In 2004, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players enshrined after spending a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter.

After graduating from Cretin High School,[3] he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 MLB draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals.

He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career with the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.

He made his MLB debut in 1978, playing in 125 games and hitting .273 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

Molitor was part of a young Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

"[11] The streak ended with Molitor in the on-deck circle when Rick Manning got a game-ending hit to beat the Cleveland Indians on August 26, 1987.

Fans booed Manning for driving in the winning run and thus depriving Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games.

He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' 1988 major league record of 21.

"I'm happy to leave it playing my last season in a Twins uniform... Now I'm going to redirect my efforts to find out what else the future holds.

He was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after 2001, but he declined in part because the Twins were still being targeted for potential contraction.

Molitor joined the Twins coaching staff in 2014 to oversee baserunning, bunting, infield instruction, and positioning.

[18] The Twins hired Molitor to fill their manager vacancy for the 2015 season, and introduced him in a press conference on November 4, 2014.

[19] At the end of the 2017 season, the Twins announced that Molitor would receive a three-year contract extension through 2020.

Molitor was rewarded for his efforts in leading the Twins back to the postseason after losing 103 games the season prior, the first team in history to achieve this feat, by being named American League Manager of the Year in November 2017.

[20] On October 2, 2018, the Twins fired Molitor as manager, but expressed that they had interest in having him continue to maintain a role with the team in some capacity.

[21] Molitor later rejoined the Twins as a special assistant, with roving instructor duties for the team's minor league affiliates.

True to his word, he joined Robin Yount as the only Hall of Famers to be depicted on their plaques with Brewers caps.

[23] Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases.

[24] As of 2021, Molitor is the last Major League player to execute the rare feat of stealing home plate at least ten times over the course of a career.

[26] Many years later, he said, "There are things you're not so proud of — failures, mistakes, dabbling in drugs, a young ballplayer in the party scene.

Before their 2003 divorce, it was revealed that he had fathered a son, Joshua, in an extramarital affair with Joanna Andreou, and was paying child support.

[28][29] During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child, daughter Julia, with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini.