Yadier Molina got bowled over in the second inning of the Cards/Cubs game Wednesday night. My first reaction was, “Wow! That has got to be the biggest hit a pitcher has ever delivered on a baseball field!” Then I saw Molina rolling around in pain and my heart sank. Moments later Yadi shook off the pain inflicted by Ted Lilly’s knee and I felt a sudden
sense of relief. It occurred to me that Yadi represents everything a baseball player should be. He plays the game hard, he’s tough as nails, and he continues to improve his game. Yadier Molina is a bad man and I’m glad he’s on my team.
Since hitting the game winning homerun in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, Yadier has become a legitimate force at the plate. With a .306 batting average this season, Yadi has been hovering around the top-10 in the NL batting race since the All-Star break. He has been even more impressive in clutch situations. Molina has a .347 batting average with runners in scoring position and a staggering 31 of his 56 RBI have come with 2 outs in an inning.
I think a lot of people take for granted how good Yadi is behind the plate. He does everything well. He works well with the pitching staff, he blocks balls in the dirt with perfect technique, and he can gun down a wandering base runner at any time. Teams are absolutely terrified to run against Molina’s cannon, he almost completely shuts down the running game through fear. There have only been 52 attempts to steal against Molina this season. His percentage of runners caught stealing is second in the NL to only Jason Kendall who has allowed 51 stolen bases. The fact that Molina did not win a Gold Glove last year is a joke.
In addition to being a great catcher, Yadi is a ladies man. He’s the guy men want to be and women want to be with. Lasses in this town absolutely love this man. I co
uld understand crushing this guy for his rocket arm or his blast in the NLCS, but it goes deeper than that with the women of St. Louis. I conducted an informal survey at a recent ballgame to get to the bottom of the Hotti Yadi phenomenon and the results were amusing. One girl said she liked Yadi because “He’s exotic!” Another girl said she wanted to have Molina’s babies because “He’s as close to Mike Matheny as I’m going to get.” Whatever the reason, it’s good to be Yadi.
It’s hard to believe that this is the same guy that came to the Birds as a shy, fresh faced rookie back in 2004. Now, Yadi is a leader in the clubhouse, a perennial Gold Glove candidate, and an increasing threat at the plate. He takes regular beatings, he always bounces back, and the ladies love him. Like I said before, I’m glad he’s on my side.
Extra Innings:
The performance by Felipe Lopez at third on Wednesday night made me appreciate how good Troy Glaus has been at the hot corner this year.
Jason Motte continues to impress every time he gets the ball. He is sporting a 0.00 ERA with 6 K’s in his first 4 outings.
It was a smart move by the Cards to shut down Carpenter for the rest of the year. The Birds need him to come back strong next season.
Albert Pujols has had a .300 average, 30 homeruns, and 100 RBI in each of his first 8 seasons. Incredible.
Slippery11pete@yahoo.com