Yadier Molina Was Always the Cardinals' Rock and His Clutch Brilliance Should Be No Surprise
By Michael Luciano
Even during a down year offensively, there is no one that St. Louis Cardinals fans would have rather had at the plate than legendary catcher Yadier Molina. The future Hall of Famer keyed the Cardinals' comeback in Game 4 of their NLDS set against the Atlanta Braves, tying the game in the eighth inning with an RBI single and walking the game off in the 10th inning with a sacrifice fly.
After the game, manager Mike Shildt made it perfectly clear who the steadying force on this magical Cardinals team is.
“This is exactly what Yadier Molina lives for... He’s about winning and winning championships. Period.” - Mike Shildt #STLCards
— Corey Miller (@corey_miller5) October 7, 2019
A .270 average with 10 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 85 in the regular season isn't the kind of statistical production that you'd associate with greatness, but Molina's value to this franchise is always greater than what his numbers say.
He proved it yet again Monday night.
?on!
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 7, 2019
Nothing like hearing a crowd erupt on #BallparkCam after a walk-off #Postseason win. @Cardinals l #TimeToFly pic.twitter.com/3UegY6tWvr
In high-leverage situations this year, Molina was a .338 hitter with an OPS+ of 138, proving that the ageless Yadi remains one of the most clutch players in the game regardless of position.
Yadi.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 8, 2019
That's it. That's the tweet.
The Braves had better start fast in Game 5, because a clutch Molina hit is looming if things remain close once its crunch time. You just know another magical riff is coming.