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Yes, the picture above is real and not a figment of your imagination. That is actually Yadier Molina on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals played the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, May 22, and the Cards got an early lead, which ultimately led to an 18-4 blowout for St. Louis.
There has been a recent trend in Major League Baseball where teams put position players on the mound to pitch when there is a sizably comfortable lead. The main reason teams do this is to save pitchers for upcoming games, but it has inadvertently become a spectacle for MLB fans to see their favorite position players on a different side of the ball.
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"Now pitching, number 4, Yadier Molina!" - @St. Louis Cardinals
Longtime Cardinal and future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina decided to be at the other end of the battery in Sunday's game, and although things were not pretty at the end, with him giving up a home run, it was still very eventful to watch. MLB fans on Twitter were active during the game, and there were many reactions.
MLB fans react to Yadier Molina's pitching performance
"It would have been awesome if @UncleCharlie50 was catching Yadi!!" - @ Nick
This fan on Twitter suggests that Cardinals pitcher and longtime teammate of Molina, Adam Wainwright, should have been behind the plate catching. Wainwright-Molina has been a battery for 15 plus seasons, and it would have been hilarious to see the pair flipped.
"Who will have the pitching bragging rights between him and Pujols?" - @ JSTheNose
This MLB fan asks who had the better pitching performance, Molina or Albert Pujols, who pitched last week for the Cardinals. Both Molina and Pujols gave up four earned runs in just one inning for each of their respective outings. However, Molina did not walk anyone, so perhaps his performance was slightly better.
"This is hilarious! When winning with over double digits, it's actually kinda smart to do this to spare the arms of your pitchers." - @ Adam Hamilton
This Cardinals fan really enjoyed Yadier Molina's first MLB pitching appearance. They also suggest that having position players pitch in meaningless situations is smart to save pitchers. Having options in the bullpen in a tight game is necessary, so it is smart not to waste quality arms in a situation like this.
"He had time to run back behind home plate and catch his own pitch" - @ mchoate118
This Twitter user made a hilarious comment that Molina could probably catch his own pitch after throwing it. Yadi's highest registered velocity was only 64 mph, so maybe this user is on to something with this comment!
"Why isn't he bringing the heat?!" - @ James
This MLB fan is wondering why Yadi was throwing so slowly in his performance. Yadier Molina can throw some missles from behind the plate, and there is no doubt that some of that speed can be translated to the mound. Most of the time, position players lob the ball in so they don't risk injury, but it would be fun to see someone rear back for just one pitch.
"Pujols/Molina best 1-2 duo in the game" - @ Casual_STLCardinalsFan
This Cardinals fan is suggesting that Molina and Albert Pujols are the best pitching duo in baseball right now, which is hilarious! Maybe the best 1-2 position player/pitcher duo, but let's hold off on this conversation until they get their 36.00 ERA's down!
"Couldn't name a better closer" - @ Kyle
This Twitter user jokes around by saying that Yadier Molina is the best closer they've seen. I mean, he didn't blow the lead for the Cardinals, so there's a start. Maybe there is some work to do on the mound before Yadi can claim that title.
"As he gives up a bomb" - @ Mike
Yes, we know that Yadi ended up giving up four runs, including two home runs by the Pirates. That is not the point, though. The fact that Yadier Molina pitched in an MLB game is amazing to say the least.
Witnessing position players take the mound in the MLB is always a sight to see. Not only is it absolutely hilarious to see these players try to pitch, but it is also smart so that MLB teams do not have to waste quality arms in blowouts. Besides, it makes the game fun and exciting to watch, and it gets people online talking about the game. This concept is fairly new in baseball, and I'm excited to see more of this in the future.
