Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor

Birthdate	8/22/1956
Death Date
Debut Year	1978
Year of Induction	2004
Teams	Blue Jays, Brewers, Twins
Positions	Designated Hitter, Third Base

Nicknamed “The Ignitor”, 7-time All Star Paul Molitor finished with 3,319 career hits. A World Series MVP, Molitor was a first-ballot HoFer.

Molitor broke in with the Brewers and spent his first 15 seasons in Milwaukee

A creative collector brought this envelope to National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and secured a postmark on August 7, 1978. The date landed four months after Paul Molitor debuted in the majors. Later, the collector tracked Molitor down and added his signature to the piece. The display also features his Topps rookie card. A closer look shows a h...

Molitor's 201 hits, 136 runs scored, and 41 steals helped push the Brewers to their first World Series

Paul Molitor sparked the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers to their only American League pennant with relentless energy and strong performance. He scored a league-leading and career-high 136 runs and set new standards for himself. His first 200-hit season kept pressure on pitchers as a constant threat. Molitor added his first 40-steal campaign and pu...

Minnesota native Molitor split his final 6 seasons between the Blue Jays and the Twins

After 15 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Paul Molitor took his bat on the road. He split his final six years between Toronto and Minnesota, producing in both stops. Three seasons came in each city, and the numbers never dipped. Toronto struck first in December 1992, signing Molitor away as a free agent. He joined the defending champion Toronto Bl...

In 1993 the Blue Jays had the top three qualifiers in the batting race - Olerud, Molitor, and Alomar

The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays unleashed a lineup that owned the batting race. John Olerud captured the crown at .363, setting the pace. Paul Molitor followed at .332, while Roberto Alomar checked in at .326. No club had ever placed the top three hitters in average before that season. Toronto rode that offensive wave to 95 wins and an AL East title. Octo...

As his career wound down, Molitor climbed the all-time hit leaderboard

Paul Molitor built a long, productive 21-year career and saved his surge for the finish. In his final seasons, he climbed the all-time leaderboard with relentless consistency. At the end of 1995, he owned 2,789 hits, placing 36th in history. Over his last three years, he added 530 hits and blew past 27 Hall of Famers. That late push carried him all t...

When he retired, Molitor's 605 doubles ranked 10th on the all-time list

As Paul Molitor charged toward the finish line of his career, he kept climbing baseball’s historic ladders. He blew past legends and carved his name beside giants already etched in Cooperstown. When he walked away after 1998, he owned a place among the game’s top ten in hits and doubles. The moment captured here crackles with significance. Twins ...

Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were 2004 first-ballot selections for the Hall of Fame

In 2004, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America sent two stars to Cooperstown on their first ballots. Paul Molitor earned 85.2 percent, while Dennis Eckersley followed closely at 83.2 percent. Both players built careers defined by adaptability and sustained excellence. Molitor starred for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Min...

Less than 1.5% of baseball's major leaguers reach Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame

Baseball crowns its immortals in the Hall of Fame, the sport’s highest honor. Only a sliver of major leaguers ever reach Cooperstown. More than 98.5% fall short of that dream. The few who earn a plaque reach the summit of a lifetime journey. In 2004 Paul Molitor claimed his place among the game’s legends. Each summer, Hall of Famers return for in...

In the collection:

Molitor broke in with the Brewers and spent his first 15 seasons in Milwaukee

Molitor's 201 hits, 136 runs scored, and 41 steals helped push the Brewers to their first World Series

Minnesota native Molitor split his final 6 seasons between the Blue Jays and the Twins

In 1993 the Blue Jays had the top three qualifiers in the batting race - Olerud, Molitor, and Alomar

As his career wound down, Molitor climbed the all-time hit leaderboard

When he retired, Molitor's 605 doubles ranked 10th on the all-time list

Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were 2004 first-ballot selections for the Hall of Fame

Less than 1.5% of baseball's major leaguers reach Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame

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