Cardinals fans enjoy nostalgia of watching Adam Wainwright’s rehab start in Wichita

Huddled in his dorm room on the Lackland Air Force Base on the night of Oct. 27, 2006, Jacob Frierdich held his cellphone close to the speaker, closed his eyes and prayed.

It was after curfew on the Texas military base, which meant Frierdich couldn’t watch the ending to Game 5 of the World Series on television, but the lifelong Cardinals fan was tuned into radio to listen to Adam Wainwright close out St. Louis’ first championship in more than two decades. The audio recording of Wainwright’s final strikeout was Frierdich’s ringtone for months afterward.

Nearly 17 years later, in a serendipitous series of events, Wainwright happened to be making his second rehab start in Double-A on Tuesday night in Wichita, where Frierdich happened to be stationed at nearby McConnell Air Force Base.

Frierdich was among the sea of red in the stands at Riverfront Stadium watching the Cardinal legend throw in person all these years later.

“I can’t believe it’s 17 years later and Waino is still doing it,” Frierdich said. “This is so awesome.”

At age 41, recovering from a groin strain, Wainwright was far from his apex on Tuesday in a 74-pitch performance, lasting 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

Not that it mattered to the hundreds of Cardinals supporters who showed up at Riverfront to catch a glimpse of the pitcher who has delivered so many memorable moments for their favorite franchise over the last 17 years before he retires at the end of this season.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Derek Elliott, a Wichita resident who was born in the St. Louis area. “To see Waino come to Wichita, Kansas, it was just amazing to watch him throw tonight. It brought back so many good memories.”

It was a nostalgic experience for those Cardinal fans in attendance, especially when Wainwright dialed up his signature breaking ball to strike out the final batter in the fourth inning.

But that standing ovation didn’t compare to the one he received when he exited the game after nearing his predetermined pitch count. Even the Wind Surge fans joined in on the applause to recognize likely the most accomplished player to pitch in Riverfront Stadium to date.

“When I was walking off the field tonight and I heard all of the Cardinal fans cheer me, that was a really cool experience,” Wainwright said. “When you’re in a visiting park in Kansas, I’ve never been here in my life, that’s pretty special. I’m glad I was able to pitch in front of some people who may not be able to get to Busch Stadium. I’m glad to bring the Cardinals to them a little bit.”

Mike Jausel, another Wichita resident who was born in the St. Louis area, is the exact type of fan that Wainwright referenced. He’s not likely to be able to catch a game at Busch Stadium in Wainwright’s swan-song season, so watching him pitch one last time in person in Wichita was a special occasion for Jausel and his family.

He still vividly remembers Wainwright’s iconic hug with catcher Yadier Molina to celebrate the 2006 World Series victory because he had just returned to the United States from an overseas tour with the Navy.

“Yadi was always my favorite player and Waino is number two, so this was so awesome,” Jausel said. “It’s an opportunity you really don’t ever get. It was a great chance to come out and support our local Double-A club and then to see him pitch too.”

There’s a slight chance Wichita fans could see Wainwright throw again in Sunday’s 1 p.m. series finale between Springfield and the Wind Surge if the Cardinals determine he needs one more rehab start before joining the major-league rotation.

After Tuesday’s start, Wainwright said he was ready “whenever they need me.”

“I could have easily gone six or seven (innings) tonight, no problem,” Wainwright said. “I’m just kind of waiting on the call at this point.”

Following the Wind Surge’s 12-3 win over Springfield on Tuesday, Wainwright also gave his stamp of approval to Wichita’s new downtown ballpark and paid a compliment to Wind Surge groundskeeper Ben Hartman.

“I went out there and looked at the stadium and walked around to get a visual for what I was going to see and what to expect and I was kind of blown away,” Wainwright said. “The facilities here are amazing. The mound was great. Excellent mound. The stadium itself was awesome and it’s really, really well done here.”

But those weren’t the only things Wainwright was impressed by in Wichita. He also thought highly of Wind Surge shortstop Brooks Lee, the No. 1 prospect in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system.

Lee finished with three hits and three runs scored, including two doubles off Wainwright. The veteran pitcher was impressed by the poise and maturity of the 22-year-old hitter, working the count full and then taking a back-door cutter down the third-base line for a double in his last at-bat against Wainwright.

“He took a great at-bat and I told him that at second base,” Wainwright said. “He was on just about everything I threw and taking it where it was pitched, which was impressive. Sometimes a young hitter, especially, you can get them to pull that outside pitch and ground out to second. But he was taking what I was giving him and that’s a sign of a great hitter.”