ST. LOUIS — Lance Lynn couldn’t help but chuckle as he strolled off the mound at Busch Stadium after the top of the sixth inning.
Pittsburgh’s Rowdy Tellez had smoked a four-seam fastball that Lynn left up in the zone. On contact, it seemed Tellez had connected on a go-ahead two-run homer. The metrics — namely, a 106.6 mph exit velocity — suggested the same.
But Cardinals center fielder Michael Siani ranged back to the warning track, backpedaled toward the wall and planted himself just under Tellez’s long liner, securing the final out of the inning and the Cardinals’ one-run lead.
Lynn, who is no stranger to loud (and often profane) outbursts on the mound, looked to a stunned Tellez standing at first base and erupted in a laugh.
“Welcome to Busch,” Lynn yelled to Tellez as the pitcher headed toward the Cardinals dugout. “You have to pull it to hit a home run here.”
In what could be his final home start in a Cardinals uniform, Lynn spun six innings of one-run ball against the Pirates, limiting Pittsburgh to four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in the Cardinals’ 3-1 win. Lynn, who has a club option with the Cardinals for the 2025 season, is unsure of his future after the season’s end. He does know one thing for certain though.
“If this is my last start as a Cardinal, I’d like it to be in St. Louis,” Lynn, 37, said with a smile.
Bronco.#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/lSTRFEaN02
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 18, 2024
“You get to this time of the year, this is the last homestand, that might be the last time you’re able to wear a Cardinals uniform in Busch Stadium,” Lynn added. “I was going out there with the intention of making the best of it.”
That he did. Lynn’s start on Tuesday marked his 100th career regular-season appearance at Busch Stadium, his most at any ballpark. He has always been prideful of his pitching history here, remarking multiple times that he’s never pitched as a visiting player in what he considers to be his home stadium. Busch Stadium, evidently, loves him back. Lynn went 6-0 in 13 home starts this season with a 3.15 ERA. He notched both his 2,000th career strikeout and his 2,000th career inning pitched in St. Louis, two milestones of significant importance to Lynn. That he was able to record both in a home-white Cardinals uniform made it all the more special.
Still, don’t expect the oft-gruff Lynn to be all that sentimental. When asked about his track record at Busch Stadium and what he liked the most about the park, Lynn was quick to reflect on Tellez’s near game-changing blast.
“I can give up 106 mile per hour line drives that get caught in center field,” Lynn said. “So that’s fun.”
That’s a wrap for Lance Lynn.
The line: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 92/59
If this is indeed his final start of the year (the Cardinals have not disclosed if he will make another one this season), what a return it was for Lance. #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) September 18, 2024
Lynn was the first starting pitcher the Cardinals signed over the offseason for a reason. Sure, the organization coveted a gritty veteran who could post every five days. But the Cardinals also felt the pitching side of their clubhouse would benefit from Lynn’s 13 years of major-league experience. What they couldn’t measure at the time was how impactful his presence would be this season. From sitting in on Andre Pallante’s bullpen sessions each week to helping communicate messages from various members of the coaching staff to younger pitchers, Lynn didn’t just commit to pitching in St. Louis this year. He committed to making the organization better.
That’s what he’s most proud of as his second stint as a Cardinal potentially comes to a close. Being named the home opener starting pitcher was an honor. Racking up career milestones was just as memorable. But nothing compared to watching his young teammates prosper.
“Helping some of these younger guys really take the next step … that’s the fun part about this game,” Lynn said. “I was taught by guys before, whether it was (Adam) Wainwright, (Chris) Carpenter, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse, to come back and pass it down, try to help the next guy and try to help the team win. That’s what it’s all about.”
“That’s what I was taught,” he added. “I was taught to make sure you help the guys around you and make them better because that makes your team better. You don’t know how long you’re going to play this game, but you want to pass it down.”
Lynn’s impact wasn’t limited to just the pitchers. Throughout Pedro Pagés’ rookie season, Lynn was a constant presence in showing him the ropes.
“The trust he has in himself, that’s the biggest thing,” Pagés said. “I want to take that in my game. I want to trust myself out there. The way he competes out there is crazy. You hear him yelling, doing whatever he wants to do out there. That’s just who he is, and it’s very impressive.”
Oli Marmol sang similar praise.
“Everyone sees Lance as this big burly dude who’s angry and yells bad words at times. But the reality is, he knows the game extremely well, and two, he’s incredibly thoughtful and intentional with what he communicates, how he communicates, when he communicates, and making sure he’s bringing guys together in that clubhouse. The reasons we brought him here, he’s nailed every one of them.”
Officially, Lynn’s next move will be determined Wednesday after seeing how his body recovers. But there are strong indications Lynn is done for 2024. He is unlikely to take his next turn in the rotation over the team’s final seven games, as the Cardinals wrap up the in Denver and San Francisco.
He has pitched through various aches and pains all year and was recently reinstated off the injured list after missing six weeks with left knee inflammation. Earlier in the month, Marmol disclosed the team would evaluate Lynn on a start-by-start basis. The Cardinals have set their rotation through Saturday. Sunday, their final home game of the season, remains open.
“I never want to stop pitching,” Lynn said. “I know that there is going to come a time where that is going to happen. I haven’t really thought about it, but it’s a part of getting old.”
And if Tuesday was indeed Lynn’s final start, at least as a Cardinal, there was no better way for it to have ended.
“If this is your last start at Busch Stadium, you don’t want to lose,” Lynn said with a sly grin. “That was simple.”
(Photo of Lance Lynn shouting toward Rowdy Tellez: Jeff Curry / Imagn Images)
