When it comes to throwing out baserunners attempting to steal a base, there is arguably nobody better in the history of the game than Yadier Molina.
The St. Louis Cardinals‘ long-time stalwart behind the plate is no stranger to breaking records and making history
But as time goes on, there’s still one thing the Cardinals and their fans want to make perfectly clear.
You don’t run on Yadi.
It’s a bad idea and it usually spells certain doom for said runner.
People around the game have learned that the hard way.
One baseball writer points out an interesting statistic that should all but confirm Molina’s place in the Baseball Hall of Fame when his career is over, and the time comes.
If anyone disputes Yadier Molina’s Hall of Fame credentials, show them this graphic and tell them to eat rocks. pic.twitter.com/Yh2wR7LZFx
— Frank Murtaugh (@FrankMurtaugh) April 24, 2022
Don’t Wake The Beast
There’s just something about Molina being behind the plate while somebody is on the basepaths that seems to strike fear in baserunners.
Given the stat shown above, there’s definitely something to that theory.
Too many runners have learned their lesson about trying to steal on Molina and at this point, it’s shocking that anybody even tries it anymore.
But the fact that the Cardinals have had the fewest number of runners attempt to steal on them since 2004, the year Molina came up, shows that Molina is kind of like a sleeping giant.
Say you’re on first base and you might get the opportunity to steal a base, but you look in at Molina and see that he’s laser focused on you, waiting for a chance to pick you off the basepaths.
It’s all about not wanting to wake up the sleeping giant.
Sometimes it works out, but the times where a runner steals on Molina are so few and far between that you should always remember one thing.
Don’t run on Yadi.
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