Why is Adam Wainwright called Uncle Charlie? Exploring the origins of his unique nickname

Adam Wainwright has been one of the finest pitchers for the St. Louis Cardinals over nearly two decades. He was part of the team that won the 2006 World Series as well.

At 41, Wainwright is old enough to be an uncle, but he is popularly known as "Uncle Charlie" by most of his teammates and fans. The origin of his nickname is quite interesting, to say the least.

By his own admission, Wainwright's moniker comes from one of the fantasy football team names that he used for his charity, Big League Impact. The pitcher created his Twitter account to inform more people about his charity and used his "Uncle Charlie" nickname on his now-deleted profile.

While speaking to reporters in 2019, three-time All-Star Wainwright said he's called by his nicknames quite often and joked that he didn't even remember his first name.

“Everywhere I go, people call me Waino or Uncle Charlie. Wainwright said. No one ever calls me Adam. I don’t even know my first name anymore.”

Interestingly, some fans believe that Wainwright's "Uncle Charlie" nickname is because of his iconic curveballs.

Adam Wainwright's stats in the 2023 MLB season

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright

Adam Wainwright had an underwhelming start to the 2023 MLB season. The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher has recorded a mere 24 strikeouts and 14 walks in 46.2 innings pitched at a 6.56 ERA.

Wainwright has been far from his best this campaign, but the Cardinals have also struggled to get things right altogether. St. Louis is currently fifth in the NL Central with a 37-38 record.

Although the Cardinals are still mathematically eligible to qualify for the postseason, they look far from a team that deserves a playoff berth. Oliver Marmol's side will need to turn their fortunes around after the MLB London Series. Experienced players like Wainwright will need to step up to inject a boost for the entire team.