ST. LOUIS -- When the ball cleared the left-field wall in the second inning on Thursday,
Wearing No. 21 to honor and celebrate Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, Molina launched a two-run home run in his first at-bat, sparking the Cardinals' offense to a 12-2 win over the Tigers in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader at Busch Stadium.
\n\nWearing 2⃣1⃣ today!#ClementeDay | #Clemente21 pic.twitter.com/dHQSfFvaex
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 10, 2020
“Right on top,” Molina told FOX Sports Midwest where this homer ranks. “Before the game, I was praying to have a good game and to get a win, but at the same time, I was hoping to do something special. I’m just happy, thankful for that moment. A great honor.”\n\nThe Puerto Rican catcher was 2-for-4 in Game 1, adding a single in the fourth inning during the Cardinals’ offensive outburst against Detroit. Molina’s home run put the Cardinals on the board and the rest of the lineup took it from there, scoring seven runs in the third inning, another in the fourth and two more in the sixth. Molina,
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Molina has often talked about the impact Clemente has had on his life and his family’s life in Puerto Rico. The Puerto-Rican born Clemente was the first Latin American player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and was a revered figure for his achievements. He was the 1966 MVP Award winner, a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove Award winner and a four-time batting champion who had 3,000 hits during his 18-year career.\n\nFor many Latin American players today, the trailblazing Clemente is their idol, not just for what he did on the field but for what he accomplished off of it, too.\n\nMolina was the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award recipient for his charitable work through Fundación 4 and his ongoing humanitarian efforts to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in '17. The Clemente Award is considered to be the most prominent individual player award presented by Major League Baseball. It annually recognizes one player who best represents the sport through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
“This guy was unbelievable,” Molina said. “Obviously, everyone knows what he did on the field, but off the field, the work he did to help the people -- not only in Puerto Rico but in other Latin countries -- this guy is unbelievable. You can learn from it.”\n\nMolina was among many Puerto Rican players around the league to don No. 21 this week. MLB celebrated Roberto Clemente Day on Wednesday, but because the Cardinals were off, Molina wore No. 21 on Thursday against the Tigers. The team celebrated the day with a Clemente graphic on the scoreboard and a “Roberto Clemente Day” banner in right-center field. All players wore the No. 21 patch on their uniforms, too.\n\nThursday was also, in a way, a day to celebrate Molina on a day that means so much to the veteran catcher and leader of the Cardinals' clubhouse. Much like nearly every time Molina steps up to the plate this season, he passed a few milestones with the swing.
The second-inning shot marked home run No. 158 in Molina’s career, passing Johnny Mize for 10th all-time in Cardinals history. The two RBIs gave Molina 930 in his career, passing Ted Simmons for seventh all-time in franchise history.\n\n“When you’ve got someone like \\[Molina\\] in your clubhouse, he’s someone that you go to battle with,” Flaherty said. “You go to battle for him. You want to fight and win with that guy right by your side because you know he’s out there, he’s giving it his all each and every day, and you know he’s working harder than every single guy in this clubhouse. That’s what’s pretty inspiring about him.”\n\nMolina also guided Flaherty through five innings and the bullpen through two more. Flaherty allowed two runs with Jeimer Candelario’s two-run home run in the fourth, struck out six and walked two.
\n\nFlaherty wasn’t thrilled with his start. He was happy with the way his defense played -- including a stellar double play turned by