End of an era: Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols get final sendoff at home

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were honored ahead of their final regular-season home game as St. Louis Cardinals’ players.

Heading into the 2022 season, it was revealed that it would be the last for St. Louis Cardinals players Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. The duo have the chance to make their final year special, as the Cardinals won the NL Central title for the first time since 2019, and have the chance to win the World Series.

On Sunday, the Cardinals had their final home game of the regular season, which would be Pujols’ and Molina’s last. Ahead of the game, the Cardinals held a ceremony for the duo at Busch Stadium, which included their families and former players.

Cardinals hold ceremony for Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina ahead of their final home game

During said ceremony, St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones announced that Oct. 4., 2022 will be Yadier Molina Day and Oct. 5, 2022 will be Albert Pujols Day. The two were also given gifts, including Titelist golf bags and clubs, paintings, and Tiffany silver plaques by the Cardinals.

The clips below are courtesy of Bally Sports Midwest.

Adam Wainwright, longtime teammates of Pujols and Molina, fought back tears when addressing the crowd. Wainwright called Pujols “the greatest hitter anyone has ever seen, and probably anybody playing the game today has ever seen. Then, Wainwright said to Molina, his longtime battery mate, “I’m going to miss you the most.”

Molina thanked the Cardinals and his family, before addressing the Cardinals fans at Busch Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Molina called it “a great honor” to wear a Cardinals uniform for 19 years, and called the fans “the best fans in baseball.”

It was then Pujols’ turn to speak at the podium. The slugger expressed thanks to the organization reiterated his thanks to the fans, saying “you guys are always going to have a special place in my heart.” Not only that, but Pujols said the job is not done, saying “our next step is to bring a championship back to the city of St. Louis.”

A farewell in their final regular-season home game, but it is not their final game in St. Louis for Pujols and Molina. They are looking to go on one final deep run in the postseason to bring a Commissioner’s Trophy to the city.

However the season ends, it will be a memorable one for Cardinals fans. They won another NL Central title, but they watched Pujols become the fourth player ever to reach the 700 home runs club.