Paul Molitor 1987 MVP Season

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 "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.'" 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.

Reader's Guide

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. In 1981, he spent time at center field and right field to avoid the injuries associated with infield play. 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 .302 and led the American League (AL) with 136 runs scored.

On May 12, he hit three home runs against the Royals in a 9-7 loss. 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. 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. That year he suffered a hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it. He played in 105 games that season. 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." 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. 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, leading to his signing with the Blue Jays.

Did You Know?

• Molitor 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's 39-game hitting streak in 1987 is the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history and the longest since Pete Rose's 44-game streak in 1978.
• He tied a World Series record by batting .500 (12-for-24) in the 1993 World Series.