Paul molitor age

Joanna andreou paul molitor biography Paul Leo Molitor born August 22, , nicknamed " Molly " and " the Ignitor ", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. Molitor currently ranks tenth on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3, After his retirement as a player, he served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins. In , 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.

Paul Molitor

American baseball player and manager (born )

Baseball player

Paul Molitor

Molitor in

Designated hitter / Infielder / Manager
Born: () August 22, (age&#;68)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

April 7,&#;,&#;for the&#;Milwaukee Brewers
September 27,&#;,&#;for the&#;Minnesota Twins
Batting average
Hits3,
Home runs
Runs batted in1,
Stolen bases
Managerial record–
Winning&#;%
Stats at Baseball Reference&#;
Managerial record&#;at Baseball Reference&#;
As player

As manager

As coach

Induction
Vote% (first ballot)

Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, ), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former professional baseball player and manager.

During his year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Toronto Blue Jays (–), and Minnesota Twins (–). He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. He made seven All-Star Game appearances, and was the World Series Most Valuable Player in Molitor currently ranks tenth on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3, He is one of only five players in history with 3,+ hits, a lifetime + batting average, and + career stolen bases.

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 , 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, , Molitor was announced as the 13th manager of the Twins.[1][2] He managed the team for four seasons from to

Early life

Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin High School,[3] he was selected in the 28th round of the MLB draft as a pitcher by the St.

Louis Cardinals. He opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota, where he was a three-year starter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Molitor earned All-American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore year. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Molitor suffered a broken jaw.[4] With his jaw wired shut for eight weeks, Molitor lost 40 pounds (18&#;kg).[5]

After his junior year in college, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Molitor in the first round, with the third overall selection, in the Major League Baseball draft.

He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career with the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.[6] In 64 games with Burlington, Molitor hit for a batting average, eight home runs, 50 runs batted in (RBI) and 14 stolen bases.[7]

Playing career

Milwaukee Brewers (–)

Molitor began as a shortstop, then moved to second base when Robin Yount returned from a brief injury.

He made his MLB debut in , playing in games and hitting with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.[8] In , he spent time at center field and right field to avoid the injuries associated with infield play.[9] Molitor was moved to third base before the season. Molitor was part of a young Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the World Series in seven games to the St.

Louis Cardinals. Molitor batted during the series. In Game 1, he had five hits, a World Series record. During the season, he hit and led the American League (AL) with runs scored. On May 12, he hit three home runs against the Royals in a loss.[10]

Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the disabled list six times between and In , 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.[5] He played in games in , hitting with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs.

He followed that with a average, 9 home runs and 55 RBI in [8] That year he suffered a hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it.[11] He played in games that season.[8]

Molitor attracted national media attention in during his 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."[11] 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, 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 game hit streak in [12]

Toronto Blue Jays (–)

Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became a free agent after the season, the franchise offered him a one-year contract with a $, pay cut (to $ million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $13 million deal (equivalent to $ million in ), 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."[13]

Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut.

Paul molitor divorce Latest NFL News. Prior to coaching Molitor, was a designated hitter and infielder for teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and eventually for the Twins. No doubt you already know everything about Paul Molitor, his ex-wife, baby mama, and children; but to sum it up; let me tell you that prior to marrying his young wife Destini, he was initially married to Linda Honor Kaplan, 63, who became his first wife in Their marriage ended in , right after Joanna Andreou sued him for child support, she claimed Molitor was the father of her son, Joshua. Molitor on February 14, , in Hennepin, Minnesota.

In , Molitor led the AL in plate appearances () and hits ()[8] and hit with 22 home runs and RBI.[8] Returning to the playoffs for the first time since ,[14] he was a key part of the Blue Jays' second 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 (for) in the six-game series.

In addition, after playing 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 , a strike-shortened season, Molitor hit and led the AL in games played () and singles (). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' major league record of [15] Molitor's average dropped to in , his lowest mark in more than ten years.[8]

Minnesota Twins (–)

He left the Blue Jays after the season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,th hit.

Joshua molitor: Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, ), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. During his year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Toronto Blue Jays (–), and Minnesota Twins (–).

He was the first player to reach the 3, hits plateau with a triple. Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in and never played again. In , Molitor became the second year-old, after Hall of Famer Sam Rice, to have a hit season, leading the league with , while also leading the league in singles with Molitor also remains the last MLB player to drive in or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (nine HR, RBIs).[16]

Molitor hit in , his twelfth season to finish with a batting average higher than In , he hit with four home runs, 69 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Other than his very brief season, the season was the first in Molitor's career in which he did not reach double-digit stolen base totals.[8] 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."[17]

Coaching and managerial career

Early career

After retiring as a player, Molitor remained with the Twins as a bench coach for three seasons.

He was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after , but he declined in part because the Twins were still being targeted for potential contraction. Molitor was a hitting coach with the Mariners in He then spent the to seasons in the Twins organization as a minor league baserunning and fielding instructor.

Molitor joined the Twins coaching staff in to oversee baserunning, bunting, infield instruction, and positioning.[18]

Minnesota Twins

The Twins hired Molitor to fill their manager vacancy for the season, and introduced him in a press conference on November 4, [19] At the end of the season, the Twins announced that Molitor would receive a three-year contract extension through Molitor was rewarded for his efforts in leading the Twins back to the postseason after losing games the season prior, the first team in history to achieve this feat, by being named American League Manager of the Year in November He became only the second person to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player and win the Manager of the Year Award behind Frank Robinson, who was named AL Manager of the Year in while managing the Baltimore Orioles.[20] On October 2, , the Twins fired Molitor as manager, but expressed that they had interest in having him continue to maintain a role with the team in some capacity.

He finished with a record of wins and losses in games.[21] Molitor later rejoined the Twins as a special assistant, with roving instructor duties for the team's minor league affiliates.[22]

Managerial record

As of games played on September 30,

Accomplishments

Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2, games played, 1, runs scored, 3, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, 1, runs batted in, 1, walks, a batting average, and stolen bases.

His 3, hits rank him ninth all-time. In addition, he batted in five postseason series, and was an all-star seven times. Molitor recorded these statistics while missing nearly games due to various injuries throughout his career. In , Molitor ranked No. 99 on The Sporting News' list of the Greatest Baseball Players, and he was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Molitor was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in

On June 11, , the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. During the ceremony at Milwaukee County Stadium, Molitor announced that if he went into the Hall of Fame, he would do so as a Brewer. On January 6, , he was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, with % of the votes.

True to his word, he joined Robin Yount as the only Hall of Famers to be depicted on their plaques with Brewers caps. At the time of his induction, Molitor was the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.[23]

Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3, hits, a lifetime batting average, and stolen bases.

The other four are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Ichiro Suzuki. Only Ichiro and Molitor played beyond Molitor is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least home runs. Molitor is also the first player in World Series history to have at least two home runs, two doubles, and two triples in one series ().

He is a member of an exclusive club, hitting or better in full seasons across three decades (s, 80s, and 90s). He hit better than a dozen times in his career.

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    • Including Game 1 of the World Series, he recorded eight 5-hit games and four + hit seasons in his 21 year major league career. Molitor also compiled 56 4-hit games in his MLB career.[24]

    As of , Molitor is the last Major League player to execute the rare feat of stealing home plate at least ten times over the course of a career.[25]

    Personal life

    During the early years of his career, Molitor began using cocaine and marijuana.

    During the trial of a drug dealer in , Molitor admitted that he had used drugs.[26] Many years later, he said, "There are things you're not so proud of — failures, mistakes, dabbling in drugs, a young ballplayer in the party scene. Part of it was peer pressure. I was young and single, and hung around with the wrong people.

    You learn from it. You find a positive in it. It makes you appreciate the things that are good."[27] He claims to have stopped using drugs in , and has since visited schools to lecture about the dangers of drug use.[23]

    Molitor married Linda Kaplan in , and before their divorce it was revealed he had fathered a son in an extramarital affair with Joanna Andreou and was paying child support.[28] During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini; they had a third child together and later divorced.[28]

    During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships; the divorce from Linda caused such hard feelings that his ex-wife[ambiguous] and daughter almost did not attend his induction ceremony.[29][28]

    Molitor's nephew is professional disc golfer Cale Leiviska.[30]

    See also

    References

    1. ^Brackin, Dennis (November 4, ).

      "It's official: Paul Molitor named Twins manager". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 7,

    2. ^hived November 4, , at the Wayback Machine
    3. ^Weir, Tom (June 29, ). "USA's best of 2 sports worlds". USA Today. Retrieved March 25,
    4. ^Levitt, Daniel R.; Skipper, Doug.

      "Paul Molitor". SABR. Retrieved May 10,

    5. ^ abJustice, Richard (August 16, ). "Now, it's pitchers, not Paul Molitor, who are hurting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9,
    6. ^Davis, Hank (January 1, ).

      Small-Town Heroes: Images of Minor League Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved April 3,

    7. ^"Paul Molitor Minor League Statistics & History". . Retrieved March 9,
    8. ^ abcdefg"Paul Molitor Statistics and History".

      . Retrieved March 9,

    9. ^"Sports People; Carter Close to Deal". The New York Times. December 5, Retrieved March 9,
    10. ^"Paul Molitor 3-home run Game Boxscore at Retrosheet". . Retrieved April 17,
    11. ^ abDowney, Mike (August 19, ).

      "Molitor's feat Is just in playing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9,

    12. ^"Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 23,
    13. ^Chass, Murray (December 8, ). "Baseball; Jays re-sign Carter and swipe Molitor". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9,
    14. ^Jauss, Bill (October 6, ).

      "Molitor, Sprague chase jitters with their bats". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 9,

    15. ^Szalontai, James D. (September 29, ). Small Ball in the Big Leagues: A History of Stealing, Bunting, Walking and Otherwise Scratching for Runs.

      Paul molitor family Paul Molitor served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins after his retirement as a player. Paul Molitor opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota , where he was a three-year starter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Paul Molitor began as a shortstop, then moved to second base when Robin Yount returned from a brief injury. Paul Molitor made his MLB debut in , playing in games and hitting. Paul Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the disabled list six times between and

      McFarland. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved April 3,

    16. ^Hunt, Ryan (September 8, ). "Long gone". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 11, Retrieved June 15,
    17. ^"Molitor calls it quits".

      Linda kaplan

      All All. Sign In. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Paul Leo Molitor. Molly The Ingiter.

      December 4, Archived from the original on May 14,

    18. ^Bollinger, Rhett (January 13, ). "Hall of Famer Paul Molitor preparing for role as Twin coach". .
    19. ^"Molitor: Twins 'where I'm supposed to be'". November 4,
    20. ^"Torey Lovullo, Paul Molitor win manager honors".

      .

    21. ^ ab"Paul Molitor". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2,
    22. ^KSTP Sports (July 20, ). "Q&A: Paul Molitor is back working for the Twins". KSTP TV. Saint Paul, MN.
    23. ^ abStone, Larry (July 25, ).

      "Man about Cooperstown: Molitor takes his place with game's best". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 5,

    24. ^"Paul Molitor Top Performances at Retrosheet".

    25. Joshua molitor
    26. Linda kaplan and paul molitor
    27. Paul molitor wife

      28. . Retrieved April 17,

    28. ^"Major League Baseball Records for Stealing Home Base".
    29. ^Missanelli, M. G. (August 27, ). "Molitor captures a nation's fancy". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 9,
    30. ^"Playing baseball helped Molitor open doors to hearts".

      Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. July 25, Retrieved March 9,

    31. ^ abcDaniel R. Levitt and Doug Skipper, Paul Molitor, SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, accessed April 19,
    32. ^Rogers, Phil (July 26, ). "Chaotic lives, blessed careers". Chicago Tribune.

      Retrieved March 9,

    33. ^"Pro disc golf tourney to be hosted in Minnesota by Paul Molitor's nephew". karecom. June 24, Retrieved November 17,

    Further reading

    External links