Paul Molitor

Lore & Background

Considered one of the most "clutch" hitters in baseball history, Paul Molitor still has the best career postseason batting average in MLB history (minimum 100 at-bats) at .368. Sports Illustrated called Molitor as "The Complete Player" and "a template of the refined ballplayer." Ted Williams said, "I watch him and I say to myself, 'There is probably the best hitter in the game today.' He's the closest thing to Joe DiMaggio in the last 30 years. Matter of fact, every time I watch him, I say, 'There's Joe.'"

In Their Own Story

The May wind off Lake Erie was cutting through the upper deck of Jacobs Field, carrying the smell of cold pretzels and the low hum of a crowd that had been waiting all spring for this. The scoreboard read 4–4, bottom of the ninth, runner on second. The opposing closer had just struck out the previous batter, and the stadium noise had dropped to that particular hush that means everyone is holding their breath.

Molitor stepped to the plate, adjusted his batting gloves, and looked out at the outfield grass the way a sailor checks the horizon. The pitcher wound up. The ball came in, a fastball on the outer corner, and Molitor's hands were already moving before it reached the zone. The crack of the bat was different from the others in the game—drier, more deliberate. The ball skipped off the edge of the infield grass, rolled past the shortstop's outstretched glove, and bunted softly into the gap in left field. The runner from second rounded third, slid home. The dugout erupted.

Molitor didn't celebrate. He tapped the bat against the plate, walked back to the dugout, and shook hands with the next batter the way he always did. In the stands, a man in a faded Indians cap turned to his son and said, "That's May, kid. That's what May means here."

Reader's Guide

Molitor grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota before beginning his MLB career. After his retirement as a player, he served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins. In 2004, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players enshrined after spending a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter. He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. On November 3, 2014, Molitor was announced as the 13th manager of the Twins. He managed the team for four seasons, from 2015 to 2018. In 2026 he joined the Twins' television broadcast crew as a part-time color analyst.

Did You Know?

• Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• He was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 MLB draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals but opted to attend the University of Minnesota.
• Molitor had a 39-game hitting streak in 1987, the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history.
• He acquired his 3,000th hit on September 16, 1996, becoming the first player to reach the milestone with a triple.
• Molitor led the American League in hits (211) in 1993 and in hits (225) in 1996.