MILWAUKEE -- Twins manager Paul Molitor's return to Milwaukee on Wednesday came on the 30th anniversary of a milestone on his march to a 39-game hitting streak.
On Aug. 9, 1987, Molitor flared a double to right field in his final at-bat of an 8-4 win over the White Sox at Comiskey Park, giving him a hit in 24 straight games. That matched the Brewers' record, which was set by Davey May in 1973 and remains the second longest hitting streak in franchise history behind Molitor's epic run.
"At the time, there was some attention given to [tying the team record]," Molitor said before leading the Twins into a two-game Interleague series at Miller Park. "I don't remember the hit or anything that either tied … that particular record. There was a little bit of [pressure] around that time, but it really started to ramp up once I started extending it into the 30s."
The next day, Molitor went 2-for-4 at home against Texas for a new Brewers record. His streak reached 39 games before coming to a memorable end on Aug. 26, when Molitor went hitless against Indians rookie right-hander John Farrell -- current manager of the Red Sox -- and was on-deck in the 10th inning at County Stadium when Rick Manning hit a walk-off single.
It remains the only game in Brewers history in which a player was booed for delivering a winning hit.
No Major Leaguer has had a longer hitting streak since.
"I remember the day of the 39th game," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who was in high school at the time and a regular at County Stadium because his father worked in the Crew's front office. "I remember the team -- it was a team that was full of streaks, and a team that was fighting for a playoff spot in mid-August, kind of in a similar spot to us right now, really.
"As Paul has said, once he had the top Brewers streak, then it became this daily … living thing. It was fun. It was something to follow every day. You get to that point, and everybody got interested."
Speaking of anniversaries, the Brewers held a reunion last month for the 1982 American League pennant-winning Brewers. About two dozen players attended, including Molitor's fellow Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers.
Molitor, of course, had to decline the invitation, as he was busy managing the Twins.
"The Brewers told me I was invited, but understood it was going to be unrealistic for me to be there," Molitor said. "I heard from some of the guys along the way. I got a nice email from Gorman [Thomas] last night. I correspond with Robin now and then. I know the guys had a good time. I'm not sure what they did, but knowing that group, I'm sure they had a good time."