Cardinals give Yadier Molina intriguing opportunity

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) walks off the field after hitting a single for his final postseason at bat in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium

The St Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs in a massive series this weekend. As Chicago slips in the NL Central race, St Louis is trying to stay alive in the Wild Card race. Redbirds manager Oli Marmol is bringing in a special guest for two of the games that fans should love. The Cardinals will have Yadier Molina on the bench as a staff member for two games, per Derrick Goold of the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

“It’s the right thing to do for our players and for our fan base.” Marmol told the Post-Dispatch on Friday morning, “I want to have him around. I love the fact that he’ll be in the dugout for two days. I think it will be awesome for players and for fans, for all of it to have him here.”

Marmol’s first season as the Cardinals manager was Molina’s last with the club. “I enjoyed my time with Yadi a ton, both as a coach and also when I got a chance to manage him. There’s a deep respect there for how he sees the game, of course, but also how he went about his career. Even if it’s two days, it can leave a real impact on our young players.

Molina was the manager for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. As one of the elite catchers in recent memory, Molina is a premier candidate for a managing career. He gets his MLB coaching start with the Cardinals, where he played every one of his pro games.

“It would be dumb not to have him in the dugout whenever possible,” Marmol said. “Inviting him to sit next to me in the dugout is just the right thing to do for our players and for our fan base.”

The Cardinals host the Cubs for three games, starting on Friday.


Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.

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