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.
Leave a comment
In the collection:
Molitor became the first Cooperstown man to spend the majority of his career as a DH
Molitor became the first Cooperstown man to spend the majority of his career as a DH
A creative collector took this envelope to Cooperstown and had it postmarked on August 7, 1978, four months to the dayafter Paul Molitor’s debut. The collector later had Molitor affix his signature to the envelope.
Also attached is The Ignitor’s rookie card featuring UL Washington, Mickey Klutts, and fellow Hall of Famer Alan Trammell signed by all four players. In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Molitor played 2,683 games. Defensively he had 792 appearances at third base, 400 at second, 197 at first and rest sprinkled in at shortstop and the outfield. With the majority of his games coming a a designated hitter – 1,174 contests – Molitor became the first Cooperstown inductee to play the majority of his career at DH.
This Topps rookie card features to Hall of Famers, Molitor and Alan Trammel
This Topps rookie card features to Hall of Famers, Molitor and Alan Trammel
A closer look of the card reveals a hatless Molitor in the four-panel card. The card also features UL Washington who is best remembered for sporting a toothpick while playing shortstop. Washington played his high school games with a blade of grass in his mouth and kept the habit in the minor leagues. Presented with a problem on the Royals’ artificial turf, Washington turned to the toothpick. Six-time All Star and four time Gold Glover Alan Trammel has signed his portion of the card as well.
Though he spent his first 15 years in Milwaukee as pictured on the card, many of Paul Molitor’s landmark accomplishments happened elsewhere. It was with Toronto that he captured his only championship ring as World Series MVP in 1993; he gained his 3,000th hit with Minnesota.
Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were 2004 first-ballot selections for the Hall of Fame
Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were 2004 first-ballot selections for the Hall of Fame
In 2004 Hall of Fame voting the baseball writers elected two men in their first year on the ballot. Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley got their call to Cooperstown with 85.2% and 83.2%, respectively.
Playing for the Brewers, Twins, and Blue Jays, Molitor amassed 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 1,782 runs, and 1,307 RBI. The 1993 World Series MVP has a career .306 average in 21 big league seasons.
Dennis Eckersley was a starting pitcher for the Indians, Red Sox, and Cubs before switching his primary role to relief with the A’s. It was in Oakland that he found his greatest success.
The 1992 Cy Young and MVP, Eckersley was a three-time pennant-winning closer who earned the save in the Atheltics’ World Series clincher in 1990. He finished his career with 197 wins and 390 saves.
In the collection is a twice-signed contract with the Autoball company, producers of souvenir baseballs with stamped facsimile signatures. The terms of the deal? The pitcher received one cent per ball sold.
Eck signed this contract on March 18, 1975 nearly a full month before his big league debut on April 12 that same year.
