D-backs send off Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright with check to charity

Before the final game of the series against St. Louis on Wednesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks donated $5,000 to Cardinals veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright’s charity, Big League Impact, as part of his “retirement gift.”

Big League Impact partners with professional athletes through sports-related fundraising platforms to help people meet basic human needs like food, clean water, medical care, shelter and education in an effort to save lives, restore dignity and instill hope, according to the website.

Thank you to the @Dbacks for honoring Adam Wainwright with their donation to @BigLeagueImpact prior to tonight's game! pic.twitter.com/5OC7LKNbx8

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 26, 2023

“I’d like to send out a huge thank you to the D-backs for their special gift to our charity Big League Impact yesterday! Also, great job on the video beforehand! I will never forget your generosity,” Wainwright tweeted Thursday.

The charity is run by Wainwright, Orioles pitcher Kyle Gibson, Reds pitcher Luke Weaver and Rays pitcher Zach Eflin.

It has raised over $8 million since 2013 and impacted millions of lives with over 130 charities supported such as Food For The Hungry, Water Mission and Striking Out Poverty.

The charity was originally founded by Wainwright — an 18-year MLB veteran — as a fantasy football fundraiser but has now worked with over 80 MLB players. D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed and Weaver were both a part of the the first fantasy football league in 2013.

Just a year ago as a member of the Diamondbacks, Weaver and the rest of Big League Impact raised $17,000 for Consider the Lily, a home for trafficked and exploited girls in Manila, Philippines.

“As an athlete, you only get a few years to have a platform like this. … Might as well stand on it,” Wainwright said on the website.

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