When the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1992 World Series, their Designated Hitter was future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. They would upgrade that for 1993 with another eventual Cooperstown resident, Paul Molitor.
Molitor had more left in the tank than Winfield did, and in his first year as a Blue Jay, he had his best season in years. Batting .332, Molitor led the American League in Hits (211), won the Silver Slugger (he had a career-high 22 Home Runs), and was second in MVP voting. The Blue Jays repeated as World Series Champions, with Molitor winning the World Series MVP from a .458/2 HR/7 RBI performance.
Toronto faltered in 1994, but Molitor did not, batting .341 with a seventh All-Star in tow. His third and final season in Toronto saw him slip to .270, but he was still one of the best Designated Hitters in the business. A native of Minnesota, Molitor opted to finish his career with the Twins, where he played for three years before retiring.
Molitor’s stay with the Blue Jays was not long, but it was impactful, with 508 Hits, a .315 Batting Average, and one incredible post-season. He entered Cooperstown as a Brewer, but he won a ring as a Blue Jay.
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