St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is a living MLB legend.
Part of what makes him special is the way he handles a pitching staff.
Yes, he can hit (he has a career .731 OPS, which is very solid for a catcher), but he also has a great arm and excellent framing skills.
He knows every secret of how to handle a pitcher and a game in general: he guides his hurler and puts him in a position to succeed.
Molina knows what pitch has the best odds to retire a hitter at any specific moment.
That’s why he is so respected around the game: he is a true manager behind the plate.
On Wednesday, he achieved yet another cool milestone in his final season in MLB.
“With his 150th career shutout from behind the plate, @Yadimolina04 moves into 2nd place in MLB history!” the Cardinals’ official Twitter account wrote.
With his 150th career shutout from behind the plate, @Yadimolina04 moves into 2nd place in MLB history! pic.twitter.com/mBk4MFphIv
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 21, 2022
An Incredible Feat
During his MLB career, he has guided his pitching staff to 150 games with no runs allowed.
Yesterday, Miles Mikolas started the game with five scoreless frames, and was followed by Andre Pallante (two innings), Genesis Cabrera, and Giovanny Gallegos (one each) to complete the feat.
150 games are a lot.
Molina is still far from the record-holder: New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra, who caught 173 shutouts over his long career.
But his accomplishment is extremely valuable, especially at a time in history in which teams rotate their catchers a lot.
Molina made his MLB debut in 2004, and has been the full-time backstop in St. Louis since 2005.
He has been the undisputed starter for a long time, giving him the chance to break some records.
However, he wouldn’t have stayed on the field that long if he wasn’t a true game-changer, and that’s what he was, or has been, for the Cardinals.
NEXT: Yadier Molina And Adam Wainwright Make MLB History As A Duo