The last two HOF-ers to debut on the same day did so in 1978 on April 7th. Both were on winning teams on this day.
One batted lead-off and played shortstop. The other didn't start, but came in later and also played shortstop.
Molitor was 1-5 with an RBI. He was the one who played shortstop (SS) and batted lead-off, not Smith. Molitor played SS only 57 times in his career and never after 1982. Even though he played more games at Designated Hitter than any position on the field, Molitor played every position on the field except pitcher. In the future I'll need to find out who else did that besides those who played all nine positions in a game as a stunt.
Smith was 0-1 with a walk. He didn't start the game or bat lead-off. Unlike Molitor, Smith played shortstop in every game that he appeared on the field.
The two had career statistics will very little in common. Smith didn't hit home runs or drive in runs. Molitor didn't win Gold Gloves.
They both were runner-ups in the Rookie of the Year voting, Molitor to Lou Whitaker of the Tigers and Smith to Bob Horner of the Braves. Horner hit 23 home runs in only 89 games. Whitaker and Molitor had similar batting statistics, but Whitaker got 21 votes compared to 3 for Molitor.
Both players drew lots of walks and stole over 500 bases.
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