Wainwright, Molina make history Wednesday. What’s next for the St. Louis Cardinals duo?

Packy Naughton guessed the answer was his dad or his brother. Paul DeJong mentioned his dad as well, but also Tommy Edman and Kolten Wong. Skip Schumaker, a third suggestion of his dad, as well as his son, and then Dan Haren, with whom he worked out in the winter.

It would be nearly impossible for almost anyone to determine with certainty the person with whom they have most frequently played catch, but that’s how Adam Wainwright has always described pitching to Yadier Molina. On Wednesday night at Busch Stadium, the two set a Major League record for most games started by a pitcher-catcher battery, pairing up for the 325th time.

Their record surpassed that of pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan, who played for the Detroit Tigers in the 1960s and 70s. They’re perhaps best remembered in St. Louis as the starting battery in game seven of the 1968 World Series, when the Tigers stunned Bob Gibson and the Cardinals to bring a World Championship home to Detroit.

Molina and Wainwright brought a World Series championship to St. Louis before they combined on their first start in the big leagues. Wainwright, the rookie closer, struck out another Tiger, Brandon Inge, to secure the club’s first World Series since 1982. The pitcher and catcher leapt into each other’s arms halfway between the mound and home plate, creating an indelible image which would define the chase they shared for the remainder of their careers.

“I was potty training around that time,” manager Oliver Marmol cracked when asked about his first time meeting the duo in spring training of 2008.

Marmol, in his first minor league camp as a low level middle infielder, was among a group of minor leaguers to whom Molina and Wainwright spoke, already having established themselves as veterans.

‘That’s meaningful to him’

Wainwright would go on to invite Marmol to Bible study, and as their career paths diverged and then came back together, Marmol would eventually be in the clubhouse as a coach in 2018. In San Diego, Wainwright struggled to reach the low 80s with his fastball, and admitted quietly that he thought his career was more than likely over.

Four years later, it was Molina who was away from the team in June. He was recovering from knee soreness, but also attempting to find himself in the struggles that accompanied not playing up to his standards. In what he said in spring training would be his last year and with the finish line in sight, the struggle to get there was apparent.

Wainwright, on several occasions, acknowledged being unsure whether Molina would return and whether they would reach their record. Marmol surmised that their shared goals, in many forms, were in large part responsible for driving that return.

“I think there were a couple things that played into that,” Marmol said, “but that was a big one. That’s meaningful to him.”

More about Dynamic Duo

The desire to win a last championship is at the top of the list, of course, with the desire to set this record just below. But there was also a desire for Molina to finish things the right way — to walk off the field with his head up, win or lose, rather than a quiet disappearance home in the middle of a season that would always be questioned and scrutinized.

Their teammates, to a man, are skeptical that this record will ever be broken. Chicago’s Willson Contreras and Kyle Hendricks are next on the list among active pairings, with a mere 105. And, both are likely to leave the Cubs in free agency this winter, adding more years to any potential chase.

With 2,136 1/3 innings caught together, Molina and Wainwright have nudged ahead of Wainwright’s second greatest total with a catcher; he threw 109 innings to Tony Cruz, a multi-year backup in the last decade.

Their synchronicity is so established that, with the introduction of the PitchCom signal calling system this summer, there was shock throughout the clubhouse that the duo would use the device. Many believed they never bothered to put down signs at all, so what good would a radio transmitter do?

Wainwright’s plans more murky

Despite Molina’s announcement, Wainwright has not yet clarified his plans for the 2023 season. Given his effectiveness and his proximity to important statistical landmarks which could impact his case for the Hall of Fame, it would not be surprising to see him return for a season in which he would turn 42 years old and yet still likely be the most reliable, constant force in the middle of the Cardinals’ rotation.

And yet, if he returns, he’ll do so without the catcher he has so often called his brother, only to hear the same in return. If the Wainwright and Molina families again gather for Thanksgiving this winter, as they did last, it will be as former teammates, with one winding down and the other likely preparing to rev back up.

Whether they pick up a ball and gloves in those private moments is something that will be known only to the two of them, but if they do, that game of catch can be added to an uncountable ledger, one more extended record that will certainly never be matched.