Bryce Harper pays Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina the ultimate compliment

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper paid the ultimate compliment to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals.

As the MLB world gets ready to say goodbye to the likes of Pujols and Molina in what’s all but guaranteed to be their final postseason, even their opponents have kind words for them.

While Adam Wainwright has yet to fully commit to retiring, Pujols and Molina have both said this is their final run. The Cardinals enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed, and take on the sixth-seeded Phillies starting on Friday afternoon.

While Harper will surely be hoping to send them packing, he took a minute to reflect on their legendary careers in the clubhouse pregame.

Bryce Harper compliments Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina

“I think the game is going to have a little bit of a hole for a little bit with Yadi leaving and Albert as well. I have so much respect and gratitude for those guys, because without them, some of us wouldn’t be here right now because they paved the way,” Harper said, per Bob Nightengale.

Give Harper credit — as much as he can get on the nerves of rival fanbases, he also has respect for the history of the game he loves.

Pujols finished his regular-season career with 703 home runs, while Molina and Wainwright are now the No. 1 battery in MLB history. It’s not a bad combination for the elite Cardinals duo.

While I’m sure they appreciate the comments from Harper, they’ll enjoy a Wild Card series win even more.