Kolten Wong stole second base on old pal Yadier Molina, then stole second base ... literally

JR Radcliffe
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong (16) takes second base with him after the Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in 10 innings at Busch Stadium.

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong, who remains a beloved figure in St. Louis following eight years as a member of the Cardinals, enjoyed a lighthearted moment when he stole a base on his old friend Yadier Molina on Wednesday night.

The moment got even better when Wong commemorated his swipe by simply ... picking up the base and walking away with it after the game.

More:Even during a special season with many memorable victories, this one rose to the top of the Brewers' list

On a video shared by the Brewers on Twitter following a thrilling 6-4 win in St. Louis, Wong can be seen holding the base and yelling, “Yadi, this is mine!" as players returned to the clubhouse.

It's Wong's first career stolen base against the Cardinals catcher, coming in the eighth inning of a game led by St. Louis at the time, 3-2. After Cardinals manager Mike Shildt called for a review that upheld the steal, Wong playfully smiled toward Molina and gestured as if he was going to pry the base out of the ground.

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong (16) reacts with St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman (19) after stealing second base during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Wong was stranded when Christian Yelich popped out and Eduardo Escobar struck out looking on a questionable high pitch. But the Brewers tied the game in the ninth on Avisaíl Garcia's home run, then scored three runs in the 10th.

Wong revealed Thursday he later took the base to Molina, who signed it and inscribed a message for him on it. Wong said he plans to display the prized souvenir in a prominent place in his home.

"As a young kid, I caught all the way through high school, so 'Yadi' is a guy I look up to,” Wong said. “He’s one of the all-time best catchers, I think, to ever play this game. To watch him as a young kid, play with him once I got into pro baseball, and then get a chance to steal a base off him, that kind of just solidified my career.

"I was telling my wife, ‘If this is the end, the fact that I got that off him, I’m so excited about how my career went.’”

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the only other player he could remember actually taking a base with him from a game was Oakland's Rickey Henderson, who set the single-season record with 119 steals on Aug. 27, 1982 in a game at Milwaukee County Stadium. Counsell's father, John, worked for the club and his 12-year-old son came with him to the game that night.

“I was there," Counsell said. "He broke the single-season record; it was against the Brewers. I was actually fortunate enough, my dad was working for the Brewers at the time, and I sat in the golf cart and we gave Rickey a ride to his meeting with you wonderful folks (media).”

Wong finished 1 for 5 in the game but also put together an impressive reel of defensive plays in the victory.

Molina, one of the all-time great catchers on both offense and defense, initially became a free agent after the 2020 season along with fellow Cardinals staples Wong and Adam Wainwright. Eventually, the franchise brought back the other two while Wong signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Brewers.

The deal is paying off for both Wong and the Brewers. Wong has a .797 OPS — the highest mark of his career — and has solidified the club's infield defense. The Brewers held a 9½ game lead in the National League Central entering Thursday's series finale with the Cardinals, with St. Louis in third place, 11 games back. 

Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel sports staff contributed to this article. 

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.