St. Louis Cardinals

On postseason stage, Yadi has few peers among all-time Cardinals

Published Oct. 9, 2019 12:16 p.m. ET

When Yadier Molina knocked in the tying and winning runs in St. Louis' thrilling Game 4 win over Atlanta in the NL Division Series, he remained in third place among the Cardinals' all-time postseason RBI leaders. He now has 33, eight behind Jim Edmonds and 19 behind Albert Pujols.

But it further cemented his status as one of the most prolific batters in Cardinals playoff history.

"An elite, special player, that's what he is," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.

No Cardinal has more postseason hits that Molina's 93. No one has played in more games (93) or had more at-bats (331).

Yadi isn't the power hitter that Pujols and Edmonds were, so he isn't knocking on the door in home runs or total bases or, as noted, RBIs. But he does rank second in doubles with 17, one fewer than Pujols. And while he's 43 behind Pujols, he is second in total bases.

Molina's playoff resume also ranks among the best in major league history. When he takes the field for Game 5 against the Braves this afternoon, he'll make the 94th postseason appearance of his career, passing Chipper Jones -- the former Atlanta star -- for ninth all-time. He's also ninth in at-bats and seventh in hits.

And among catchers, only Jorge Posada has more career postseason hits (103 to Yadi's 93) and doubles (23 to Yadi's 17).

Among active players, Molina ranks first in games, at-bats, hits and singles (73). He's second in total bases and tied for second in doubles.

Of course, all that is well and good, but ultimately it's about championships, and Molina has two of those (2006 and 2011).

Winning NLDS Game 5 this afternoon is all about his pursuit of a third.

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