The Cardinals were up 1-0 on the Giants in the fifth inning with runners on the corners and two outs when Yadier Molina took over both as catcher and field leader. The manager came out to talk to the pitcher, but Yadi waved him off. He had it covered. Molina read the game situation, saw what the Giants were setting up, and directed the pitcher to throw fastballs. When the Giants tried a steal from first, Molina caught on right away. He saw the Giants coaching staff pass signals down the line to the runner at first and didn’t miss a beat. While everyone else on the field watched the pitcher, Yadi kept his focus on the base paths.
He timed it perfectly. He waited for the pitcher to start his motion so he wouldn’t tip anything off early. As soon as the runner broke, Molina jumped up and delivered a strike to second base. Jock Pederson got caught, ending the scoring threat. After the game, Yadi said the play was in the scouting report. Turns out he was right. The Giants do run that play all the time in first-and-third, two-out situations, hoping to force a mistake. This time, it didn’t work. Molina was one step ahead. That quick read, combined with perfect timing and execution, shut it down. Just another smart, decisive play from one of the most instinctive catchers in the game.