Central STL News

Yadier Molina, a longtime St. Louis Cardinals catcher and two-time World Series champion, will return to the team’s dugout for two games against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Molina, who played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball career with the Cardinals from 2004 to 2022, will be in uniform tonight and Saturday.

Molina is currently set to manage Puerto Rico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and has expressed interest in managing at the MLB level. His return was prompted by personal business in St. Louis; he reached out to the organization about being present at Busch Stadium and wearing a uniform again.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol invited Molina to join him in the dugout, seeing value in Molina’s experience for a roster that includes many young players. “I think it will be a really, really cool experience for a lot of reasons,” Marmol said. “It’s great for the organization, the players and the fanbase.

“Even if it’s just for two days, I’ll take it because having that level of experience in the dugout and around the players … he just has a unique way of communicating what [success] looks like.”

This marks Molina’s first appearance at Busch Stadium since 2023, when he attended Adam Wainwright’s retirement game. Though hired as a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak after retiring as a player, family commitments prevented Molina from fulfilling most duties in that role.

During his career, Molina was recognized as one of MLB’s top defensive catchers. He won nine Gold Glove awards and led National League catchers several times in caught stealing percentage and assists. He holds records for putouts among catchers and Defensive Runs Saved since FanGraphs began tracking the statistic in 2002 (https://www.fangraphs.com/players/yadier-molina/2210/stats?position=C). Alongside Wainwright, he set major league records for most games started (328) and team wins (213) as a battery.

Offensively, Molina developed into an effective hitter over his career. In 2,224 games—all with St. Louis—he collected 2,168 hits, 176 home runs, and 1,022 RBIs while batting .277.

Marmol described Molina as having strong managerial potential: “He’s an incredible baseball mind and he’s passionate about teaching,” Marmol said. “He’s in tune with the game, and the combination of all those things, I think will allow him to manage at a high level.”

Molina is eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2028.