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- Yadier Molina threw out a young opponent trying to steal second during a spring training game.
- Molina dared 25-year-old Jose Siri to run on him after Siri taunted Molina.
- Molina’s throw was on target and way ahead of schedule to nab Siri.
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St. Louis Cardinals veteran catcher Yadier Molina had a playful exchange with a young opponent during a Spring training game on Sunday.
Molina, heading into his 18th season with the Cardinals at 38 years of age, attempted to pick off 25-year-old Houston Astros pinch runner Jose Siri at first base in the seventh inning. Siri, a non-roster invitee, then audaciously wagged his finger at Molina after avoiding the pick-off as if to say, “nope, not getting me.”
The veteran Molina wasn’t ready to take Siri’s gesture sitting down and gestured back to Siri, encouraging him to try and steal second while he’s at it.
Two pitches later, Siri took off toward second, and Molina delivered a dart to Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter, throwing out Siri to end the inning.
—MLB (@MLB) March 7, 2021
Molina's throw arrived at second base before Siri had even gone into a sliding motion, nabbing the young baserunner by "about 10 feet" as the expression goes. The pitch in which Siri chose to run on was a low changeup, which is typically one of the more ideal pitches to try and steal on. However, there was not going to be an ideal pitch for Siri to try and steal on with Molina behind the plate.
You can see the entire sequence play out here: