Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor make history as managers
Ryne Sandberg and Paul Molitor, Hall of Famers with a long list of accomplishments and accolades in baseball, combined to make some more history – but this time it was in their roles as bench bosses.
Monday’s Grapefruit League game between Sandberg’s Philadelphia Phillies and Molitor’s Minnesota Twins is believed to be the first time players already inducted in the Hall of Fame met as managers in the major leagues. Molitor was enshrined in 2004 while Sandberg followed in 2005, and over the years the two have become friendly.
The event was commemorated by having both of them throw out simultaneous first pitches, even if they weren’t entirely comfortable in the spotlight.
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“The fact that it’s never happened before is kind of an interesting little piece of trivia, but for me, it’s more about managing against a friend,” said Molitor. “We all know it’s about the players.“
It’s why Sandberg and Molitor, even with their glittering playing careers, put in the work to get back to the big leagues. Sandberg spent eight years managing in the minors while Molitor earned his stripes as a bench coach in the majors and a minor league coordinator. Their paths crossed many times during those long summers, which made sharing Monday’s moment even sweeter.
“In the past, there’s been some Hall of Famers that wanted to manage or coach at the major league level but not go through the channels to earn that right,” Sandberg told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “For me I had to go experience for myself but also to earn the right.”
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Sandberg and the Phillies came out on top Monday, winning 3-0, and Philadelphia and Minnesota face off one more time in spring training so Molitor has a chance to get even. Unfortunately they aren’t scheduled to see each other during the regular season, so we’ll have to wait at least a year for that.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
