Whether it’s seeing Yadier Molina scamper off second base or deftly maneuver and muscle for space to block a baseball, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has an idea why his Gold Glove catcher has so much verve so late in the season.
“I think it’s because I play him every single day,” Matheny said, grinning knowingly. “It’s a new theory. Play him. Keep playing him.”
An annual conversation around the Cardinals as Molina neared his mid-30s was how to rest their centerpiece, how to reduce his workload throughout the season so when the race arrives, like this September, he would still have life.