A creative collector took this envelope to Cooperstown and had it postmarked on August 7, 1978, four months to the dayafter Paul Molitor’s debut. The collector later had Molitor affix his signature to the envelope.

Also attached is The Ignitor’s Topps rookie card.  A closer look reveals a hatless Molitor in the four-panel card. The card also features UL Washington who is best remembered for sporting a toothpick while playing shortstop.

Washington played his high school games with a blade of grass in his mouth and kept the habit in the minor leagues. Presented with a problem on the Royals’ artificial turf, Washington turned to the toothpick.

Six-time All Star, four-time Gold Glover and Hall of Famer Alan Trammell has signed his portion of the card as well. Rounding out the Topps offering is Mickey Klutts whose signature is to the left of Molitor’s.

Paul spent his first 15 years in Milwaukee as pictured on the card. For the Brew Crew he tallied 2,281 hits, a .303 average and 59.9 WAR.

After playing 15 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers, Paul Molitor split his final six campaigns between Toronto and Minnesota. Three seasons came in each city and productivity followed.

Molitor left the Twins for the Blue Jays as a free agent in December of 1992, joining the defending World Series champs in ’93. His All Star campaign included a league-leading 211 hits, a career-high 22 homers to go along with 111 RBI.

The Jays repeated as American League pennant winners then watched Molitor catch fire in the World Series. He went 12-for-24 with half of his hits going for extra bases. His .571 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging mark helped earn him the Series MVP Award. He three years in Canada featured two All Star appearances and a  solid slash line of .315/.387/.484.

The St. Paul native finished up his career with three years back home in Minnesota. His first season there in ’96 included career-best in hits (225), and batting average (.341). On September 16th that year Molitor recorded his 3,000th career hit in Kansas City. That came on a 5th-inning triple that made him the first to join the club on a three-base hit.

Shown here is a ticket to that game autographed by the Hall of Famer.

Molitor finished ’96 with his fourth and final Silver Slugger Award. He played two more seasons for the Twinkies, retiring at age 42 in 1998.

For his career, Molitor amassed 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 113 homers, 234 homers, and 1,307 RBI. His career .305 average pairs nicely with his .369 on-base percentage.

The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays had the top three finishers in the race for the batting crown,. John Olerud took home the title with a .363 average. Paul Molitor finished second at .332 with Roberto Alomar right behind him at .326.

It marked the first time in baseball history that one team featured the top three performers in batting average. The regular season offensive explosion helped the Jays to 95 wins and the Eastern Division championship.

In the six-game triumph over the White Sox in the ALCS the trio continued their hitting dominance. They combined to hit .343 with a .445 on-base percentage, 4 doubles, a triple, and one home run. The triumvarite scored 15 runs and drove in 12 more.

In the Fall Classic, Olerud’s sixth-inning solo shot put Toronto ahead to stay in the Game 1. Alomar and Molitor starred throughout the Series. By the time the Blue Jays dispatched the Phillies in Game 6, Alomar had a gaudy .480/.516/.640 slash line. World Series MVP Molitor went 12-for-24 with pairs of doubles, triples, homers. His 8 runs batted in were complimented by a .571 on-base percentage and an other-worldly 1.000 slugging percentage.

The Toronto trio of Olerud and Cooperstown men Alomar and Molitor helped give the Blue Jay faithful as season to remember in ’93.

Shown here is a Topps contract extension for Roberto Alomar. Dated 2/23/1999, and signed by Alomar at the bottom, the deal calls for him to make $75 per year for a three-year term from 2002-2004.

In 2004 Hall of Fame voting the baseball writers elected two men in their first year on the ballot. Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley got their call to Cooperstown with 85.2% and 83.2%, respectively.

Playing for the Brewers, Twins, and Blue Jays, Molitor amassed 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 1,782 runs, and 1,307 RBI. The 1993 World Series MVP has a career .306 average in 21 big league seasons.

Overall Molitor played 2,683 games. Defensively he had 792 appearances at third base, 400 at second, 197 at first and rest sprinkled in at shortstop and the outfield. With the majority of his games coming a a designated hitter – 1,174 contests – Molitor became the first Cooperstown inductee to play the majority of his career at DH.

Dennis Eckersley was a starting pitcher for the Indians, Red Sox, and Cubs before switching his primary role to relief with the A’s. It was in Oakland that he found his greatest success.

The 1992 Cy Young and MVP, Eckersley was a three-time pennant-winning closer who earned the save in the Atheltics’ World Series clincher in 1990. He finished his career with 197 wins and 390 saves.

In the collection is a twice-signed contract with the Autoball company, producers of souvenir baseballs with stamped facsimile signatures. The terms of the deal? The pitcher received one cent per ball sold.

Eck signed this contract on March 18, 1975 nearly a full month before his big league debut on April 12 that same year.