“Special” Molina walks it off with sac fly

ST. LOUIS» They all knew. Every single one of them. Paul Goldschmidt and all the St. Louis Cardinals. Ozzie Albies and the rest of the Atlanta Braves.

Tough to beat Yadier Molina in a big postseason spot.

Molina pushed the Cardinals to a deciding Game 5 of the NL division series, poking a tying single in the eighth inning and then lifting a sacrifice fly in the 10th to beat the Braves 5-4 on Monday.

“I like those moments,” Molina said.

No kidding.

Molina slung his bat far into the outfield after his winning swing, and the crowd at Busch Stadium roared with the longtime heart of the franchise.

“An elite, special player, that’s what he is,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.

Game 5 will be Wednesday back in Atlanta. The Cardinals will have ace Jack Flaherty on the mound, and the Braves will go with Mike Foltynewicz.

“In front of our home fans on Wednesday a Game 5,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “That’s what it’s all about, so we’ll be ready to go.”

Kolten Wong led off the St. Louis 10th with a ground-rule double against Julio Teheran. After Goldschmidt was intentionally walked, Wong advanced on Marcell Ozuna’s forceout and easily scampered home on Molina’s fly to the front of the warning track in left field.

Wong threw his hands in the air as he ran toward the plate. Molina rounded first base with his bat in hand, then flung it away as the celebration erupted. He discarded his batting helmet as the rest of the Cardinals poured onto the field.

“I lost it right there,” the 37year-old catcher said. “I think I tossed the bat in the bullpen.”

Molina also made a throatslashing gesture as he left the field. Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. made a similar motion across the top of his chest after hauling in Molina’s flyball for the final out of Atlanta’s 3-1 win Sunday.