so that there’s no doubt to the fans who I am so they can rip me even more. I love it, and it’s been a great rivalry.”

Wainwright said he would put Wrigley Field “toward the top” of all MLB parks, even though he despised the cramped quarters in the visiting clubhouse for several seasons, and despite having had access to “the same urinal that Ty Cobb used until like five years ago.” Of The Friendly Confines, Wainwright had this assessment: “I just think it’s a really cool place, and I hope they never get rid of it.”

Wainwright hopes the Cardinals don’t get rid of him just yet either, with the bite coming back to his curveball and the late life in his cutter reappearing upon improvement with his shoulder. He’s entirely hopeful that he can coax a few more strong outings from his body, get two wins to reach 200 and finish his final season with a flourish.

“When you’re not worried about your health, you can go out and just make pitches,” Wainwright said. “When you’re just trying to survive, you can’t thrive. When you’re out there trying to survive, you’re just hoping they will hit a line drive at someone. When you’re healthy those thoughts change from, ‘I hope they hit a line at someone’ to a topper to short or getting swing and miss. Having those positive thoughts compared to negative thoughts can be very empowering.”