In the seventh inning of a spring training game, Yadier Molina was still doing what he does best behind the plate. After a walk put Martín Maldonado on first, the Astros brought in rookie José Siri as a pinch runner. Siri handed his gold chain to the first base coach, clearly planning to steal. But Yadi wasn’t having it. Despite the game being meaningless in the standings, Molina was locked in.
From the moment Siri stepped on, Yadi stared him down. He called for a fastball outside, taking a good long look before nearly picking Siri off on the first attempt. Siri got rattled, shaking his head and repeating “no” several times, trying to stand his ground. But Molina stayed focused. On a 2-2 count, he called a change-up. The pitcher delivered it and Yadi snapped a perfect throw to second, getting Siri caught stealing with ease. The rookie didn’t even stand up after the tag. Molina didn’t say much, but the message was clear. It might be spring training, but if you challenge him, he’ll still shut you down.