Former All-Star catcher Yadier Molina returns to Cardinals' dugout as temporary coach
The 43-year-old former catcher will be in uniform as a coach for games Friday night and Saturday evening against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium.
'I think it will be a good time,' Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. 'It's 48 hours, but even the short period, I mean, we just spent a little bit of time together, but even that in itself was just fun, and for the other guys, too.'
Molina didn't hesitate to accept Marmol's invitation to join him on the bench.
'It was great news when Oli invited me,' Molina said. 'I was like, why not go over there, watch some baseball and try to help the team get better? We've got some young guys that really need some experience I can bring and show them. I'm happy to help.'
Molina rejoined the organization as a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak on Dec. 6, 2023, but had not been at Busch Stadium since attending longtime teammate Adam Wainwright's retirement ceremony at the end of the 2023 season.
Molina will manage Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but said it will be at least a year after that before he considers taking a full-time position as a big league coach.
'That's the plan,' Molina said. 'I'm finished with my son. He's a (high school) senior right now. After he finishes school, that's probably when I start coaching in the major leagues.'
With a potential coaching career on the horizon, the 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner is staying focused on the present. He will spend a portion of his 48-hour stay in St. Louis working with the team's catchers.
'When I signed with the Cardinals, I always wanted to meet him,' catcher Yohel Pozo said. 'He's my favorite player since I was young, but now that I have him here, it's like, oh my God. It's like a dream come true. Having him here, I talked to him a little bit and the way he talks, the way he expresses is really nice.'
The Cardinals have gone 212-228 without qualifying for postseason play since Molina retired, but the longtime catcher believes the future looks bright.
'You've got to go game by game,' Molina said. 'We are in a position we don't like right now. Obviously, we have to play better baseball, but I think we're there. We've got the talent. I'm a fan of this team. I feel that we play the small game really good. We're running the bases really good. The pitchers need to be more stable, but anything can happen. It happened before. We're eight games back. That's nothing.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
12 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Correa's 10th-inning single lifts Astros past Yankees
NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking single through a drawn-in infield off struggling reliever Devin Williams in the 10th inning, and the Houston Astros outlasted the New York Yankees 5-3 on Friday night. Taylor Trammell added a two-run homer off Williams to make it 5-2. New York lost for the sixth time in seven games and dropped to 3-8 in extra innings. After closer Josh Hader (6-2) breezed through Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the ninth, the Astros needed four pitches to regain the lead. Automatic runner Jose Altuve went to third when Williams threw his first pitch to the backstop. After the Yankees pulled their infield in, Correa lined a changeup to center field. Williams (3-5) got two outs before Trammell drove an 0-1 changeup into the right-field seats. Williams has allowed four homers in his last eight appearances. Correa's hit helped the AL West leaders win for the third time in four games and 10th time in 26 games. Altuve hit a two-run homer three batters in off rookie Cam Schlittler to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. PIRATES 3, REDS 2 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds had a two-out, two-run triple in the eighth inning and Pittsburgh rallied to beat Cincinnati. Isiah Kiner-Falefa drew a one-out walk off Tony Santillan (1-4), and Tommy Pham singled with two outs to put runners on the corners. Reynolds tripled to right on Santillan's first pitch. Kyle Nicolas (1-0) pitched the eighth for the victory, and Dennis Santana worked the ninth for his seventh save. Pirates starter Mitch Keller allowed two runs on six hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Dauri Moreta replaced Keller with two outs and two on, and Tyler Stephenson hit his second pitch for a double to put the Reds up 2-1. Reds rookie Chase Burns stuck out 10 in six innings, and allowed a run on three hits. He topped 100 mph five times while striking out the side in the first. MARLINS 5, BRAVES 1 ATLANTA (AP) — Edward Cabrera struck out 11 and allowed two hits in eight innings, Xavier Edwards went 3 for 5 with an RBI and Miami beat Atlanta. Cabrera (6-5), in his 20th start of the season, did not allow a run until Jurickson Profar's homer in the sixth inning. Cabrera struck out the side in the eighth. Edwards singled up the middle in the third, scoring to score Dane Myers for a 1-0 lead. Edwards had his 34th multi-hit game. Rookies Jakob Marsee and Troy Johnston added RBI hits in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Marsee doubled down the left field line and Johnston singled up the middle. Heriberto Hernandez, another rookie, hit a two-run homer to left in the fifth for his seventh of the season. Bryce Elder (4-9) allowed five earned runs and seven hits in six innings. Dylan Dodd struck out four in three innings of relief. TIGERS 6, ANGELS 5 DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and Detroit beat Los Angeles. With the Angels leading 5-3, reliever Reid Detmers (3-3) walked pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones and Gleyber Torres to start the inning. Vierling batted for Kerry Carpenter and hit his first homer of the season over the Detroit bullpen in left. The Tigers avoided their third straight loss on a night when Tarik Skubal gave up back-to-back homers for the first time this season. With one out in the fifth inning and the Tigers leading 3-1, Gustavo Campero hit a two-run homer to left. Two pitches later, Los Angeles took the lead on Zach Neto's second homer against Skubal this season. Skubal struck out Nolan Schanuel, but Mike Trout ended Skubal's shortest start of the season with an infield single. Troy Melton (2-1) picked up the win with 2 1/3 innings of relief. New Tigers closer Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his 23rd save. ORIOLES 3, ATHLETICS 2 BALTIMORE (AP) — Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and Baltimore held on to beat the Athletics. Tomoyuki Sugano (9-5), a 35-year-old rookie from Japan, allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. Yennier Cano yielded a run in the eighth before Keegan Akin closed it out with a scoreless ninth for his second save. Gunnar Henderson drew a two-out walk from rookie J.T. Ginn in the first and Rutschman followed with his ninth home run. Mountcastle hit his third homer after being activated from the 60-day injured list prior to the game. Lawrence Butler doubled leading off the fifth before advancing on a groundout and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Luis Urías to cut it to 3-1. Nick Kurtz singled and scored on Tyler Soderstrom's two-out base hit in the eighth to get the A's within a run. Ginn (2-4) allowed three runs and three hits in five innings with a season-high nine strikeouts. He permitted one hit over his final four innings. Ben Bowden, Tyler Ferguson and Elvis Alvarado each pitched a scoreless inning. GUARDIANS 9, WHITE SOX 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Santana drove in four runs and rookie C.J. Kayfus added a three-run double as Cleveland extended its winning streak to four games with a win over Chicago. Daniel Schneemann drew a one-out walk off Aaron Civale (3-7) in the first inning and José Ramírez doubled him to third. Kyle Manzardo was hit by a pitch before Santana doubled for a 2-0 lead. Bo Naylor walked with two outs to load the bases before Kayfus doubled for a 5-0 lead. Manzardo doubled leading off the third before scoring on a single by Santana, extending the lead to 6-0. Kayfus doubled leading off the fourth before scoring on a balk and Schneemann chased Civale with an RBI single. Santana made it 9-1 with a bases-loaded walk off Mike Vasil. Civale gave up nine runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 after entering with 15 straight scoreless innings. TWINS 9, ROYALS 4 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kody Clemens and Matt Wallner homered, Ryan Jeffers had three hits and two RBIs, and Minnesota beat Kansas City. Rookie Luke Keaschall continued his hot hitting with two singles and two RBIs. He has six hits and eight RBIs in three games after returning from a three-month stint on the IL due to a broken bone in his right forearm. Joe Ryan (11-5) allowed one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts over five innings for the Twins, who have won three straight. Mike Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt Jr. homered for the Royals, who have lost three of four. The Twins roughed up Royals starter Seth Lugo (8-6), scoring multiple runs in three of the four innings he pitched. Keaschall had RBI singles in the first and second innings. Jeffers also had a RBI single in the second as the Twins built a 5-1 lead. CARDINALS 5, CUBS 0 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael McGreevy tossed six scoreless innings, Jordan Walker homered and drove in a pair of runs and St. Louis beat Chicago. McGreevy (4-2) allowed six hits and a walk, and Matt Svanson, JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien pitched the final three shutout innings in relief. Matthew Boyd (11-5) allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out three in five innings for the Cubs, who have lost four of their last six games. Walker hit his fourth home run of the season off Ryan Brasier in the sixth inning to put the Cardinals ahead 4-0. It was Walker's first homer since May 17 at Kansas City. BREWERS 3, METS 2 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Center fielder Blake Perkins threw out Starling Marte at the plate to end the game as surging Milwaukee hung on to defeat slumping New York. Brice Turang hit a two-run homer for the Brewers, who improved to a major league-best 71-44 by earning their seventh consecutive victory in front of a season-high crowd of 43,469. Marte and Juan Soto went deep for the Mets, who have lost five straight and nine of 10. After Marte doubled on an 0-2 pitch from Trevor Megill with two outs in the ninth inning, Jeff McNeil singled to center. Perkins grabbed the ball on a bounce and made a one-hop throw to catcher William Contreras, who tagged out Marte. The Mets challenged the call, but replays showed Contreras tagged a sliding Marte before the runner's left hand hit the plate. Milwaukee scored all its runs in the fifth to erase a 2-0 deficit. Turang's homer off Kodai Senga (7-4) tied the game, and Isaac Collins was hit on the shoe by an 0-2 pitch from Brooks Raley with the bases loaded to bring home the go-ahead run. Brandon Woodruff (4-0) allowed solo homers to Soto in the first inning and Marte in the second, but the Mets got only three more hits the rest of the night. Woodruff struck out eight and walked two in seven innings. PHILLIES 9, RANGERS 1 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 41st homer in the first inning, Brandon Marsh's four hits included a solo shot that put Philadelphia ahead for good in the fourth in a win over Texas. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Trea Turner had a three-run homer in a five-run ninth and drove in five. Cristopher Sánchez (11-3) allowed six hits and a run to match his career high in wins from the left-hander's only All-Star season in 2024. Schwarber lined a 413-foot shot that glanced off the right-field foul pole about two-thirds of the way up. He started the day two homers behind Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors. The NL East-leading Phillies started their only nine-game road trip of the season by ending a 10-game losing streak at the home of the Rangers. The skid went back to Philadelphia's 14-10 victory on opening day in 2014 at Globe Life Park, which still stands across the street from 5-year-old Globe Life Field. Josh Jung had a tying single in the first for the AL wild card-chasing Rangers, who have dropped consecutive home games after winning their previous eight. Merrill Kelly (9-7) walked a season-high five and hit a batter with a pitch in his first home start for Texas since being acquired from Arizona before the July 31 trade deadline. The right-hander allowed five hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto Star
12 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Schwarber hits 41st homer and Marsh goes deep among 4 hits as Phillies beat Rangers 9-1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 41st homer in the first inning, Brandon Marsh's four hits included a solo shot that put Philadelphia ahead for good in the fourth and the Phillies beat the Texas Rangers 9-1 on Friday night. Trea Turner had a three-run homer in a five-run ninth and drove in five. Cristopher Sánchez (11-3) allowed six hits and a run to match his career high in wins from the left-hander's only All-Star season in 2024.
Winnipeg Free Press
12 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Schwarber hits 41st homer and Marsh goes deep among 4 hits as Phillies beat Rangers 9-1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 41st homer in the first inning, Brandon Marsh's four hits included a solo shot that put Philadelphia ahead for good in the fourth and the Phillies beat the Texas Rangers 9-1 on Friday night. Trea Turner had a three-run homer in a five-run ninth and drove in five. Cristopher Sánchez (11-3) allowed six hits and a run to match his career high in wins from the left-hander's only All-Star season in 2024. Schwarber lined a 413-foot shot that glanced off the right-field foul pole about two-thirds of the way up. He started the day two homers behind Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors. The NL East-leading Phillies started their only nine-game road trip of the season by ending a 10-game losing streak at the home of the Rangers. The skid went back to Philadelphia's 14-10 victory on opening day in 2014 at Globe Life Park, which still stands across the street from 5-year-old Globe Life Field. Josh Jung had a tying single in the first for the AL wild card-chasing Rangers, who have dropped consecutive home games after winning their previous eight. Merrill Kelly (9-7) walked a season-high five and hit a batter with a pitch in his first home start for Texas since being acquired from Arizona before the July 31 trade deadline. The right-hander allowed five hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings. Key moment Marsh's liner leading off the fourth just cleared the fence down the line in right for a 2-1 Philadelphia lead. A two-run double from Turner came four batters later, after back-to-back walks from Kelly. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Five of Sánchez's six strikeouts were on changeups, giving him a major league-leading 97 with his best pitch. Up next Phillies LHP Jesús Luzardo (10-5, 4.32 ERA) faces Rangers ace Jacob deGrom (10-4, 2.80), who has allowed five runs in each of his past two starts. ___ AP MLB:
