Sep 17, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) hugs Albert Pujols after hitting a two run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Cardinals fans will get at least one more opportunity to honor Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina at home.
While the Cards will make the playoffs — likely as the No. 3 seed in the National League — it’s tough to know exactly how long they’ll survive in what’s expected to be a heated race.
At least in terms of the regular season, Cards fans will get a chance to say goodbye to their heroes during the team’s final homestand against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Starting Friday, giant thank you cards will be made available for fans to pay homage to the likes of Pujols and Molina, both of whom are an integral part of the St. Louis community and all-time greats.
Someday, their jerseys will be retired and a plaque in Cooperstown will have their names. But for now, this is the best way to honor them.
Cardinals fans say thanks to Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina
Molina has spent his entire career with the Cards, and is one of the best backstops of all-time, let alone his era. Offensively, Molina has generally produced at a consistent clip, while he leads one of the better pitching staffs in the NL at age 40. Oh, and run on Yadi at your own peril. He still has one of the stronger arms in baseball from behind the plate.
As for Pujols, what more can be said? He just hit his 700th home run on the road in Los Angeles, which was a fitting end. His return to St. Louis was a long time coming, and helped heal a fanbase which was heartbroken when he left in the first place.
Both players won World Series with the team, and left the franchise better than they found it. They are pillars in the St. Louis community, as well.
A well-earned thank you is the least Cards fans can do.