JUPITER, Fla. • Once the bullpen session was over, Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina greeted a former catcher with the words, “Welcome back, papi.”
The first time Jason Motte was in a Cardinals big-league clubhouse was in 2005 when he was dressing next to outfielder So Taguchi. Motte was a minor-league catcher summoned to help warm up pitchers such as Jeff Suppan.
Ultimately, Motte, because he couldn’t hit, became a pitcher himself and went on to record the last out of the 2011 World Series for the Cardinals and lead the National League in saves with 42 in 2012.