Fittingly enough, legendary players Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will go into the Cardinals Hall of Fame together on Sept. 12. Their election to the Cards' Hall of Fame, along with late left-hander Bill Sherdel, was announced by the club on Friday.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, cornerstone pieces of Cardinals World Series winners in 2006 and ’11 and so many other historical and memorable moments during their time together in St. Louis, will be going into the club’s Hall of Fame, fittingly enough, together on Sept. 12.
The two Cardinals legends, who combined for 20 All-Star selections, 11 Gold Glove Awards and seven Silver Slugger Awards and rank first and second in franchise history in postseason games played, will be joined by late left-handed pitcher Bill Sherdel to make up the 13th class to be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
An enshrinement ceremony traditionally held at Ballpark Village will be moved to Busch Stadium as part of a special pregame ceremony before the Cardinals face the White Sox. Tickets for the ceremony start at $20.
Pujols and Molina retired from MLB in 2022 as members of the Cardinals. They will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028 -- and they could enter that Hall at the same time as well.
Fans voted Pujols and Molina into the Hall of Fame during an eight-week period of online balloting. The Red Ribbon Committee, a group comprised of 12 followers of St. Louis baseball, elected Sherdel as the veteran player for induction. The winningest left-handed pitcher in franchise history with 153 wins, Sherdel excelled as both a starter and reliever during his 14 seasons with St. Louis. He was the winning pitcher in the Cardinals first two National League pennant-clinching games in 1926 and 1928 and started Game 1 of both World Series against the New York Yankees.
“This year’s Hall of Fame Class promises to be one of the most celebrated since we inducted our inaugural class 12 years ago,” Cardinals Chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. “On behalf of the Cardinals organization, I would like to congratulate Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and the late Bill Sherdel on this tremendous honor and thank our fans, as well as the Red Ribbon Committee, for casting their votes for this year’s inductees. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these iconic players with our great fans during Hall of Fame Weekend in September.”
Molina, Pujols rank No. 1, 2 in playoff games for Cards
Drafted and developed by the Cardinals, Pujols became one of the game’s greatest superstar players during his first stint with the franchise from 2001-11 He was the 2005, 2008 and 2009 NL Most Valuable Player and 2001 NL Rookie of the Year. He returned to the franchise for the final year of his MLB career and put on a stirring second-half run to 703 career home runs – an accomplishment that won him the 2022 NL Comeback Player of the Year.
On the franchise career lists, Pujols ranks second with 469 doubles, 469 home runs, 1,397 RBI and a .614 slugging percentage. He is third with 1,333 runs, fourth with 2,156 hits and tied for fifth with a .326 batting average and a .417 on-base percentage. The 10-time NL All-Star won two Gold Gloves as a first baseman and six Silver Slugger Awards. In addition to helping the Cardinals win two World Series titles, he led the Cards to a 2004 NL pennant and a spot in the World Series.
Molina played his entire career with the Cardinals, wearing the birds on a bat across his chest from 2004–2022. Molina quickly became one of baseball’s preeminent catchers in baseball with his strong throwing arm and his abilities in blocking balls and handling pitching staffs. He played 19 seasons with the Cards – the second most in franchise longevity – and ranks third all-time with 2,226 games played and 2,168 hits, fourth with 408 doubles, sixth with 1,022 RBI and ninth with 176 home runs.
The 10-time All-Star won nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award. Molina anchored the World Series winners in 2006 and 2011, led the franchise back to World Series in 2004 and 2013 National League. He is the franchise’s postseason leader in games played (104) and hits (102).
Sherdel excelled as a starter and reliever for the Cardinals. He ranks fourth among all Cardinals pitchers with 465 games and 145 complete games, and he was fifth with 153 wins and 2,450 2/3 innings, sixth with 243 games started and 11th with 153 games finished.
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