BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : WORLD SERIES : Molitor Feels Comfortable at Third

Insisting that it had nothing to do with Paul Molitor’s three hits in Game 3, Toronto Manager Cito Gaston said he woke up Wednesday ready to reverse his initial decision not to use Molitor at third base in Games 4 and 5 of the World Series.

Gaston said he didn’t think Molitor, who had played only two games at third in the last four years, was as confident and comfortable with the possibility a few days ago as he later became.

“I talked to him when we got to the park today, told him I wanted him to play if he was comfortable with it and he assured me it wouldn’t bother him and wouldn’t interfere with his hitting,” Gaston said of the decision to put Ed Sprague on the bench, return John Olerud to first base and use Molitor at third against right-hander Tommy Greene.

“I told Cito I had a strong desire to give it a try,” Molitor said. “I don’t expect to be totally comfortable, but I wasn’t totally comfortable last night, either. I hope to get through it unscathed.”

The predominantly left-handed hitting Phillies hit only eight ground balls to third base in the first three games, and Gaston said that was a consideration. He said Sprague’s one-for-12 hitting wasn’t.

“If Molitor wasn’t comfortable with it, Sprague would be playing,” Gaston said, adding he would play Molitor at third in Game 5 as well if Game 4 went well for him.

Molitor fielded two plays cleanly at third Wednesday night.

Molitor has been taking ground balls at third for several weeks but was prevented from taking infield practice Wednesday by bad weather and said he regretted, to an extent, that the Blue Jays had not used him at third during the season’s final weekend after clinching the division title.

“In hindsight it might have answered some questions, but on Cito’s behalf he didn’t want to get too far ahead and risk an injury,” Molitor said.