Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina break MLB record with 325th start as battery

Rewrite the history books, Major League Baseball.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 325th appearance as a starting battery Wednesday, breaking the major league mark set by Detroit’s Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan from 1963-1975.

The duo received a standing ovation walking from the bullpen into the dugout Wednesday, when they took the field for the start of the game.

Leadoff hitter Christian Yelich took the first pitch of the night out of respect, and Molina threw the commemorative ball that set the record into the dugout.

The pair made their first start together April 6, 2007, in Houston. Wainwright notched his first of 212 wins as a starter with Molina as his catcher, which is a major league record for battery mates.

Molina is wearing a special catcher’s mask for the occasion. 

Two of their notable moments together came in 2006, when Wainwright struck out the Mets’ Carlos Beltran to win the NLCS. The righty then struck out the Tigers’ Brandon Inge to win the 2006 World Series. Both strikeouts concluded with a huge hug near the mound.

Wainwright began his career as a reliever but became a full-time starter in 2007. Molina, 40, will retire at the end of this season. Wainwright, 41, has not publicly announced a decision on his plans for 2023.

Molina debuted in 2004. Wainwright broke into the majors in 2005 but was used mostly as a reliever his first two seasons.

The battery’s record will stand for quite some time. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the next most starts by a battery belong to Kyle Hendricks and Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs at 105.

CARDINALS DUO ADAM WAINWRIGHT AND YADIER MOLINA TIE THE MLB RECORD FOR STARTS TOGETHER

The catcher who caught Wainwright the second-most times in his career is Gary Bennett, who caught him 29 times spanning 87.1 innings.

Now that Wainwright and Molina are done chasing history, all eyes turn to Albert Pujols, who is three home runs away from becoming the fourth player to join the 700 home run club. 

He recently passed Alex Rodriguez (696) for the fourth most home runs of all time.

The Cardinals lead the NL Central over the Milwaukee Brewers by seven games.