A plane that was scheduled to transport Cardinals legendary catcher Yadier Molina, family and friends from Texas to Puerto Rico crashed and burst into flames earlier in the day in the Dominican Republic, killing the two pilots on board. Molina and his travelling party were unharmed.
Legendary Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who is set to be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 12 before an expected sold-out crowd at Busch Stadium, avoided potential disaster last weekend when a plane that was set to transport him, his family and friends crashed and burst into flames hours earlier in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Two pilots died when the Gulfstream G200 landed hard, skidded across the grass and burst into flames. Molina, who has worked with Cardinals’ catchers as a guest instructor this season, said the plane was scheduled to pick up his family and friends in Texas and transport them to his native Puerto Rico, but it never arrived following the catastrophic accident that resulted in the deaths of two pilots.
“My condolences to the pilots and their families,” Molina posted on Instagram. “This plane was on its way to pick up me, my family and friends in Texas to return to Puerto Rico. This is all so heartbreaking.”
Molina, who retired from MLB and the Cardinals in 2022, is set to be inducted into the Cards Hall of Fame on Sept. 12 along with Albert Pujols and late pitcher Nill Sherdel. The event, which is usually held at Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis, has been moved to Busch Stadium because of the influx of fans expected to be on hand for the event honoring Pujols and Molina, teammates on the Cardinals teams that won World Series titles in 2006 and ’11.
Molina and Pujols will be eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028. Pujols is one of just four players in MLB history with at least 700 home runs (703), while Molina is one of the most decorated and accomplished catchers in the history of the game.
Molina back with Cards after time away
The Cardinals announced on Jan. 21 that Molina – who worked two weekend home series at Busch Stadium in the 2025 season –would be rejoining the club as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
In addition to managing Puerto Rico’s squad in the World Baseball Classic, Molina spent chunks of Spring Training and several weekend series this season working with Cardinals’ catchers Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal and Rainiel Rodriguez. Crooks was the club’s No. 7-ranked prospect prior to his promotion in late May, while Rodriguez (No. 2) and Bernal (No. 5) are also highly coveted prospects in the Cardinals’ Minor League system.
Molina, 43, was a two-time World Series champion, a 10-time National League All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner in 19 seasons with the Cardinals.
Molina holds the MLB record for games caught with one franchise (2,184). Former pitcher Adam Wainwright and Molina hold MLB records for most wins (213) and starts (328) by a pitcher-catcher battery. Molina also holds the MLB record for the most consecutive starts by a catcher on Opening Day, recording 15 from 2005-19.
Molina also won four Platinum Glove Awards and led MLB in caught-stealing percentage four times. He registered 2,168 hits, 176 homers and 1,022 RBIs.
Molina has said that he hopes to someday manage at the MLB level. Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol has advised Molina on the rigors of the job and has said that he thinks the future Hall of Famer could thrive in the position someday.
Join the conversation
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
