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Wainwright 'felt amazing' in long-awaited return

Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports

Following a week full of injuries, Adam Wainwright's return to the mound was a welcome site for the St. Louis Cardinals.

For the first time since suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in April, the veteran right-hander pitched Wednesday at PNC Park, making his first relief appearance since the 2006 World Series.

"It felt amazing to be back out there," Wainwright told reporters. "There was a lot of work that went into me getting back out there."

Trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 heading into the eighth inning, Wainwright came out of the bullpen and immediately struck out catcher Francisco Cervelli with a 94-mph fastball on the black.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Jordy Mercer followed by lining out, before Wainwright surrendered a double to Josh Harrison and an RBI single to Gregory Polanco that pushed the Pirates' lead to 8-2. Wainwright induced a groundout from Starling Marte to end the inning and his outing.

"I actually caught myself clapping for him when he came running out of the bullpen," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

The 34-year-old is expected to pitch out of the bullpen for the Cardinals in the postseason after coming off the disabled list roughly four months ahead of schedule.

Wainwright's return comes four days after the team was forced to shut Carlos Martinez down for the season with a shoulder strain.

Despite the 8-2 loss, the Cardinals remain three games ahead of the Pirates in the National League Central.

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