Pujols, Molina, and Sherdel New Cardinals Hall of Famers

 
The Cardinal Chronicle
Pujols, Molina, and Sherdel New Cardinals Hall of Famers
St. Louis, MO                                                                                                                  By Ray Mileur

Some Hall of Fame announcements are suspenseful.

This one came with inevitability.

Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Bill Sherdel have been elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, giving the franchise one of its strongest induction classes since the team began honoring its own greats through the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

Pujols and Molina were selected by the fans, while Sherdel was chosen by the Red Ribbon Committee, placing three distinctly different Cardinals careers into the same permanent home. The trio will be formally inducted Sept. 12 at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals’ game against the Chicago White Sox.

For Cardinal Nation, the election of Pujols and Molina feels less like breaking news and more like history catching up with what fans already knew.

They were not simply great Cardinals. They were era-defining Cardinals.
Pujols arrived in 2001 and immediately changed the franchise's shape. From the beginning, there was no long development curve, no slow climb, no waiting period. He stepped into the lineup and became one of the most complete hitters the game has ever seen.

During his first run in St. Louis, Pujols was the standard. He hit for average. He hit for power. He drove in runs, changed pitching plans, and gave the Cardinals a presence in the middle of the order that few franchises ever get to enjoy.

He was a three-time National League Most Valuable Player, a two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals, and, by the time his career ended, one of the most accomplished hitters in baseball history. His return to St. Louis in 2022 gave Cardinals fans one last chance to stand and cheer, and he gave them one final summer worthy of the uniform.

Pujols’ greatness was thunderous, but it was also steady. That was the remarkable part. He made historic production look routine.

Molina’s greatness came from a different place.

He spent 19 seasons with the Cardinals and became one of the finest defensive catchers in the history of the game. The awards tell part of the story: 10 All-Star selections, nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, and two World Series championships.

But with Molina, numbers and honors never quite tell the whole story.
He controlled games from behind the plate. He managed pitching staffs, shut down running games, framed the moment, and carried the calm authority of a player who always seemed to know exactly what the game required. For nearly two decades, when Molina walked to the mound, Cardinals fans knew somebody was in charge.

He was not just the catcher.

He was the heartbeat.
Together, Pujols and Molina helped define the modern Cardinals standard. They were central figures in postseason runs, championship seasons, and the kind of sustained winning that became expected in St. Louis.

Then there is Sherdel, whose election gives this class its historical depth.
Bill Sherdel may not be a household name to every modern fan, but he belongs in the conversation when discussing the roots of Cardinals pitching history. A left-hander who pitched for St. Louis during the early growth of the franchise into a National League power, Sherdel remains the winningest left-handed pitcher in club history.

He pitched in a different game, in a different baseball world, when starters were expected to carry heavy innings, and reputations were built over long afternoons rather than highlight clips. Sherdel was part of the Cardinals’ 1926 World Series championship team and helped establish the foundation that later generations would build upon.

That is what makes his selection important.

The Cardinals Hall of Fame should not only honor the players whose highlights are still fresh in memory. It should also preserve the names that helped build the organization before most of us ever walked through a ballpark gate.

This class does both.

Pujols represents the thunder.
Molina represents the command.
Sherdel represents the foundation.
Three eras. Three stories. One franchise.

The Cardinals have always been at their best when they remember who they are. That means honoring the obvious legends, but also reaching back to bring forward the players whose careers deserve to be remembered by a new generation.

On Sept. 12, Busch Stadium will not simply host another pregame ceremony. It will host a family reunion.

Fans will remember Pujols stepping into the box with that familiar calm. They will remember Molina walking to the mound with that slow, steady authority. And, hopefully, they will also take time to learn Sherdel’s name and understand why it still matters.

Some players wear the uniform.

Some help define it.

Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Bill Sherdel have earned their place among the names that define Cardinals baseball.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gatway Sports