BOSTON -- Michael Wacha had tunnel vision on a fun Friday night at Fenway Park, blocking out the emotions of facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career, not to mention going against the man in Adam Wainwright who taught him pretty much everything about what it would take to thrive in the Major Leagues.
But when it was over, and Wacha pitched the Red Sox to a 6-5 victory over Wainwright and the Cardinals, he was able to appreciate one of the most meaningful nights of his career.
“I’ve told you all before that he was the guy that kind of took me underneath his wing and was a big-time mentor and had a huge influence on my game and my career,” said Wacha. “Looking back now, getting to share a mound against him was pretty freaking special. It’s one of those memories that I’ll have forever.”
The performance of the 30-year-old Wacha (5-1, 2.28 ERA) continues to be one of the best developments of the season for the Red Sox. Against his former team, Wacha gave up six hits and a run over 5 1/3 strong innings (one walk, five strikeouts).
For Wacha, this season has been an impressive resurgence after three down years.
“It’s great to see him thriving,” said Wainwright. “We know how talented he is and how great his stuff is and what a great person he is and what a great teammate he was. He’s earning this opportunity and running with it. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Now that they’ve gotten their big faceoff out of the way, Wacha and Wainwright can perhaps find some time to socialize over the final two games of the series.
Wacha said there were no texts leading up to the big matchup.
“I’ll probably try to go over there and say hello to him maybe before BP tomorrow,” Wacha said.
Being on opposite sides at Fenway has to be different for Wainwright and Wacha.
In 2013, Wainwright pitched Game 1 of the World Series against Boston, a blowout win for the Red Sox. Wacha, a rookie at the time, helped the Cardinals rebound and earn the split in the next game as the Fall Classic headed back to St. Louis.
Wainwright was fabulous in Game 5 in St. Louis, but Jon Lester outdueled him to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the Series. Wacha had the tall task of quieting Fenway and Boston in Game 6, and didn’t come through.
The Red Sox surged to victory in front of their home fans. Wacha and Wainwright shared what felt like a long flight back to St. Louis.
Wainwright and Wacha were teammates for another six seasons after that, helping each other through the ups and downs of life in MLB.
While the casual baseball observer might be surprised to see Wainwright still dealing in his 40s, Wacha expected nothing less.
“It’s a testament to how hard he works and the amount of work he puts in between each start to get prepared for that fifth day,” Wacha said. “Like I said, he was the guy I watched how he went about his business on and off the field and how he conducted himself. He’s one of the biggest competitors and one of the most big-time, gameday pitchers I’ve ever played with, and he’s still doing it and will be doing it for a while, too.”
Inspired by his friend, perhaps Wacha can also get a second wind as he embarks on the latter chapters of his career.
“He’s a pro,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He prepares. He’s been solid.”
The Wacha-Wainwright matchup was witnessed by a packed house of 35,251 on Friday and the electricity of two top fan bases sharing MLB’s oldest venue could be felt.
“Pitching here in Fenway, it’s always a special night for sure,” said Wacha. “But, yeah, it’s got some history between these two clubs. It was a fun night. The crowd was into it and we always love that as players.”