Starling Marte faked out Yadier Molina a couple of times, then stole second for real
Look, it's not easy to steal a base with Yadier Molina behind the plate. Heading into Friday's game against the Pirates, he'd thrown out half of all attempts he'd seen this season. Some of them never even got close.
So, after a leadoff single in the second inning, it took Starling Marte a couple of tries to actually leave the safety of first base.
Whether it was the sheer terror of being thrown out by Molina, or part of an elaborate ruse to fake the Cardinals catcher into complacency, Marte went through a couple of convincing start-and-stops during Francisco Cervelli's at-bat. But the third time's the charm, and Marte did end up stealing second -- and he later scored the Pirates' first run of the game.
After the steal, though, Molina could only stand up and admit it: Marte got him.
Operation The Pirate Who Cried Steal: Successful.