St. Louis Cardinals' catcher Yadier Molina's 6th inning defensive catch on a pop out to retire the Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes may not have seemed all that significant at first. However, Molina became MLB's all-time leader in putouts by a catcher on the play. Molina passed Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez with his 14,865th putout to take sole possession of first place in the category.
Another milestone for Yadi! 👏 pic.twitter.com/SRjk9vH0Qw
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2022
Some may be wildly impressed off the bat by this statistic. Others may be a bit underwhelmed. But the truth is that this record is one of the most impressive stats in MLB.
Catching is the most taxing position in baseball. Many catchers transition to first base as their careers progress due to the wear and tear on their knees. Additionally, catchers are notorious for being lackluster hitters so many don't stick around in the big leagues long enough to even come close to this record.
Yadier Molina has hit well enough to maintain his longevity while remaining at the catcher position for the entirety of his career. It is fitting that Molina broke Ivan Rodriguez's record this year, as the Cardinals' backstop announced prior to the season that 2022 would be his last in MLB.
“It will be my final season,” Molina said. “I want to finish here in this great organization.”
Molina is seeking one final championship with the Cardinals this season. The future Hall of Famer has enjoyed a legendary career and will look to finish his reign in the big leagues on a high note.
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