Paul Molitor

By Brad Berreman
Love of Sports Correspondent

Who’s one of only four players with a .300 batting average, 3,000 or more hits and 500 stolen bases in their career, joining Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Eddie Collins?

The fourth member of that multi-talented club is 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Paul Molitor.

During his illustrious 21-year career (1978-98), Molitor had a .306 average, 3,319 hits, 234 HRs, 1,307 RBI, 504 stolen bases, 605 doubles and scored 1,782 runs. He was a seven-time All Star as well (1980, 1985, 1988, 1991-94), while playing multiple defensive positions.

In the latter part of his career, due to some injury issues, Molitor served primarily as a DH.

Molitor originally came up with the Brewers in 1978, where he’d play through the 1992 season.  In the ‘82 World Series, where they lost to the Cardinals, he had a .355 average. During the 1982 regular season, he had a 39-game hit streak (the fifth-longest streak in modern-day baseball history) on his way to a .302 average and 139 runs scored.

Molitor joined the Blue Jays before the 1993 season, where he’d help the Blue Jays win their second World Series in a row. In fact, he was named MVP of that World Series and tied a record with a .500 average during the six games.

He’d play for the Blue Jays through the 1995 season, then signed with his hometown Minnesota Twins the next year.

Molitor had a terrific season in 1996, as he became the first player to drive in 100 or more runs without double digit home runs (he had just nine HR and 113 RBI that season) and became the first 40-year-old player to collect 200 hits in a season, with 225. He also had a .341 average, which was tied for the second-best of his career.

During his tenure with the Twins, which lasted through his final season in 1998, Molitor collected his 3,000th career hit. In fact, he’s the only player to get his 3,000th on a triple, a fitting thing for a player never known for his power and more for his hustle and solid all-around offensive prowess.

So, in recognition of a player with a .368 postseason average and a worthy first ballot Hall of Famer, here’s some Old School Love to Paul Molitor!