St. Louis Cardinals: Yadier Molina Lashes Out at MLB Security

St. Louis Cardinals catcher, Yadier Molina, spoke out against Major League Baseball for the lack of security provided to Team Puerto Rico’s families during their game against Mexico late Saturday night.

An altercation near the team’s families had St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and the rest of Team Puerto Rico fearful for their families’ safety. As the fight broke out during the broadcast of the game, the camera focused on Team Puerto Rico’s Players spilling onto the foul area to check out the commotion.

As the scene unfolded, I clearly remember seeing Yadier Molina and Javier Baez being held back from entering the stands. Security officials tended to both the players and the families as they tried to gain control of the situation.

The scene, which lasted around five to 10 minutes, distracted from a rather entertaining game. It’s a shame that this controversy takes away from the fun the players had during the game, but the safety of families, or anyone for that matter, should never be compromised.

A WBC official described the scene to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"“At last night’s game, an unfortunate incident resulted from the conduct of a fan in the stands at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco. Security staff responded quickly and relocated families to a new area. We will make all efforts to prevent another such situation.”"

During the broadcast, it seemed unclear what exactly was going on. Right before the fight started, the game went to commercial. As it returned to the game, the cameras were all focused on the players and what was going on in the stands. Needless to say, the announcers were just as confused as the rest of us watching on TV.

ESPN reporter, Marly Rivera, was in Team Puerto Rico’s dugout when the commotion began. She posted several moments during the altercation.

You can see concerned looks on the players’ faces as the fight begins to develop in the stands.  In the clip above, Yadier Molina runs over to the stands area to make sure his family is okay. Late Saturday night, after Team Puerto Rico’s victory over Mexico, Yadier Molina blasted MLB and security personnel.

"A post shared by Yadier Molina (@yadier_marciano_molina) on Mar 12, 2017 at 12:23am PSTA post shared by Yadier Molina (@yadier_marciano_molina) on Mar 12, 2017 at 12:23am PST"

Truthfully, that the fight happened so close to the families is very concerning. I certainly do not blame Molina for his anger. We all know fights happen in the stands and, usually, security is pretty good about controlling the situation.

However, I believe this should never have gone that far. I believe Major League Baseball and the WBC are concerned for everyone’s safety, but this incident cannot happen again. ESPN’s Marly Rivera was able to speak to Molina on Sunday about his harsh words.

It’s not hard to see Molina’s point of view. I certainly don’t blame him for expecting better of MLB to provide extra security for his family and the other players’ families. It was reported that after the game against Italy on Sunday that the Puerto Rican team boarded a plane for San Diego that day, even though they were scheduled to stay the night.

Next: Molina Leads Puerto Rico in WBC Debut

Yadier Molina’s comments will not be taken lightly by MLB. Earlier today it was reported that two families from players on the team were involved in the altercation. Although neither of them were Molina’s family, it still goes to show that these players care about more than just baseball. Hopefully, the team avoids further incidents.