Things will look a little bit different this year for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For the first time since 2004, Yadier Molina will not be the team’s Opening Day catcher.
The veteran backstop retired after the 2022 season along with Albert Pujols, and though Adam Wainwright is back for one final season, things are still going to be a lot different.
On Twitter, the Cardinals posted a photo featuring all of the catchers in camp having a good time.
A Cardinals fan retweeted the tweet and pointed out an interesting fact, that this is the first time since Twitter has existed that Molina will not be with the team.
This is the first time since Twitter has existed that Molina isn’t there https://t.co/Yc565QYV5b
—Quinn (@QuinnSTLCards) February 23, 2023
Twitter was founded in 2006, and March 21 will mark 17 years since it was founded.
At that time, Molina was still a young catcher, but he had already claimed the starting spot for the Cardinals.
That year marked the beginning of his special connection with Wainwright.
In Game 7 of the NLCS, Molina hit the game-winning home run off New York Mets reliever Aaron Heilman.
He and Wainwright then closed out the series together and went on to do the same in the World Series.
But Molina, like Twitter, was just getting started.
17 years later, Twitter still exists, but Molina is now retired.
Ultimately, it speaks to the longevity of the nine-time Gold Glover and 10-time All-Star.
He was baseball’s best catcher for most of his career.
But the photo represents a changing of the guard for the team, and the beginning of a new era.
NEXT:
Cardinals Magazine Highlights A Different Side Of Adam Wainwright
