JUPITER, Fla. — Adam Wainwright fought to hold back his emotions.
“Usually I am not at a loss for words, but the city of St. Louis means so much to me that it’s taken me a little bit to get it out,” he said.
Wainwright will be staying with the Cardinals for a while after agreeing Thursday to $97.5 million, five-year contract covering 2014-18. The deal, the largest for a pitcher in team history, raises his guaranteed income to $109.5 million over the next six seasons.
“I feel like my heart is in St. Louis,” Wainwright said, surrounded by family, members of the Cardinals’ front office and his teammates. “I love it there. I love driving to the field and seeing the arch, driving up and seeing the amazing Busch Stadium. It’s a treat to work there every day and it’s something that continues to take me off guard and make me feel like I am way too blessed.”
A 31-year-old right-hander, Wainwright was 14-13 with a 3.94 ERA last year after missing the Cardinals’ World Series championship season in 2011 because of elbow surgery.
Bedard makes Astros rotation
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Brad Peacock and former Seattle Mariner Erik Bedard have made the Houston Astros’ rotation and will pitch the fourth and fifth games of the regular season. Peacock, acquired in a February trade from Oakland, will start the Astros’ fourth game. Bedard, a veteran left-hander signed as a free agent in January, will pitch the following game.
Cards to honor Musial
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals will wear a patch on their left sleeve this season to honor the memory of Stan Musial.
The Hall of Famer widely considered the greatest Cardinal player ever died in January. The Cardinals will debut the patch in the season opener Monday at Arizona.
The patch is unusual for one honoring a deceased icon: There is no black, a nod to Musial’s always-sunny disposition. It features a red border and Musial’s No. 6, in red, with his signature through the number.
MLB creates Feller award
CLEVELAND — Late Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller is being honored by Major League Baseball with an annual award named for him.
The Bob Feller Act of Valor Award will be given each year to a major leaguer and Hall of Famer who displays good character, assists those less fortunate, supports U.S. servicemen and women and conducts himself with dignity on and off the field. The U.S. Navy will give a companion award to one service member.
Feller, who died in 2010 at the age of 92, served in the Navy, interrupting his baseball career to enlist immediately after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Feller did so despite being eligible for an exemption.
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