CHICAGO -- Growing up in Venezuela, D-backs catcher Oscar Hernandez idolized Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
So when D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa, who had managed Molina in St. Louis, offered to put the two in touch, Hernandez could not say yes quick enough.
"Yadier Molina is my hero," Hernandez said. "Tony wanted me to talk to him. So we started talking during Spring Training."
Hernandez finally met Molina in person during the Cardinals' recent visit to Chase Field -- and it wasn't just a brief meeting, either. Instead, Molina and Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo pulled Hernandez aside after batting practice and started working with him on his receiving technique.