Press Release – Cardinals Dedicate Yadier Molina Field

ST. LOUIS, April 18, 2011 – Cardinals Care and the Redbird Rookies will honor Cardinals two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove catcher, Yadier Molina, with the dedication of Yadier Molina Field at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19^th in Wellston, Missouri.

Wellston Mayor Linda Whitfield and a representative for St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley will join Cardinals Catcher Yadier Molina, Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, Cardinals Vice President of Community Relations & Cardinals Care Michael Hall in a special ceremony led by Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin from Fox Sports Midwest.

Yadier Molina Field is located at 6335 Plymouth Ave. in Wellston on what used to be an abandoned parking lot. Today, Yadier Molina Field is the home playing field for the Wellston Redbird Rookies program and neighboring Redbird Rookie leagues comprised of boys and girls ages 5 to 13.

The professionally designed youth baseball field is the result of a six figure investment by Cardinals Care that includes a graded and irrigated playing field, two paved and covered dugouts, bleachers, fencing and a state-of-the art solar powered scoreboard. The field will play an integral role in teaching Redbird Rookies participants the values of teamwork, integrity, self-esteem, and leadership.

The field is named after Molina, who as a catcher for the Cardinals has won three straight Rawlings Gold Glove awards from 2008-10. The two-time All-Star was an integral part of the 2006 World Championship Cardinals as he led the team with a .358 post season batting average and hit the eventual game winning two-run homer in the ninth inning of game seven of the National League Championship Series at New York.

Yadier Molina Field is one of 19 baseball fields established by Cardinals Care in conjunction with their Redbird Rookies program. Cardinals Care has distributed over $17 million to area organizations that support kids. Funding comes from Cardinals players, the team’s ownership group, local business, and most importantly Cardinals fans.