MLB fans express love for Adam Wainwright after pitcher jokingly cites new puppy as reason to retire: "Best retirement note ever"

Adam Wainwright officially called it a career. The legendary MLB pitcher knew this would be his final season, and the paperwork makes it official. In classic Wainwright fashion, he had jokes when it came to the official reasoning for his retirement. Instead of his age, health, or family, he cited the fact that he now owns a dog.

He shared a photo to X, formerly known as Twitter, and said:

"People keep asking me if I’m officially retired. Well, here is my official retirement paperwork that we turned in to the Cardinals and MLBPA. Retired? Absolutely, for all the best reasons. Will send more later. Love y’all."

Hilariously, Wainwright wrote in the reason for his retirement as because he got a puppy. He was given this gift late in the MLB season as a retirement gift, and he is taking it and running with it.

MLB fans found this rather hilarious. Regardless, they're all pretty sad to see a legend of the modern era retire. The St. Louis Cardinals, the only team he ever played for, will not be the same without him.

Naturally, the dog is not the reason he needs to retire. Many athletes have dogs, even baseball players. Aaron Judge is a noted dog father, so it's just another classic joke from an icon of the game.

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Adam Wainwright calls it a career

Adam Wainwright is a likely Hall of Famer. The pitcher had a pretty awful 2023, with a -2.0 bWAR and an ERA over 7.00. Nevertheless, he had an excellent career in red.

Adam Wainwright has officially retired from baseball

His career bWAR of 44.9 and his career ERA of 3.53 are both excellent metrics. He's one of the few modern pitchers to reach the 200-win plateau, and that will help his chances.

He was one of the best pitchers of an era, and that will also help. He may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his day in Cooperstown may be on the horizon soon. Until then, Cardinals fans will certainly miss him.