Vazquez going for Gold Glove
Red Sox catcher wants to emulate Cardinals’ Molina
Video of a Houston Astros baserunner taunting nine-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Yadier Molina, only then to get thrown out trying to steal second, went viral last week and Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez loved it.
The video starts with a non-roster invite on the Astros, Jose Siri, pinch-running at first base and making it clear he wanted to steal during the seventh inning of a spring training game. Molina quickly made a pickoff attempt, throwing what’s known as a backpick, a quick-snap throw from behind the plate that forces the first baseman to spin around to place a tag.
It’s a play Vazquez has perfected over the years (he ended a game with a beautiful one in Tampa two years ago) and a play Molina is no stranger too, either.
But Molina’s failure to successfully pick off Siri on his first attempt was met with a strong reaction. Siri slid back to the bag safely, popped up, shook his head and wagged his finger side to side.
Vazquez couldn’t believe it.
“The runner said, ‘no, no, no, you don’t have me,’” Vazquez said. “Like, really? To Yadi, you’re going to say that? C’mon man. Next time show more respect, you know?”
That Vazquez took it personally isn’t a surprise given how he views the catching position.
“There’s a lot of pride in our arms; it’s one of our weapons,” Vazquez said.
Since Vazquez entered the league in 2014, there have been 33 catchers to play at least 3,000 innings behind the plate. Of them, Vazquez ranks second in caught-stealing percentage with 39% of attempted base-stealers getting gunned down. Only the Cleveland Indians’ Roberto Perez has done better (41%).
Molina followed up Siri’s taunting in the game last week by taunting him right back. Then he stood up and pointed his glove to second base, daring him to steal.
“He’s like, ‘OK, go to second base, try it,’” Vazquez said. “And he threw him out by like 20 feet.”
Two pitches later, Siri took off. Molina unleashed one of the quickest throws you’ll see a catcher make and nailed him easily.
“I think every time somebody is at first, I’m expecting he’s going to go on every pitch,” Vazquez said. “So I need to be ready and tell myself, ‘he’s running here.’
“You know the guys who are going to run. That’s why I’ve stolen a couple bases over the years because they aren’t expecting me to run. But you know the guys who are going to run. They like to go early in the count. First pitch, second pitch, third pitch they’re going. So you need to be ready.”
How does Vazquez know when they’re running?
“They look anxious to go,” he said. “They can’t stop moving sometimes. I can tell. … The runner looks like he’s anxious, he’s jumping all over.”
Vazquez said he’s never taunted a baserunner unless it’s someone he has a good relationship with.
There’s one baserunner who has Vazquez’s number: Francisco Lindor.
“I need to get Lindor, man,” Vazquez said of the Mets’ new shortstop. “He has three or four bags on me and hasn’t made any outs. I need to get him. He’s a smart runner.”
Who does he take most pride in having thrown out?
“I got (Billy) Hamilton,” he said. “I got (Mike) Trout by far. I remember that one.”
Hamilton ranks third among active players with 305 stolen bases. Trout ranks ninth with 201.
When Vazquez first entered the league, word spread quickly that running on him was a dangerous game. He caught an astounding 52% of attempted base-stealers in 2014.
He had Tommy John surgery in 2015, but when he returned behind the plate, attempts on Vazquez dropped more than 20% in roughly the same number of innings.
“I think it’s my quickness,” he said. “I’m quick. My release is quick.
“I think after the (Tommy John) surgery, my arm keeps getting better, stronger and stronger, because I’m working on my shoulder. All the pitcher exercises, I’m doing them too. Because it’s similar. I throw more than a pitcher. So I need to get my arm strong because if I play 120, 130 games a year, you need to get that shoulder strong.”
He has lofty goals this year.
“First, I want to win a Gold Glove,” he said. “That’s my first goal. And then take charge of my pitching staff again.
“I want it so they follow me in everything. When I talk, they’re going to listen to me. Because that’s the only thing I’m missing. I think I earned my respect on this team but I need to get that more. When I put a sign, I want them to trust me. I think that will take us to another level.”