Former World Series-winning pitcher performs at Grand Ole Opry

Nearly five months after retiring, World Series-winning pitcher Adam Wainwright has fully leaned into the second act of his career by singing at the Grand Ole Opry.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wainwright called his performance in the same show as Gary Mule Deer, Don McLean and The Oak Ridge Boys “a dream come true.”

“Hard to explain in a short message how incredible yesterday was. Playing on the same stage as all the greats of country music at the Opry and standing in the circle… what a dream come true! Cardinals nation showed up in force yesterday too! Love yall!” he wrote Sunday about the Saturday show.

What did Adam Wainwright say about playing at the Grand Ole Opry?

When Wainwright announced his performance on X, he noted that he’s “performed on some pretty big stages before but this one is different.”

The former Cardinal opened up about what the opportunity meant to him in an interview with Fox News.

“I’m super excited. Can’t wait. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time, and, honestly, I never thought it would happen to me,” he said. “Just have lots of really great friends in the country music world, and those guys are so talented. And it’s just so fun watching their performance.”

When did Adam Wainwright start singing and playing guitar?

While still pitching, Wainwright would bring his guitar along with him for road games to keep himself busy in his hotel room, he told Fox News. He started playing guitar because he wanted to write his own songs that he could sing around the campfire, and he “just fell in love with singing and playing.”

“I was so busy dreaming about other things for so long,” he said. “Since I was 3-years-old, I only wanted to be a big league baseball player. That was kind of my only dream in life. When teachers asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, that was the only answer I ever gave.”

What is Adam Wainwright up to now?

The former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher’s new career isn’t a shock to Cardinals fans.

Wainwright performed three songs — “Time to Fly,” “Hey Ya’ll” and “A Song Will Bring You Back” — from his upcoming album at a concert series the Cardinals hosted for their final home series last season.

The 19-year major league pitcher released “Hey Ya’ll” as his second single on Friday ahead of his performance. Wainwright’s first single, “Time to Fly,” is a goodbye letter to Cardinals fans.

He spent the entirety of his major league career in St. Louis, where he was a two-time Gold Glove winner and took the mound in both the 2006 and 2013 World Series — he missed the 2011 World Series after undergoing Tommy John surgery, according to the MLB.com.

His album was originally scheduled to be released on Feb. 23 but was pushed back because of his performance in Nashville. A new release date has not been announced yet.

Wainwright has been writing his songs with the help of Gary Baker, who wrote John Michael Montgomery’s “I Swear” and Lonestar’s “I’m Already There,” per Fox News.

Baker also used to play bass in Marie Osmond’s band and wrote “A Beautiful Life” for her and her brother Donny Osmond, according to a Facebook post from Marie Osmond.