Ok, game 4 of Cards/Braves series nearly killed me

But the redbirds tied the game in the 8th and pulled it out in the 10th thanks to Yadi.

I truly do understand why people outside of St Louis hate this guy and I also completely understand (and agree with) the Cardinal fans who LOVE this guy.

I'm sure other fans are sick of seeing him in the all star game if they feel their own catcher is being overlooked. They look at his neck tats, screwed up hair and confrontational attitude and call him a thug.

And I see their point - I don't agree, but I get the point. After all:

Yadi holds on to a grudge forever.

Yadi won't abide a player showing up his pitchers and is completely ok with scrapping over the issue.

Yadi is a million baseball years old and would probably lose a foot race to more than half the patrons in any random Buffalo Wild Wings in America - All of which means he's supposed to suck now...

But he does not.

I believe that fact is what drives so many people to fill my Facebook and Instagram feeds with Anti Yadi rants.

He just keeps doing that that THING - That winning a baseball game stuff.

Can't run - Steals 8 or 9 bases a year

Old as dirt - Plays more innings at catcher than any one in the league, leads the league in preventing stolen bases.

Constantly visits the mound slowing down the game - Cardinals pitchers have an ERA approximately 30 percentage points lower when Yadi starts compared to the 7 back up catchers (3 of whom were All star players at some point in their career) he has outlasted in St Louis. Outlasted so far that is.

In the 1st inning of game one last week he threw out Acuna Jr. at second by 3 feet. He did that with Miles Mikolas the Cardinal pitcher who is the slowest to the plate, spinning an 80mph curve.

Atlanta's run game was essentially dead since then.

And last night he hit a game tying RBI single in the 8th and in the 10th he hit the game winning sac fly and the hit velocity for both was less than 65 mph.

I've watched him for every game of his career and consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to do so.