He was born on August 22, 1956. [23] During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships; the divorce from Linda caused such hard feelings that his ex-wife and daughter almost did not attend his induction ceremony. On Aug. 26, 1987, Paul Molitor came as close as any American League player to breaking Joe DiMaggio's hit streak, when his ended at 39 games. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. Paul Molitor, American baseball player whose .306 lifetime batting average and 3,319 career hits made him one of the most consistent offensive players in Major League Baseball history. Molitor served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins after his retirement as a player. Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. Near the end of the streak, columnist Mike Downey wrote that "the amazing thing about Paul Molitor's recent bat-o-rama is not that he has hit in 33 straight games but that he has played in 33 straight games. "I'm happy to leave it playing my last season in a Twins uniform... Now I'm going to redirect my efforts to find out what else the future holds. High Schools: Cretin HS (St. Paul, MN), Cretin-Derham Hall HS (St. Paul, MN) School: University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2004. [5] In 64 games with Burlington, Molitor hit for a .346 batting average, 8 home runs, 50 runs batted in (RBI) and 14 stolen bases.[6]. Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in 1996 and never played again. [8] Molitor was moved to third base before the 1982 season. us. He was named American League Manager of the Year in 2017 after the Twins reached the Wild Card game. Do you have a blog? B-309.87. He then spent the 2005 to 2013 seasons in the Twins organization as a minor league baserunning and fielding instructor. I was young and single, and hung around with the wrong people... You learn from it. On June 11, 1999, the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. 99 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and he was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. [9] He played in 105 games that season. Only Ichiro and Molitor played beyond 1930. [4], After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. His 3,319 hits rank him ninth all-time. Paul Molitor hit 234 home runs during his career. [23] During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini; they later had a third child together. He was a three-year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. In 1996, at age 40, he batted .341, collected 113 RBI and led the league with 225 hits, becoming the first 40-year-old since Sam Rice in 1930 to have 200 hits in a season. Paul Molitor played designated hitter, third baseman, and second baseman. In addition, after DHing all season, Molitor played Game 3 of the World Series at first base and Games 4 and 5 at third base in the games played at Philadelphia. In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor hit .341 and led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107). Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. The streak stands as the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history, and remains the longest since Pete Rose's 44-game hit streak in 1978. [7], He left the Blue Jays after the 1995 season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. #MNTwins announce Paul Molitor … Are you a Stathead, too? (Voted by BBWAA on 431/506 ballots) Position: Manager. Molitor served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins after his retirement as a player. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. April 7, 1978 Designated Hitter, Third Baseman and Second Baseman, Born: [7] He retired in December, saying, "My heart tells me I've done what I can do on the field and in this game", Molitor said. [23] During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships; the divorce from Linda caused such hard feelings that his ex-wife and daughter almost did not attend his induction ceremony. At the time of his induction, Molitor was the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.[20]. During the early years of his career, Molitor began using cocaine and marijuana. It makes you appreciate the things that are good. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Copyright © 2000-2020 Sports Reference LLC.    vs. CLE 4 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. During the 1982 season, he hit .302 and led the American League (AL) with 136 runs scored. [7] In 1981, he spent time at center field and right field to avoid the injuries associated with infield play. Molitor hit 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 home runs in the Series, earning the World Series MVP Award and tied a World Series record by batting .500 (12-for-24) in the six-game series.