Twins Say Goodbye To Molitor

The Minnesota Twins were ready just in case.

They

Molitor won't decide for another month or so whether he will retire, but it sure seemed like a farewell ceremony during the eighth inning of the Twins' 6-2 win over the Cleveland Indians Sunday.

The Twins played the video montage before Molitor came to bat in the eighth, his 10,835th and probably last career at-bat. Then he played right along with a bloop single to right field, his 3,319th hit.

"I think the Twins tried to make (the decision) for me, playing that video," Molitor joked, holding a copy of the video after the game. "I was caught off guard. I had no idea they were planning to do anything today. I'm sure it was with the intention of, 'just in case.' I didn't know really how to react."

Sure he did. He punched a pitch from Doug Jones to right field, completing a 2-for-4 day and continuing a rally that led to three important runs.

That brought a handshake from Indians first baseman Richie Sexson, the fifth standing ovation of the afternoon for Molitor and, very nearly, a few rare tears from the stoic 42-year-old St. Paul native.

"It was tough to try to stay comosed," said Molitor, whose wife, Linda, cried in the stands behind home plate after seeing the highlight video. "I was a little emotional, and I was trying to dig deep for some self-control."

Molitor plans to spend the next several weeks talking to friends and family about whether he should retire. He is leaning that way, and that probably will be his decision.

He plans to meet with general manager Terry Ryan and owner Carl Pohlad next week, and one option is a front office job with the Twins. He has been mentioned as a possible managerial candidate, including in Milwaukee where his former teammate Sal Bando is GM. But Molitor said Friday that becoming a manager the season after his retirement as a player would be unlikely.

This has been a difficult season for Molitor, who played his first 15 seasons with the Brewers before spending three in Toronto and coming home to the Twins in 1996.

His .281 average marked only the seventh time he hit below .300 when he played at least half a season. He had four homers, 69 RBI and finished third on the team with 74 runs.

Molitor still hit third most of the season for the punchless Twins, and he batted fourth each of his last three games. He hit .343 with runners in scoring position, including an AL-best .386 with two outs.

And he still did so many other things so well.

"Running, handling counts -- he made me a better player just by watching him," said Minnesota's Todd Walker, who hit .316 in his first full season. "He's one in a million. I'll always remember playing with him this year."

Assuming he doesn't change his mind, Molitor will finish eighth in career hits and tied for 10th with 605 doubles. He almost certainly would have finished in the top five in both categories if not for the 500 or so games he lost to injuries during his career.

Still, Molitor also joined Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner as the only players ever to collect 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 500 stolen bases. Along the way he earned the respect of nearly everyone he played with and against.

When Molitor came uip in the eighth inning Sunday, the Indians came to the top step of the dugout to join the crowd of 12,049 in giving Molitor a standing ovation.

"He's one of the classiest guys that ever played the game," said Cleveland's Jim Thome. "Not only classy, but a great player. To go out and be part of (his last game) was something special. I looked at that as something you definitely cherish the rest of your life."

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