September 4, 2024
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
Twenty-nine years ago today, Paul Molitor had five hits in the first game of a doubleheader to propel the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-1 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
It was the fifth five-hit game of Molitor’s major league career and his first as a Blue Jay.
Facing Royals right-hander Mark Gubicza, Molitor doubled in the first, singled in the third and fourth and belted a three-run home run in the sixth. He added a single in the eighth off reliever Rick Huisman.
“It’s a battle every time,” Gubicza told the Kansas City Star about facing Molitor after the game. “You’ve got to make a good pitch every pitch. Every time you make a mistake, he makes you pay for it.”
Including his four hits that day, Molitor was 17-for-52 (.327 batting average) against Gubicza.
“You never want to be beaten,” added Gubicza. “But he’s a true professional and a quality hitter, one of the toughest I’ve faced, and I’ve faced him a lot over the years. I’ve won some battles, and he’s won some battles. Every time out there, I never feel comfortable. Sometimes he gets me, and sometimes I get him. He won the battle today.”
Molitor’s performance helped the Blue Jays end a seven-game losing streak. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 50-69 on the season but the two-time World Series champions were well out of playoff contention.
“I think the attitude we’re trying to take is that our long-term goal of winning the World Series has been thrown by the wayside, so our goal now is to make September our best month of the season,” Molitor told the Toronto Star after the game. “We want to give the guys something positive to think about in the off-season and something to build on in spring training next year.”
Molitor’s 5-for-5 performance was the first by a Blue Jay since John Olerud had the same batting line on April 29, 1993.
At 39 years old, Molitor remains the oldest Blue Jay to have a five-hit game.
The Blue Jays’ record for most hits in a game is held by outfielder Frank Catalanotto who had six hits in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on May 1, 2004.
Remarkably, Molitor would have three more, five-hit games with the Minnesota Twins – including one at the age of 41 on August 8, 1998.
In total, he had eight, five-hit games, including one in Game 1 of the 1982 World Series for the Milwaukee Brewers against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Thanks for the memory. 5 hits wow!
Thanks for reading this.
Molitor is a hitting legend! Thought he might have more 5 hit games. He was soooo good.
I thought he would’ve had one in 1993 or 1994 with the Jays, but he didn’t. Thanks for your comment.