Lance Lynn pitches against the Cubs at Busch Stadium on Sept. 28, 2017, his final outing with the Cardinals before re-signing this offseason.
JUPITER, Fla. — I’m guessing most people forgot how it ended, because it was, unfortunately, quite forgettable.
Lance Lynn?
He remembered instantly.
“I got pinch-hit for,†he said Saturday afternoon at his Roger Dean Stadium locker. “Back when pitchers had to hit.â€
It was the tail end of the 2017 season, and the Cardinals were trying but failing to keep fading postseason hopes alive.
Lynn, a pending free agent who had been an All-Star with a 72-47 record and a 3.38 ERA during his six seasons with the team that drafted him and developed him, was lifted from the game by then manager Mike Matheny for pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk after Lynn had limited the Cubs to three hits and one run in just five innings.
Grichuk struck out. The Cardinals lost the game, 2-1 in 11 innings. The outcome eliminated them from postseason contention.
The way it all played out meant Lynn never got the proper sendoff he deserved, one in which fans who cheered him for seasons saluted his final walk from the mound. They didn’t realize what had happened until it was too late. Lynn realized in real time.
He still won’t say he deserved better. I’ll say it. He did.
“Maybe,†Lynn said Saturday, “it was one of those things where baseball knew I was going to come back eventually. The game has a weird sense of humor. To be back after years to throw the home opener, it’s pretty cool.â€
Hours earlier manager Oli Marmol had shared pitching news that made sense the second Sonny Gray’s hamstring barked weeks ago. It will be the burly, fastball-pumping veteran right-hander the Cardinals reunited with this offseason who will take the mound on April 4, when the Cardinals host the Marlins for the civic holiday that is the home opener. Pitching plans for the season-opening trip have Lynn starting game three against the Dodgers, next Saturday, to set it up.
“I’m not sure how much people realize the difficulty of the home opener,†Marmol said. “There’s a lot going on, and his personality is perfect for it. You have to be kind of no-nonsense, to not be bothered by a lot of moving parts. Outside of his personality being good for it, it feels right, having him come back and take that start in front of fans. They’re going to love watching him. He’s a competitor. He’s going to give it everything he’s got.â€
If you were expecting Lynn to shed a tear, forget about that. But this is meaningful to him, and this veteran version of Lynn, one who is a little more open to discussing things like feelings, is not stiff-arming that. He’s eager to show the Cardinals Hall of Famers what he can do. Some important others, too.
“I’ve got three kids who were not with us at that point in my career,†Lynn said. “It’s a totally different experience. I’m coming back a different person, a different life. I’m looking forward to having everybody see that.â€
Lynn has started and won opening-day and home-opening assignments elsewhere. He never once got the chance at either with the Cardinals.
“I was never honored with that gift,†Lynn said. “You always want that. You want opening day or the home opener.â€
He then sensed a chance to stir some mischief with former Cardinals aces Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.
“‘Waino’ was always a (jerk),†Lynn said, with a grin. “But, in all honesty, you were kind of stuck back then. ‘Waino’ was going to get opening day, or ‘Carp,’ or somebody like that. You just kind of filled in where you filled in. To start years there are always two days that matter. If you get that opportunity to start opening day or the home opener, they are both great honors. Never done it. First time back. It will be fun for me and the family.â€
Whether you are confident or concerned about what Lynn can provide the Cardinals this season at age 36, no one can debate he was one of baseball’s best 20 starters between 2018 and 2022. During that time the Cardinals often lacked quality and reliability in their rotation while Lynn provided it elsewhere. The draft-and-develop Cardinals should not have let a drafted-and-developed workhorse go. They did, and it was a bad call.
Time can’t be turned back. But now it’s time to find out what Lynn has left in the tank. He surrendered an MLB-high 44 homers last season, perhaps you read on Twitter. He also pitched better for the Dodgers after he was traded there from the sinking White Sox. Predicting the downfall of old pitchers is popular. I’m more interested in watching Lynn battle. It’s as much a part of his pitching DNA as his reliance on fastballs.
Lynn’s quick wit and gruff persona are good for an organization that is too often too buttoned up. Those remain, as evidenced at Winter Warm-Up before spring training, when Lynn said he responded to the Cardinals’ interest in his free agency by asking how president of baseball operations John Mozeliak got his phone number.
Similar to the happier version of Albert Pujols who returned to the Cardinals after his downfall with the Angels and resurgence with the Dodgers, Lynn also has an openness about him that wasn’t always there before. Young players, not just pitchers, gravitate toward him. If he sees someone at risk of being left on the outside looking in, he extends an invitation to join. Lynn has become the kind of veteran a young Lynn needed, one filled with straightforward yet wise advice. Such as ...
“If you stay around long enough and make your starts,†Lynn said, “good things happen.â€
Lynn on Saturday remembered something else most probably forgot, or never realized.
He never pitched as an opposing player at Busch Stadium. He’s proud of the fact he’s never worn a non-Cardinals jersey on that mound. It also means his last start there was the one that sure seemed like a sour ending.
His chance to start crafting a sweeter final chapter — and to set a tone for a team many are discounting — arrives when Lynn and his Cardinals fly home.
Similarities are starting to surface (rotation injuries, outfield questions), and Cardinals must change to avoid last year's problems
