Cardinals News: Oli Marmol gets All-Star nod and plane bound for Yadier Molina crashes

The first St. Louis Cardinal to get an All-Star nod this year isn't a player or even a trainer. It's manager Oliver Marmol, who will be attending his first midsummer classic in his career.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol will join Dave Roberts as a coach at the All-Star Game.

Marmol, chosen by National League manager Dave Roberts, will be a member of the National League coaching staff at this year's All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. "It's just a cool moment from Dave Roberts to even extend the invite," said Marmol of the nomination. "It's special for me and my family, for Amber and I and the girls, to be able to participate in that."

"Damn. Beat me. Congrats to Oli, I guess," said outfielder Lars Nootbaar jokingly. "Good for him. That's really cool. Based off how this season's been going, he deserves it."

Since becoming the manager of the Cardinals prior to the 2022 season, Marmol has a career record of 360-351 for a .506 winning percentage. His Cardinals currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the National League, and they're outplaying their Pythagorean record by four games. He has recorded 13 more wins than expected based on the Cardinals' Pythagorean record since 2022.

Marmol is a candidate for the National League Manager of the Year award, especially if he's able to maintain this level of success for his squad. If the Cardinals make the postseason in the first year of an unstated rebuild, that would be grounds for Manager of the Year votes.

Two pilots die in plane crash that was bound to pick up St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina.

A private plane en route to pick up Yadier Molina, his family, and some friends crashed on the runway soon after taking off in the Dominican Republic on Sunday evening. The pilot and co-pilot were the only people on board, and both died as a result of the crash.

Images and videos of the crash show the plane impacting the ground multiple times and then going up in flames.

Molina, who was in Texas waiting for the plane, posted his condolences on his Instagram. “My condolences to the pilots and their families,” wrote Molina. “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.”

The plane, which was headed for Austin, TX, was in the Dominican Republic refueling after a prior trip from Puerto Rico. About 16 nautical miles

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Molina and his family were familiar with both pilots and had flown with them many times before the accident. A representative said that both Molina and his family are safe, per Goold.

Yadi re-joined the Cardinals coaching staff this year, and he's been present often with the team at home games. Molina's son is a catcher who plays for a prep school in the Austin area.

Molina was voted by fans into the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame class, and he'll be inducted later this year with former teammate and friend Albert Pujols.

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