Yadier Molina struck out a Rays hitter with a 76 mph pitch and Albert Pujols absolutely loved it

Albert Pujols was so happy for his friend.

Cardinals legend Yadier Molina has long been one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball. Last night, however, we got to see him switch things up again as he took the mound for the second time in his career and didn’t give up a run in one inning of work against the Rays in Tampa.

You know what else he did? Got his first strikeout.

For real, this really happened. The 39-year-old catcher, who will be calling it quits after this season, struck out Isaac Paredes on three pitches. After a 49 mph curveball and 51 curveball, Molina brought the heat with a 76 mph fastball that Paredes couldn’t touch. 

Here’s the strikeout, which Albert Pujols absolutely loved.

That’s all a lot of fun, though the Cardinals went on to lose the game, 11-3.

Twitter loved it.