1978 Was Paul's first year in the Major Leagues. He made his Major League Debut on April 7th and recorded his first hit that day. Paul hit his first big league Home run April 8th off Orioles pitcher Joe Kerrigan. Paul became the starting shortstop as a result of Robin Yount's contract dispute. Once Yount was signed though, he was given his job back and Paul was moved to second base. The transition didn't seem to bother him though. Paul was named American League rookie of the year by The Sporting News and Baseball Digest.
1979 Paul continued to shine in every aspect of the game.
He showed his speed and great hitting ability by setting a team record with
16 triples. His great play was making a name for both himself and the
Brewers organization. His play helped guide the Brewers to a 95 win
season. Unfortunately it was not enough to win the division and the
Brewers finished the year in second place.
1980 Paul got off to a great start in 1980 and by early June had a batting average of .358. Along with Robin Yount they were becoming the best leadoff man and second hitter combination in the majors. Unfortunately June was not a total success for Paul as he pulled a muscle in his rib cage. He would spend time on the disabled list, and became frustrated when the injury refused to heal. Despite his injury, Paul was still voted to the All Star Game but was forced to watch it from the stands. The Brewers continued to struggle without Paul and he became more frustrated. Paul would miss 40 games before returning to the lineup. The long layoff hurt him and he struggled much of the season. The Brewers would miss the playoffs yet again. The Brewers suffered another setback when manager George Bamburger retired. He had helped turn the Brewers into winners and his departure seemed to be a big blow to the team. As a result of all the frustration from his injury, Paul started to use cocaine. With all these bad things happening at once, one had to wonder how things would turn out next season.
1981 would be another eventful year for Paul. He moved around the field again this time making the transition from second base to center field. Buck Rodgers had taken over as Brewers manager and it was his decision to move Paul to center. Learning a new position took it's toll on Molitor though, and he struggled with the bat. Unfortunately he suffered another serious injury and would miss much of the season. There was also a long players strike which would make Paul's season even shorter. This season was special in some ways; he hit his first Grand Slam in the major leagues. Probably the best part of the year was when Paul decided to give up his cocaine use. With the help of his girlfriend, he came to the realization that drugs were not the way to go and he quit. Being the class individual he is, he decided to speak to children and warn them of the dangers of drug use, so as they would not fall into the same trap he had. After the strike, the Brewers played well and snuck into the revised playoff picture. They would meet the Yankees who had won the season's first half. The Yankees would prevail in the short series and the Brewers would go home. They could feel they were improving though and a post season birth may not be far away.
The 1982 season would provide a once in a lifetime opportunity. As the season started, Paul found himself learning yet another position. While this showed what great athletic ability he had, I'm sure he was probably hoping he could find a permanent position soon. This year Paul would be the starting third baseman. May 12 would be a special day for Paul as he hit a career high three home runs in a game vs the Royals. Paul's 136 runs scored was the most since Ted Williams in 1949. It would also be the first time Paul played a full season, as he appeared in 160 games. However, the best part of the year had to be going to his first World Series. In game one, Paul had five hits in the game, setting a World Series record. As good as Paul played, it was not quite enough to edge the Cardinals who won the series in seven games. It would be more than ten years before Paul would play in another World Series.
1983 would start out great for Paul. He signed
a five year contract, meaning he would be staying in Milwaukee instead of
leaving as a free agent in 1984. Paul had a good year in 1983.
Once again he managed to stay healthy, but his batting average dropped a
bit. There would be no World Series this year though. The team
started to fall apart and the Brewers finished the year in fifth place.
1984: Would be Paul's worst yet. He was plagued by severe injuries and only appeared in 13 games. He underwent season ending surgery in May and would look to rebound in 1985. The one positive note for Paul was that he became a father. On October 25th his wife gave birth to their daughter Blaire.
Paul rebounded fairly well in 1985 hitting for a decent average and managing to appear in over 140 games. On July 2nd Paul doubled off Boston's Bob Stanley for the 1000th hit of his young career. His surgically repaired elbow seemed to be fine, but he would start some games at DH just to give him a rest from the tough throws required from third base. Paul would be picked to go to the All Star game and this one would be special after he had been forced to miss his first two. The game was in Minnesota so it was even more of a thrill for Paul because it was his hometown. Unfortunately the Brewers would miss the playoffs again, but it looked like Paul was back.
1986 started well for Molitor. He was healthy and playing well. In May Paul suffered yet another injury and would once again spend time on the disabled list. He tried to come back quickly but kept aggravating the sore hamstring. By August, he would be healthy and finish the season strong.
1987 was a year full of records for Molitor. He carried a 39 game hitting streak after the All Star break which marked the longest hit streak since Joe Dimaggio's 56 gamer in 1941. He also stole three bases in a game against Oakland, tying a major league record. Paul finished the year hitting .353. It would be his highest batting average of his great career yet it wasn't enough to win the batting title. Probably the most amazing part of Paul's season is that he put up such great numbers despite missing a large number of games once again due to injuries.
Paul hit his 100th career home run in 1988 a season in which he started a new contract; this one was just a two year deal, but it meant he would be staying in Milwaukee for now. Because of injury Paul started out the season playing second base. He would eventually move back to third, but would appear in the All Star game as a second baseman. Paul would put up great numbers despite being bothered all season by a number of nagging injuries. He was able to avoid the disabled list though and appeared in 154 games.
1989 saw Paul suffer some more injuries. They were
starting to occur at the oddest of times, but Paul continued to overcome
them. On June 5th the Brewers would travel to Toronto and play the
first game at the new SkyDome. Paul was the first batter at SkyDome
and also recorded the first hit. Paul played most of the season but
he and the Brewers struggled. There were even rumors of him being traded
to San Diego, but in the end he would remain a Brewer...at least for now.
1990 would be a somewhat frustrating season for Molly. He suffered many injuries, yet still managed to lead the club in slugging percentage at .464. As a result of his injuries, he saw a lot of action at first base, so as he would put less strain on his throwing shoulder. He would suffer injury after injury and eventually undergo two different operations. He had a long winter of rehabilitation ahead.
As Paul started the 1991 season, he was faced with the reality that his career as a third baseman was basically over. He would now play first base, but even that put strain on his shoulder and so began his career as a designated hitter. Being a DH meant more time to concentrate on his hitting and it paid off. Paul put together an amazing offensive season. On July 30 Paul would record his 2000th major league hit. He appeared in his fourth all star game and also hit for the cycle. Paul was able to play most of the games in 91 and it looked as if the DH role had saved his career. In fact he may have even become a better player.
1992 would be a rewarding season for Paul. He appeared in his fifth All Star game, stole his 400th base but most importantly his Brewers made a great run at the AL East before falling short on the season's second last day. Paul had spent his whole career in Milwaukee and the fans loved him but now he was a free agent. Would he leave this team he had spent his whole career with? The Brewers came very close to winning the East, but the Blue Jays proved to be just too good. As the winter rolled around Toronto decided not to re sign Dave Winfield. Paul knew his career was winding down and he had never won a World Series. He knew the Blue Jays were close and so he decided to sign with them and try and win that championship. It was an emotional time for Paul leaving his only team, but he had a good feeling about his new team.
As spring training got underway in 1993 there was a lot of talk in Toronto about how Paul was replacing Dave Winfield. Perhaps that was getting to him just a little as he was struggling at the plate. Paul talked to Joe Carter for some advice though and once he got going he never looked back. Most players start to fade away as they approach 40 but Paul was getting better. He was great all year and finished second to teammate John Olerud in the batting race with an average of .332. Most importantly though, the Blue Jays managed to clinch the AL East in Milwaukee and Paul had come just a bit closer to that World Series dream. The Blue Jays would face the White Sox in the ALCS and Paul was ready. He tripled and homered in game 1 as the Blue Jays jumped out in front. They would win the series in six games and Paul was going to the World Series. Four more wins and his dream would finally come true. The Blue Jays would play the Phillies in the World Series and they split the first two games in Toronto. As game three approached Cito Gaston was faced with a tough decision. There was no DH in the NL parks so someone would have to sit out. With an all star lineup it would be hard to bench anyone. The most logical choice would be to have Paul play first base but John Olerud had just won a batting title how could you bench him? That's exactly what Cito did however. Paul made Cito look like a genius, hitting a home run as well as a triple in a game the Jays would win with ease. Surely Olreud couldn't sit for three straight games though. Cito made another controversial decision in games four and five. He started Molitor at 3rd base. He hadn't played third in a couple of years and now he was being asked to play it on wet turf in the World Series. People feared that he would be hurt or that he might have lost his range and ability to throw. Paul did not disappoint though. He continued to hit and played flawless defense. As game six arrived, the Jays were just one win away from that World Championship. Paul played great once again falling just a double short of hitting for the cycle. Unfortunately the bullpen blew a big lead and it looked like it might go to a game seven. But then in the bottom of the ninth with Paul on first Joe Carter hit that historic home run and the Blue Jays were Champions once again. The victory was not sweeter for anyone than it was for Paul. He had worked so hard for all those years and finally won his World Series. In fact he scored the winning run. His great series earned him MVP honors and earned him a soft spot forever in the hearts of Blue Jays fans.
As the 1994 season started the Blue Jays started off okay but then quickly slumped. Paul continued to hit well but it started to look like another World Championship was out of the question. Paul's numbers earned him another all star appearance but the season came to an end August 11th when the players went on strike. The World Series would be canceled so the Blue Jays were still technically the defending champions.
Spring Training was late getting going in 1995 because of the labor dispute but once it did there was a lot of optimism in the Jays camp. They had re acquired David Cone and had a great mix of youth and veterans. With youngsters Shawn Green and Alex Gonzalez, veterans like Cone, Molitor, Alomar and Carter it looked like the Blue Jays would have a shot at defending their title. Once again the Blue Jays got off to a slow start though and by the trade deadline they were fading. Gord Ash unloaded David Cone and basically gave up on the season. Paul was suffering through injuries again and the team just didn't seem to have it. Frustrations boiled over in September when Paul was ejected from a game for just the fourth time in his career. After the disappointing season ended the Blue Jays decided to rebuild and that meant the end for Paul as a Blue Jay. His option was not picked up and he decided to sign with his hometown team, the Minnesota Twins. Now he would set his sights on 3000 hits.
As the 1996 season started Paul had a specific goal on
his mind. He was edging closer to that magical number of 3000 hits.
It was a long shot to reach the goal this year, but if he had a good year,
it would definitely be attainable in 1997. Molitor got off to a great
start though and in May he made his return to Toronto and received a standing
ovation from the Blue Jays fans. As the season went on, Paul continued
to hit well and as September approached it looked like he could achieve
his milestone this year. Finally on September 16 before a small crowd
in Kansas City, Paul got his 3000th hit. It was the first time ever,
a player tripled for his 3000th hit and his wife and daughter were at the
park to celebrate. Back in Toronto the event was shown on the Jumbo
Tron and all the fans stood and cheered their hero even though he was in
another country. He was such a classy player, the fans couldn't help
but cheer for him no matter how far away he was. This was a man who
moved his family to Toronto with him in 1993 and became actively involved
in the community, and the fans wanted to show their appreciation. Paul
finished the year hitting .341 and was once again a free agent. The
Blue Jays realizing they had made a mistake by letting him go after 95',
tried to sign him as a free agent but he chose to stay at home with the Twins.
Paul put together another good season in 1997, but injuries were starting to take their toll once again. There was talk he might retire. One highlight of the season was his third career grand slam. Once the season was over, Paul had found his way back into the Toronto newspapers again. Cito Gaston had been fired as manager and the Blue Jays first choice to replace him was Molitor. The problem was Paul wasn't quite sure if he wanted to retire. The Blue Jays really wanted him though, so they even offered to let him play and manage the team at the same time. After much thought, Paul decided he would rather not manage just yet and decided to play one last season at home with the Twins.
As 1998 started, there was a lot of talk that it would be Paul's last season as a major leaguer. He got off to a great start but then suffered from serious injuries and struggled the rest of the way. He did manage to reach a couple more milestones though. He stole the 500th base of his career and hit his 600th career double. After the season ended Paul decided he would "Discontinue Playing." He wouldn't officially announce his retirement, but it became clear once he went to the broadcast booth that he had indeed retired. After a year of broadcasting Paul decided to re join the Twins as a coach and is now the front runner to be the Twins manager once Tom Kelly's contract is up at the end of the 2001 season. Paul should be a lock to make the Hall of Fame. Congratulations on a great career Paul and good luck with whatever challenges you take on in the future.
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Thanks to Victoria for allowing
me to use the pictures on this page. 