Paul Molitor (September 16, 1996)
Twenty players had reached the 3000 hit plateau, but none of them had done so with a triple. That is, until Paul Molitor came to the plate for his milestone hit.
Perhaps because his best seasons were spent in Milwaukee, Molitor had a relatively quiet career. He was a versatile player, appearing at all four infield spots, although he primarily alternated between first, third, and second. Molitor was a solid all around player, with a bit of pop and excellent speed in his younger days.
That speed appeared once again as he faced Royals starter Jose Rosado. He had laced a first inning single to get to 2999 career hits, and just needed one more to reach that magical milestone. In the fifth inning, Molitor ripped a high fastball to right center, where it landed between Jon Nunnally and Rod Myers. He turned on the jets, sliding into third as the first player to notch his 3000th hit with a three bagger.
Molitor had a storied career for a player that was fairly overlooked. He was a seven time All Star, winning four Silver Slugger awards. Over the course of his 21 year career, he collected over 200 hits four times, leading the league twice. Molitor also had an impressive 39 game hitting streak in 1987, the seventh longest streak in baseball history.
An excellent all around player, Molitor displayed that ability as he notched his 3000th career hit. The Hall of Famer was overlooked no more.