ST. LOUIS • The pitch Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright called “one of the worst of all time, by the way” had a protective purpose behind it.

He would rather throw wild than wound his catcher.

In the fourth inning of his first start of the season, Wainwright uncorked a pitch so wild that it bounced to the first-base side of the field, a little more than halfway between he and catcher Yadier Molina. The pitch looked more like a ceremonial first-pitch gone awry – perhaps thrown by a rapper or a mayor, just as examples – and not one delivered during a game. However, the motive behind the pitch was safety. Wainwright spotted Molina moving to a place that made him vulnerable for the pitch he was about to see – as if the catcher was expecting a curveball and there, in Wainwright’s grip, was a fastball.

“I saw him shift outside and I was looking at a different part of the plate,” Wainwright explained after the Cardinals’ 2-1 loss to the Cubs. “When I saw that, instantly – and I saw it before – I thought he was looking for a breaking ball and I had fastball grip. I did not want to throw a ball and hit him in the collarbone or something and have Yadier out. I pull-hooked it and erred on the side of not hitting him – by 20, 30 yards.”