FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES, St. Louis Cardinals catching great Yadier Molina was a fixture in an organization known for churning out pitchers and throwing out runners. Over a Hall-of-Fame worthy career, Molina was the most respected player on his team every time he donned the uniform.
For the final seven years of that career, Molina shared the space behind home plate 19 times a season with a younger, brasher and extremely talented fellow catcher on the other side of one of baseball's most heated rivalries, Willson Contreras.
Despite the intense rivalry between the Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, a mutual respect grew between the catchers.