Why Yadi and Waino breaking the record for most starts as a battery should matter to all of us

September 27, 2022

Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright walked out of the Bullpen to start the game. (Photo Credit to Jeff Roberson)

On September 14th, St. Louis Cardinals’ 41-year-old starting pitcher Adam Wainwright and 40-year-old catcher Yadier Molina made their 325th start of a game together, which meant that they broke the record for most starts as a battery in the major league. (To note, they are currently at 328, and the record is still theirs!)

What's a battery?

For those less familiar with baseball, a “battery” is a combination of the same pitcher and the same catcher starting the game together. Why these positions are coupled together rather than say, the pitcher and first basemen is because they require so much communication. The catcher can call pitches by using signals to represent a pitch type. For example, one finger means fastball, two fingers mean curveball, three is a slider, and finally, four fingers can mean a change-up. However, signals are different for all 30 teams because it would be way easier to cheat if all signals were the same.

What does a battery record mean for St. Louisans?

As someone who has been watching the Cardinals since before I can remember,it’s an emotional feeling to see two of my favorite players break a record by working together. What’s even more emotional is that it’s Yadi’s last season. Yadier Molina has been playing for the Cardinals since 2004, and he has made a significant impact on younger players.

For instance, Juan Yepez started playing for the Cardinals this year when he was called up by the front office. He mainly looks up to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina; they are his childhood inspirations. Not only have the the older Cardinal players made a huge impact on the younger players, I believe they’ve made a large impact on young Cardinal fans as well.

“The St. Louis Cardinals encouraged me to start playing baseball,” said Raymond Ingram, a freshman who plays baseball for his high school. Now think about this, if Raymond never watched the St Louis Cardinals, he never would’ve started playing baseball. I’m sure many other Cardinal fans feel the same way Raymond and Juan Yepez do.

I think there are many ways that Yadi and Waino breaking the record can create a bigger impact on all of us. It shows that teamwork and cooperation are one of the most important life skills.