Editing Paul Molitor (section)

==Playing career==
===Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992)===
[[File:Paul Molitor.png|thumb|left|Molitor with the Brewers, {{c.|1982}}]]
Molitor began as a [[shortstop]], then moved to [[second base]] when [[Robin Yount]] returned from a brief injury. He made his MLB debut in 1978, playing in 125 games and hitting .273 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Paul Molitor Statistics and History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/molitpa01.shtml|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref> In 1981, he spent time at [[Center fielder|center field]] and [[right field]] to avoid the injuries associated with infield play.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=Sports People; Carter Close to Deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/05/sports/sports-people-carter-close-to-deal.html|access-date=March 9, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 5, 1981}}</ref> Molitor was moved to [[third base]] before the 1982 season. Molitor was part of a young [[Milwaukee Brewers]] team that lost the [[1982 World Series]] in seven games to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. Molitor batted .355 during the series. In Game 1, he had five hits, a World Series record. During the 1982 season, he [[hit (baseball)|hit]] .302 and led the [[American League]] (AL) with 136 [[run (baseball)|runs]] scored. On May 12, he hit three home runs against the Royals in a 9-7 loss.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1982/B05120KCA1982.htm|title=Paul Molitor 3-home run Game Boxscore at Retrosheet|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate= April 17, 2024}}</ref>

Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the [[disabled list]] six times between 1980 and 1986. In 1984, Molitor struggled with elbow problems, played in only 13 games and ultimately underwent [[Tommy John surgery]] (becoming the first position player to undergo the surgery) in an attempt to salvage his career.<ref name=Hurting/> He played in 140 games in 1985, hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. He followed that with a .281 average, 9 home runs and 55 RBI in 1986.<ref name=BR/> That year he suffered a hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it.<ref name=Feat>{{cite news|last=Downey|first=Mike|title=Molitor's feat Is just in playing|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-19-sp-763-story.html|access-date=March 9, 2014|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 19, 1987}}</ref> He played in 105 games that season.<ref name=BR/>

Molitor attracted national media attention in 1987 during his 39-game [[hitting streak]]. 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."<ref name=Feat/> The streak ended with Molitor in the on-deck circle when [[Rick Manning]] got a game-ending hit to beat the [[Cleveland Indians]] on August 26, 1987. Fans booed Manning for driving in the winning run and thus depriving Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats-streak.shtml|title=Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks|access-date=2008-11-23|work=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>

===Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995)===
[[File:Blue Jays Win the 1993 World Series.jpg|thumb|right|Fireworks after the [[1993 World Series]] win]]
Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became a free agent after the 1992 season, the franchise offered him a one-year contract with a $900,000 pay cut (to $2.5 million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $13 million deal (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|13|1993|fmt=c|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), leading to his signing with the Blue Jays. Agent Ron Simon said, "I was also talking with Milwaukee, but it became clear to us that Milwaukee didn't have the same kind of interest in signing Molitor, perhaps because of their financial situation."<ref name=Chass>{{cite news|last=Chass|first=Murray|title=Baseball; Jays re-sign Carter and swipe Molitor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/08/sports/baseball-jays-re-sign-carter-and-swipe-molitor.html|access-date=March 9, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 8, 1992}}</ref>

Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut. In 1993, Molitor led the AL in plate appearances (725) and hits (211)<ref name=BR/> and hit .332 with 22 home runs and 111 RBI.<ref name=BR/> Returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1982,<ref name=Jauss>{{cite news|last=Jauss|first=Bill|title=Molitor, Sprague chase jitters with their bats|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/10/06/molitor-sprague-chase-jitters-with-their-bats/|access-date=March 9, 2014|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 6, 1993}}</ref> he was a key part of the Blue Jays' second [[World Series Trophy|World Championship]]. 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 [[1993 World Series|series]]. In addition, after serving as a DH 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). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of [[Kevin McReynolds]]' 1988 major league record of 21.<ref name="Szalontai2010">{{cite book|last=Szalontai|first=James D.|title=Small Ball in the Big Leagues: A History of Stealing, Bunting, Walking and Otherwise Scratching for Runs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dcG-cEGlwqYC&pg=PA234|access-date=April 3, 2012|date=September 29, 2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786437931|page=234}}</ref> Molitor's average dropped to .270 in 1995, his lowest mark in more than ten years.<ref name=BR/>

===Minnesota Twins (1996–1998)===
He left the Blue Jays after the {{mlby|1995}} season, and joined his hometown [[Minnesota Twins]] for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. He was the first player to reach the 3,000 hits plateau with a [[Triple (baseball)|triple]]. 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. In 1996, Molitor became the second 40-year-old, after Hall of Famer [[Sam Rice]], to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225, while also leading the league in singles with 167. Molitor also remains the last MLB player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (nine HR, 113 RBIs).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/statitudes/news/1999/09/06/rbis_homers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001011090900/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/statitudes/news/1999/09/06/rbis_homers/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 11, 2000|title=Long gone|first=Ryan|last=Hunt|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=September 8, 1999|access-date=2009-06-15}}</ref>

Molitor hit .305 in 1997, his twelfth season to finish with a batting average higher than .300. In 1998, he hit .281 with four home runs, 69 RBI and nine stolen bases. Other than his very brief 1984 season, the 1998 season was the first in Molitor's career in which he did not reach double-digit stolen base totals.<ref name=BR/> 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. "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."<ref name=Quits>{{cite web|title=Molitor calls it quits|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1998/12/03/molitor_quits/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010514142741/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1998/12/03/molitor_quits/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 14, 2001|publisher=[[CNNSI.com]]|date=December 4, 1998}}</ref>