The Cardinals were in need of infield depth with an injury to regular utility infielder Jedd Gyorko. [1] On November 1, he won his fourth consecutive Fielding Bible Award as the sole catcher. [65][66], The final batting results for Molina's 2010 season consisted of a .262 batting average, six home runs, and 62 RBIs. [78] For the series, the Rangers attempted to steal four bases and were successful just once. [41] On Yadier Molina Bobblehead Night September 19 versus Philadelphia, he stroked three hits including the game-winning single in the tenth inning. He led all MLB catchers in innings (1138.0), games started (130) and assists (79),[63] and led the NL for the third time in caught-stealing percentage at 49%. However, he was voted to start his second consecutive game, and second overall, and played four innings. However, Molina managed the team to four more victories in the group stage and consolation round. MLB fined Molina $5,000 without suspending him. [11], Before he was drafted, Molina worked out for the Cincinnati Reds. [87], From a historic perspective, Fangraphs' Dave Cameron noted that Molina's combination of offensive productivity and interception of base runners in 2012 was one of the rarest performances in history. Yadier Molina is 40 years old. When was Yadier Molina born? Yadier Molina was born on July 13, 1982. Where was Yadier Molina born? Yadier Molina was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. How tall is Yadier Molina? Yadier Molina is 5-11 (180 cm) tall. How much does Yadier Molina weigh? Yadier Molina weighs 225 lbs (102 kg). That caught stealing gave Molina five in seven total chances in the 2011 postseason to that point; the Rangers had been tied with the Cardinals for most steals in that postseason. 
[19] The Red Sox swept the Cardinals and claimed the title that game, their first in 86 years. There, Ricketts batted 150 to 200 ground balls, as Molina estimated, to improve the young catcher's ability to block pitches. [23] Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter, attempting to extend a winning streak to ten games on an August 19 game versus the San Francisco Giants, found himself in a 40 deficit in the ninth inning. Molina's father played second base as an amateur and worked as a tools technician 10 hours per day in a Westinghouse factory. He was nominated for a Gold Glove. I didn't handle it the right way." [74] Meanwhile, the Philles defeated the Braves 43 in 13 innings, giving the Cardinals the wild card title and eliminating the Braves from the playoffs. [39], Molina suffered a concussion in September and underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. 
[155] While playing the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning of a 21 loss at Nationals Park on May 26, Stephen Drew hit a high infield fly that stayed over the pitcher's mound. Second baseman Neil Walker caught his line drive with two runners on, then threw to third baseman Jung-ho Kang to double up Jhonny Peralta for the second out. [169] As batterymates, Wainwright and Molina had accumulated more starts together than any other in franchise history. [68], With increased offensive productivity in 2011, Molina continued to help anchor the middle of Cardinals lineup in addition to the pitching staff and defense. [138], With his 11th consecutive Opening Day start on April 5, 2015, against the Cubs, Molina became the first catcher in club history to achieve this feat. [199] In regards to the signing, Molina stated "this is my home" and "I'm happy to be back. [234] Molina's home run and doubles rates also increased; from 201113, he hit 104 of his 226 career doubles. [53], Following the All-Star break on July 18, Molina's four hits and Albert Pujols' two home runs helped cap Chris Carpenter's 61 victory over the Diamondbacks, who pitched around nine runners on base in eight innings. [61] Molina turned in a productive April, driving in 15 runners, the most for a Cardinals catcher in the month of April since Ted Simmons drove in 20 in 1977. [228], "You don't ever have to worry about bouncing a ball to Yadier.
[193][194] On defense, he led all NL catchers in errors, with five.
Of all catchers in franchise history with at least 450 PA in a season, he became just the second ever, after Simmons, to bat over .300; it was then the fourth-best season batting average; and, his 29 strikeouts were the fewest since Simmons fanned 20 times in 1976. [172] Molina doubled versus Cincinnati on April 22 to give him 338 for his career and tie Ozzie Smith for tenth place in Cardinals' history. [177] He homered twice again on June 23 versus Milwaukee to fuel a 32 win, giving him five home runs over his previous six games. However, he did win the prestigious and oldest award given to Latino players: the LatinoMVP award given by Latino Sports and the Latino Sports Writers & Broadcasters Association (LSWBA). [143] When informed whose locker he was using, Molina replied, "This is Phillips' locker? [93], After being the subject of much speculation for the MVP award throughout the season, Molina ultimately finished fourth. 
[46], Molina returned to the field against Boston at Fenway Park as the designated hitter. Molina ranked second all-time among catchers at the end of the 2014 season on Baseball-Reference.com's career defensive runs saved (DRS)[e] with 120, behind only Ivn Rodrguez (167), and ahead of Jim Sundberg (114), Bob Boone (107) and Gary Carter (106), the only catchers with over 100 on the list. Molina led the team in 2017 with 134 hits and 78 RBIs, and all NL catchers in both categories, entering play on that date. ", ESPN's Keith Law on Molina missing time due to a thumb injury in 2014[128], As a part of his pre-game preparation, Molina meticulously studies and prepares for the upcoming game's opposing hitters by creating a complete pitching and defensive plan. [55] At that point, Bill James Online rated that Molina saved his team fifteen total runs from pickoffs alone in his career. However, the regular season presented some of his greatest offensive challenges as he struggled through a career-worst .216 batting average in 461 regular-season plate appearances. [128], "Yadier Molina missing two-plus months would be bad for the Cardinals, but also just bad for baseball, period. Molina checks in at 169. Cast a ballot for change. [1][226] Fangraphs tallied his career DRS at 106, with a career-high of 20 in 2010. Unlike slugging percentage, which assigns one base for a single, two for a double, etc., or on-base plus slugging, which assumes that one base for slugging is equal to one walk, wOBA attempts to measure the impact of each event in terms of their run-scoring value. "[128] At that point, he was batting .287 with a .341 OBP, .409 SLG, 16 doubles, seven homers, and 30 RBIs through 83 games. 
Molina instantly hunched over the ball, trapping it between the thigh and rib cage. [183] He made his first career appearance at third base in extra innings of a 65 win on April 1 versus the Pirates.
[81] For the second time in his career, he won MVP consideration; he finished tied for 21st for the NL MVP balloting. [245] He then purchased a home in Creve Coeur, Missouri. [57] He finished the season with a .293 batting average, six home runs, 54 RBIs, and a major league-leading 136 games caught, the highest franchise total since Ted Simmons' total in 1977. In the case of the triple play, the second baseman records an out, throws to the third baseman, who records a second out, and finally back to the second baseman, who records the third and final out of the inning, all in one play. On the play, the center fielder, Mike Cameron started towards the outfield wall based on Molina's full swing, not immediately realizing that he had made only partial contact because of the broken bat. After starting with a .256 average through 85 games, Molina batted .365 from July 8 to the end of the season, and overall hit .307, eight home runs, 58 RBIs,[160] and led all major league catchers with 164 hits and 38 doubles. Shortly after learning he would be the 2013 manager, Rodrguez contacted Molina for input on constructing the roster. [208], In 2022 he batted .214/.233/.302 in 262 at bats, and was the slowest player in major league baseball, with a sprint speed of 21.8 feet per second. While sliding past third base, he attempted to grab the bag to stay on. Molina made a strong case to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the entire tournament, batting .333 with two home runs and a .583 slugging percentage in six games.
Selected to his third consecutive All-Star Game, he substituted for the starter, McCann, played four innings and doubled in his only at-bat. His 44 doubles were the most in the Major Leagues among catchers since Ivn Rodrguez' 47 in 1996. He also was first in the Majors with a .455 batting average (1022) on 02 counts. He's a human vacuum behind the plate. [201] On August 24, Molina signed a one-year extension worth $10 million and announced that 2022 would be his final season. [11][16], Molina's first chance in the Major Leagues came when the incumbent catcher, Matheny, went on the disabled list (DL) with a strained rib in the Cardinals' pennant-winning season of 2004. [224], As the publication Viva El Birdos wrote, "Yadier Molina broke into the majors as a light-hitting defensive specialist", who hit mostly singles. When asked about his favorite artists, he named not one, not two, but nine, tracing a wide arc across At 143, his WRC+ was tied for eighth all-time among catchers with at 45% of base runners caught stealing. He was the season leader in the NL every year from 200514, except 2008 and 201112. "[6] In 2013, a scout pronounced Molina the "one piece the St. Louis Cardinals cannot lose" while another commented that he is "irreplaceable. [96] The St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) named him the St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year for 2012. [215], In a 2013 semifinal game against Japan, Molina alertly took advantage of a baserunning mistake to record an unusual putout. [117] In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Molina became just the ninth player and the first in the expansion era in franchise history to appear in four World Series with the club, and the first since Stan Musial in the 1946 World Series, also against the Red Sox. He also hit .373 with runners in scoring position (RISP) in a season in which the Cardinals set the all-team team record for batting average with RISP at .330. [249] His agent is Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management, who has represented him since he signed his first professional contract with the Cardinals shortly after being drafted in 2000. His .337 batting average following the All-Star Break tied for seventh in the NL. [4][254], Even while the Molina brothers still lived in the United States playing professional baseball, their parents stayed in the same home near the park where the brothers grew up playing ball, Jess Rivera Park. [69], On August 2, Molina was ejected from a game against the Milwaukee Brewers for arguing a called strike. [64] On September 17, he amassed a career-high five RBIs and career-tying four hits against San Diego, including two doubles. Umpire Jerry Meals attempted to get between Gonzlez and Molina, but Molina briefly shoved Meals. He went one for four and left two runners on base. 
Instead of Molina being in a position to catch it cleanly with his glove, the ball hit the thigh. [1] He threw out 50% (23 of 46) baserunners attempting to steal, the highest percentage in the majors. Molina officially retired from professional baseball Tuesday.
[25] Those were just two wins of 100 as St. Louis made their way to another division title following 105 wins the season before. [1][105][106], Molina was also noted for his handling of the pitching staff. Still hoping to prevent the runner from scoring, he instead found Ricketts in the golf cart parked on top of home plate. 
The Cardinals' fourth-round selection in the 2000 MLB draft, he quickly showed one of the strongest and most accurate arms in the game after starting play in the major leagues. [53] He also won his second Gold Glove award after the season. He batted .333 and set a team World Series record with nine RBIs. [202], Molina finished the 2021 season batting .252/.297/.370 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs over 121 games and again had the slowest sprint speed of all major league catchers, at 22.6 feet/second. However, his posted a career-low 29% caught-stealing percentage. However, Molina's hitting lagged behind his defense. 
[163], On June 26, Molina became the ninth catcher all-time to record 11,000 career putouts at the position. His pitching debut came one week after that of teammate Albert Pujols, who also gave up four hits and two home runs in the ninth inning. His father was an amateur second baseman and the all-time hits leader in Puerto Rican baseball, and his two older brothers, Bengie and Jos, also developed into standout defensive catchers with lengthy MLB careers. When he retired after the 2022 season, Molina ranked first all-time among catchers in putouts and second all-time among catchers with 130 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS); among active players, he ranked first with 845 assists, 40.21% of runners caught stealing, and 55 pickoffs. The next day, on May 6, Molina underwent emergency surgery for a pelvic injury with traumatic hematoma.
Baseball in Puerto Rico is a significant part of the island's culture. He served a five-game suspension handed down by MLB for "making contact with umpire Rob Drake multiple times and spraying him with spit twice while arguing. [44] He held on to the ball to help the Cardinals win. "[35], "During the course of games, he would do something and I'd go, 'I can't believe he did that.' They proceeded to defeat the Detroit Tigers in five games, giving Molina his first championship ring. He finished tied for 23rd with Miguel Tejada with one percent of the vote share. When Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017, Molina began relief efforts for victims of the catastrophe, consequently receiving the Roberto Clemente Award in 2018. [38], From May 1 to 24, Molina strung together a then-career high 15-game hitting streak, during which he batted .373. It was just the first in a series of improbable comebacks for the Cardinals in 2011. It raised $20,000 in the first seven hours. We do put them in Yadi's hands. WebYadier Molina Position: Catcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 5-11 , 225lb (180cm, 102kg) Born: July 13, 1982 (Age: 40-263d) in Bayamon, Puerto Rico pr More bio, uniform, draft, [133], During Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Wainwright hit Adrin Gonzlez with a pitch, and both benches cleared. [18], Molina appeared in 51 regular-season games and batted .267 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 151 plate appearances. On February 8, 2021, the Cardinals announced that they had signed Molina to a one-year deal for a reported $9 million. How about that? In the final All-Star Game balloting, Molina (6,883,258 votes) edged out Posey (6,474,088) for the role of the NL's starting catcher in the game held at Citi Field in Queens, New York City. Over time, with assistance of teammates such as Pujols, Molina found his comfortable stance, sounder mechanics and adopted a line-drive style of swing that eliminated the dip and helped him hit fastballs with more authority.[224][232]. This list contains catchers with a minimum of 200 stolen base attempts against them. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [1] Other distinctions include selection to ten MLB All-Star Games, four Platinum Glove Awards, and one Silver Slugger Award. [1] The low batting average was due in part to a deflated batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .226 (normal is around .300), a career low. Against the wishes of coaches, family members and friends, he scheduled Yadier for a workout with the Hatillo Tigres, an amateur league team. 
17 amazing Waino-Yadi facts to celebrate their record September 14th, 2022 Andrew Simon @ AndrewSimonMLB For nearly two decades now, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have worked together in harmony, one on the mound and one behind the plate. By the time Cameron charged the ball, it was too late; it fell in for a hit, and Jim Edmonds was able to score. Is Carson Kelly his eventual replacement or will someone else step into that void? [69], By making the playoffs, Molina became the first catcher in franchise history to appear in five postseasons for the Cardinals. From May 15 to 18, he put together four consecutive multi-hit games. [1] According to Baseball-Reference.com, as of 2013, that percentage ranked as the 26th highest all-time season-single caught stealing percentage. It's sense, based on how a hitter's standing, how he responds to the pitch or two before, and he's very creative in how he makes his adjustment based on what he sees with the hitter and knowing what his pitcher can do. [17] Three weeks later, on August 29, the Cardinals were victorious over the Pittsburgh Pirates 64 thanks in part to two separate plays in which Molina tagged out the runner at home plate, including a collision with Ty Wigginton. [58] For the first time in his career, Molina earned Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) consideration. When Molina was introduced, he smiled and turned and pointed his thumbs toward the back of his jersey. After allowing a passed ball through his legs with a runner on third base, Molina raced to the backstop to retrieve the ball. 
Its impossible to think of one without the other. [1][13] The Sporting News announced that major league managers and coaches had selected Molina for the magazine's end-of-season All-Star award. Yadier is a Hebrew name meaning Mutilates his own neck. Molina is generally regarded as the best defensive catcher in baseball, although it is unclear [39] Molina was absent for most of the month of June due of a fractured left wrist. [188], In 2020, Molina made his 16th consecutive Opening Day start.
In 2021, Molina returned temporarily to Puerto Rico to play in the Liga de Bisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente to play as a reinforcement with the Atenienses de Manat in the semifinals. Abe took a pitch from Romero inside for a ball as the runners went in motion. One on his arm is three gold stars, representing his three gold gloves. [54] On August 15, Molina picked off San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff at first on the way to a 74 victory, the 33rd of his career. Further, wOBA finds that OBP is 1.8 times more valuable than slugging percentage.
It was called for a strike. [98] On June 2 he was ejected by 1st base umpire Clint Fagan for throwing his helmet. [39], Along with three other players each separately displayed, Sports Illustrated featured Molina on the cover of their March 31 issue complementing the 2014 MLB season preview article. The Japanese later stated they were attempting to exploit Romero's slow delivery. He also has a tattoo on each side of his neck, but they are personal to [30] Combined with his ability to put the bat on the ball quite frequently (87%) and his improved approach at the plate, he increased his career-high single-season batting average five times between 2006 and 2013. He put on a spectacle at Riverfront Stadium with his arm and bat that grabbed the attention of executives, scouts, and prominent former Reds players, including Johnny Bench and Bob Boone. [178], Batting .279 with 13 home runs, Molina was named to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game to replace the injured Buster Posey.
After a 2022 season in which he recorded a career-low .535 OPS, Molina will officially close the book In the mound appearance, Molina collected his first career pitching strikeout, punching out Rays infielder Isaac Paredes. 
[219], Molina's first experience managing was with Puerto Rico's U-23 baseball team, in both the qualifiers for and actual tournament of the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup.
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[207], On September 14, Wainwright and Molina set another MLB record by starting alongside one another for the 325th time, surpassing Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Detroit Tigers for the most starts by a battery in MLB history. His line-drive pull percentage of 200911 increased by about 6% in 201213; BABIP increased from .280 in 200510 to .327 in 201113 and pull weighted on-base average (wOBA)[f] has increased from .290 in 2009 to over .520 in 2013. Of his final 35 starts, 12 were multi-hit games. Molina with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014, Yadier Molina World Baseball Classic rosters, Defense, pitch calling, throwing and hands. [13] In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, manager Tony La Russa elected to start Molina over Matheny in Game 4. Molina erased a Mets runner by throwing out Luis Castillo attempting to steal second base.