May 22, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cardinals won 18-4. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals' Yadier Molina makes surprise pitching debut against Pirates

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/22/22

The St. Louis Cardinals appear determined to get as many franchise icons as possible to pitch this season, especially if they’re not actually pitchers.

Catcher Yadier Molina made an appearance on the mound during Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Cardinals up 18-0 in the ninth, the team opted to save its actual pitchers and let Molina collect the final three outs. Since he couldn’t catch himself during warmups, Albert Pujols got behind the plate to get Molina ready instead.

Molina on the mound definitely made for an odd sight.

Now pitching, number 4, Yadier Molina! pic.twitter.com/NRV40yz3C0

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 22, 2022

Molina sat in the high-50s in terms of velocity. At one point, he reached back for 70 mph. He also slowed things down with a 42 mph offering. Unsurprisingly, he gave up two home runs and four runs in total, but that was nowhere near enough to even make the game interesting.

As it turns out, Molina did about as well as Pujols did earlier in the month.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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