The sun has set on the legendary careers of two future Hall of Fame players, Yadier Benjamín Molina and José Alberto Pujols Alcántara.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ season came to an end in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card after the Philadelphia Phillies swept the best-of-three series with a 2-0 win Saturday night at Busch Stadium.
Molina has ended his legendary career after 19 seasons — all seasons donning the white and red — at the age of 40 years old, as Albert Pujols hangs up his cleats after 22 seasons, ending his tumultuous career where it all began at the age of 42.
The storied St. Louis Cardinals organization bids farewell to two historic Latino figures who have permanently shaped the baseball world with their power, passion, and love for the game. They not only shaped the baseball landscape for their fans but for us — for those who bleed Latin roots in our veins, we can thank the two future Hall of Famers for their service and for changing the face of baseball forever.
Despite going through the hallow walls of an early postseason exit, the emotions of saying goodbye to the game overflowed as Molina spoke after the game on his career as a St. Louis Cardinal and playing in his final game.
Yadi speaks after his final game in the big leagues 🥺 @BallySportsMW pic.twitter.com/SqBvDgEHOh
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 9, 2022
Here’s a look at Molina’s career statistics and accolades:
10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time World Series champion.
Career Stats: 42.2 WAR, .277 batting average, 2,168 hits, 7,817 at-bats, 176 home runs, 1,022 RBI, 777 runs, .327 OBP, .399 SLG
Caught a total of 18,294.2 innings in 2,184 games. 381 runners were caught stealing on Molina over his 19-year career.
Pujols made the grandest of exits, shocking the baseball world with his ability to be as explosive and commanding in the batter’s box as he did when his 21-year-old self made his debut in 2001. His historic chase for 700 home runs has become the biggest story in Major League Baseball this year. And, in Pujols fashion, he has ended his career with 703 home runs — 4th on the all-time home runs list.
Here’s a look at Pujol’s career statistics and accolades:
Rookie of the Year, three-time Most Valuable Player, 11-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time World Series champion.
Career Stats: 101.6 WAR, .296 average, 3,384 hits, 11,421 RBI, 703 home runs, 1,914 runs, .374 OBP, .544 SLG
Pujols went 2-for-4 in his final game, while his “brother” Molina went 1-for-4 — his lone hit coming in the bottom of the ninth innings, putting the Cards in scoring position in the final inning of their season. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol pinch-hit for the veterans in the eighth and ninth inning and allowed the two to receive a thunderous standing ovation from their beloved fans.
One final time.
Now, as we await their induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Latino Sports would like to congratulate Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols on their tremendous and memorable career in baseball.
