Former St. Louis Cardinals star catcher Yadier Molina will reprise his role as the manager for Puerto Rico at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Molina has participated in every World Baseball Classic so far, competing in the 2006, '09, '13 and '17 tournaments, then coaching in the 2023 event. In his coaching debut at the last WBC, Puerto Rico reached the quarterfinals round. As a player, Molina was runner-up with Puerto Rico twice in '13 and '17.
Molina retired from MLB following the 2022 season after 19 years with the Cardinals. He won two World Series titles, earned 10 All-Star selections and won 9 Gold Glove awards during his tenure. He's known as one of the most impressive catchers in recent MLB history.
Yadier Molina has been named Team Puerto Rico's manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic! pic.twitter.com/kNrANHEFFA
— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2025
New York Mets star Francisco Lindor will serve as Molina's captain of Team Puerto Rico, just as he did back in 2023.
The WBC will kick off on March 5, 2026 with Puerto Rico competing in the Pool A group, consisting of Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Panama. The games will be held at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as St. Louis Cardinals Great Named Puerto Rico Manager for WBC.
