Bengie Molina isn’t ready to retire just yet. He remains close
to his phone, in case a team loses a catcher to injury or offers
him enough incentive to spend one more summer away from his wife
and daughters. And if nobody calls, if Molina’s final day in the
big leagues ends up being Game 5 of the World Series, he will find
peace in that, too.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
Bengie Molina isn’t ready to retire just yet. He remains close to his phone, in case a team loses a catcher to injury or offers him enough incentive to spend one more summer away from his wife and daughters.
And if nobody calls, if Molina’s final day in the big leagues ends up being Game 5 of the World Series, he will find peace in that, too.
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The Giants and Rangers played an exhibition Monday night—their first meeting since the Fall Classic—and Molina is expecting packages from both organizations to arrive in the mail soon. He’ll get an AL championship ring from the Rangers, and although he played on the losing side, he said he’ll also cherish the World Series ring he’ll receive from the Giants.
Would Molina consider attending the Giants’ ring ceremony April 9 at AT&T Park?
“I don’t know,” said Molina, whom the Giants traded to Texas on July 1 to clear the catching position for Buster Posey. “The players would be excited to see me because we’re friends, but I don’t know how the ownership and the GM would feel about me going back. You want to be as professional as you can. So I’ll let them just ship it out to me.
“I was on the losing team. But the Giants won the whole thing, and I was part of them, too.”
Molina’s wariness comes from last October’s revelation from GM Brian Sabean that the club had predetermined it would trade the veteran catcher in midseason. That comment still stings.
“It is more sadness than anger,” Molina said. “I thought maybe I could be Buster’s backup for many years. But this game is a business.”
Giants fans gave Molina a lasting memory during the introductions for Game 1 in San Francisco, when he received a loud, sustained ovation. Molina tapped his chest and barely kept a lid on his emotions.
“Oh, I will never forget that day,” he said. “It was one of the most exciting days of my career. I didn’t know how the fans were going to react until they said my name and people started chanting. That’s when all my fears went away. I will always take that deep in my heart.”
As for the games themselves, Molina remains struck at how well the Giants pitching staff executed with Posey.
“Their pitching was unbelievable,” Molina said. “A lot of people say we didn’t hit. But their pitching held us off. Texas had a great lineup, and we couldn’t find a way to get on base or score runs. They beat us, and they had timely hitting. They did everything right.”
Including throwing a wrinkle in the game plan. Molina knew the Giants’ young staff inside and out, having hand-fed them into the big leagues. But he was surprised to see Tim Lincecum throw so many backdoor sliders.
“I knew Timmy had a slider, but we weren’t using it much when I was there, so I wasn’t counting on it,” Molina said. “He threw me a bunch of sliders. I thought, ‘Wow, this is one of his pitches now.’
“They did a hell of a job just pitching, man. They kept the ball down and (elevated) it when they wanted. I saw it for 31/2 years. They were aggressive around the plate. I kept telling our hitters, ‘You have to get them early.’ ”
Posey said he knew it was important to establish the slider, if for no other reason than Molina wouldn’t be expecting it.
“Let’s be honest: Timmy has good stuff all the way across the board,” Posey said. “He picked that slider up on the fly, and it was big against the Rangers because Bengie did know our pitchers so well. That gave him a different look.”
Molina, 36, knew the day would come when Posey made him expendable. He didn’t expect it to happen so soon, but he never begrudged anything to the young catcher. They remain friendly, often trading texts in the winter and spring.
They have more in common than shinguards, foul tips and a competitive spirit. Molina rented a house in Lafayette, away from the bustle of the city. Posey, his wife and their two dogs wanted more peace, too, so they’re renting a house in Orinda this year.
Posey said he hopes Molina gets a chance to play one more season.
“The best way to describe him is he is such a nice person,” Posey said. “I was very fortunate to come up with somebody who did care, because he didn’t have to. It says a lot about him. He made my transition so much easier.”
If Molina’s playing days are over, he’ll take pride in knowing a part of his experience will continue through Posey.
“Really deep inside my heart, I knew this kid was something special,” Molina said. “The pitchers had been used to me, and all the sudden here comes this really smart kid who’s calling his own game. It took some time. But once they got used to him, they took off.”
— Story by Andrew Baggarly, San Jose Mercury News
