June 21, 1969 | Minnesota scores a club-record 11 runs in the 10th inning at Oakland. Minnesota's 11 match the New York Yankees' 12th inning of July 26, 1928, for most runs for one club in extra innings. The Twins win 14-4. |
June 21, 1983 | The Twins receive outfielder Randy Kunz from the windy city Sox and part ways with 3B Mike Sodders. |
| June 21, 1985 | Twins manager Billy Gardner is fired and replaced by Baltimore pitching coach Ray Miller. |
| June 23, 1961 | Cookie Lavagetto is fired as manager of the Twins. Sam Mele takes control of the club. |
June 23, 1984 | In a teary home plate ceremony before the Twins-White Sox game at the Metrodome, Calvin Griffith and his sister, Thelma Haynes, sign a letter of intent to sell their 52 percent ownership of the Twins to Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad for $32 million. Griffith and his sister had been involved with the franchise since 1922, when they were adopted by owner Clark Griffith when the team was the Washington Senators. |
June 23, 1987 | The Twins acquire pitcher Dan Schatzeder from the Phillies in return for pitcher Danny Clay and 3B Tom Schwarz. |
June 24, 1955 | Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league homer, off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators 18-7. |
June 26, 1964 | Gerry Arrigo pitches the Twins first ever one hitter when Mike Hershberger singles to right leading off the ninth inning and breaks up Arrigo’s no hit bid but the Twins prevail 2-0. |
June 26, 1968 | The ML Executive Council decides that both the AL and NL will play 162-game schedules starting in 1969 and operate two 6-team divisions. |
June 26, 1977 | Carew scores 5 runs and teammate Glenn Adams drives in 8 as the Twins beat the White Sox 19-12. |
June 26, 1985 | Minnesota's Ken Schrom one-hits Kansas City, but needs a 2-run single from Roy Smalley in the bottom of the 9th to secure the 2-1 victory. Willie Wilson's 3rd-inning single is the only Royals hit. |
June 27, 1973 | David Clyde, a $125,000, 18-year-old bonus baby with the Rangers, pitched five innings, struck out eight and allowed one hit in his first major league start. Texas beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 before 35,698 fans, the Rangers' first home sellout at Arlington Stadium. |
June 29, 1984 | Twins rookie Andre David hits a 2-run home run off Jack Morris in his first ML at bat to spark Minnesota to a 5-3 win over Detroit. It is the only home run David will ever hit in the big leagues |
June 29, 1989 | The Twins acquire pitcher Greg Booker for the Padres and send pitcher Fred Tolliver to San Diego as payment. |
June 30, 1995 | Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became only the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history to reach 3,000 hits when he singled against the Minnesota Twins. Murray joined Pete Rose, the career hits leader with 4,256, as the only switch-hitters with 3,000 or more hits. |
July 1, 1960 | A first-refusal option for chief minority stockholder H. Gabriel Murphy to buy the holdings of Washington owner Calvin Griffith expires. Murphy will lose 2 court decisions in efforts to keep Griffith from moving the Senators to Minnesota. |
July 2, 1982 | The Twins trade 2B Larry Milbourne to the Indians and in turn the Indians send Outfielder Larry Littlejohn to the Twins. |
July 3, 1968 | Luis Tiant registers 19 K's in 10 innings, as Cleveland beats Minnesota 1-0. Tiant sets two modern ML records-- most strikeouts in a 10-inning game; 32 strikeouts in consecutive games--and ties the modern ML record of 41 strikeouts in 3 successive appearances. He will top the AL in ERA in 1968 with a 1.60. |
July 3, 1973 | Minnesota's Tony Oliva hits 3 solo HRs during a 7-6 loss at Kansas City. |
July 3, 1980 | Ken Landreaux ties the modern ML record with 3 triples in Minnesota's 10-3 win over Texas. |
July 3, 2000 | Minnesota's David Ortiz walked with the bases loaded and hit two sacrifice flies, giving him three RBIs without an official at-bat in an 11-8 loss to Boston. |
July 4, 1961 | Julio Becquer becomes the first Twin to pinch hit a grand slam homerun when he blasts one out at the Met against the White Sox. |
July 4, 1969 | The Twins and White Sox strike a deal and the Twins send pitcher Jerry Crider packing and pick up 1B Cotton Nash. |
July 5, 1965 | Minnesota takes an AL lead it will not give up as Dave Boswell and Jim Perry pitch the Twins to a 6-2 and 2-0 sweep of the Red Sox. |
July 6, 1972 | The Twins fire manager Bill Rigney, promoting 33-year-old coach Frank Quilici to take his place. |
July 6, 1995 | The Twins trade ace closer Rick Aguilera to the Red Sox for outfielder JJ Johnson and pitcher Frankie Rodriguez. |
July 7, 1995 | The Orioles send outfielder Kimera Bartee and pitcher Scott Klingenbeck to Minnesota and in turn receive pitcher Scott Erickson. |
July 7, 2001 | Jim Kaat and Herb Carneal are inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.
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July 8, 1969 | The Red Sox send pitcher Darrell Brandon to the Twins in return for 3B Ron Clark. |
July 8, 1971 | The Twins trade catcher Paul Ratliff to Milwaukee for catcher Phil Roof. |
| July 10, 2008 | Justin Morneau goes 5-5 with two doubles and a homerun in an 11 inning 7-6 win over the Tigers on the road. |
July 11, 1961 | Harmon Killebrew becomes the first Minnesota Twin to appear in an All-Star game and he doesn’t disappoint when he pinch-hits a home run off Mike McCormick at Candlestick Park. |
July 11, 1968 | Minnesota rookie Rick Renick is the 16th AL player to hit a HR in his first ML at bat as he goes long against Mickey Lolich . The Twins go on to beat the Tigers 5-4. |
July 11, 1987 | Billy Ripken, 22, joins his brother Cal in the Orioles starting lineup in Baltimore's 2-1 loss to the Twins. Oriole’s manager Cal Ripken, Sr. is the first to manage 2 sons in the majors.
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July 12, 1972 | The Twins win their 1,000th game as Bert Blyleven shuts down the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1. Bert would also win the Twins 2,000th game a number of years later. |
July 12, 1996 | In a sad day in Minnesota Twins history, Kirby Puckett, wearing a white patch over his right eye, announced his retirement from baseball. He was 36 years old. "I was told I would never make it because I'm too short," the 5'8" Puckett said at his retirement press conference. "Well, I'm still too short, but I've got 10 All-Star games, two World Series championships, and I'm a very happy and contented guy. It doesn't matter what your height is, it's what's in your heart." Kirby passed away from a stroke on March 6, 2006. |
July 12, 2001 | The Twins hit seven home runs on their way to a 13-5 romp over the Milwaukee Brewers. In the process, they tied a Major League record -- three players hitting two home runs each in a single game. Torii Hunter hit two. Corey Koskie hit two. Jacque Jones hit two, one of them a grand slam. Doug Mientkiewicz hit only one, but was not widely regarded as a slacker. |
July 13, 1965 | Willie Mays’s HR, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored pace the NL to a 6-5 All-Star Game victory in Metropolitan Stadium. Juan Marichal pitches 3 scoreless innings to earn game MVP. The NL took the lead over the AL for the first time since the All-Star series began, winning 6-5 in Minnesota. The Twins had 6 players that participated in the game, Earl Battey, Mudcat Grant, Jimmie Hall, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, and Zoilo Versalles. It just so happens this was the first major league game that I ever attended and there were more future Hall of Famers in this game then you can shake a stick at. |
July 13, 1971 | In an All-Star Game featuring HRs by Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson, and Harmon Killebrew, the AL triumphs at Detroit 6-4. It is the only AL All-Star victory between 1962 and 1983. Jackson's HR goes 520 feet. |
July 13, 1993 | Minnesota's Kirby Puckett homered and doubled to win the MVP award in the AL's 9-3 victory in the All-Star game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. |
July 14, 1991 | The Twins retire Tony Oliva’s number 6. |
July 14, 2008 | Twins first baseman Justin Morneau wins the All-Star Homerun Derby by beating Texas Ranger outfielder Josh Hamilton in the finals. |
July 15, 1989 | Jeff Reardon saves his 250th game as the Twins beat the Red Sox 3-2. |
July 15, 1989 | Justin Morneau scores the winning run in the bottom of the 15th inning at Yankee Stadium as the AL wins 4-3 for their 12th consecutive All-Star win. Joe Mauer is the AL starting catcher and Joe Nathan also pitches in the game. |
July 16, 1969 | Rod Carew steals home for the 7th time, as the AL-West leading Twins sweep a twin bill, winning 9-8 and 6-3 from the White Sox. Carew ties Pete Reiser’s 1946 record for steals of home in a season. |
July 16, 1985 | The NL beats the AL 6-1 at Minnesota's Metrodome for its 13th win in the last 14 All-Star Games. San Diego's LaMarr Hoyt allows one unearned run in 3 innings and is named MVP. |
July 16, 2000 | Minnesota trades outfielder Butch Huskey and 2B Todd Walker to Colorado for cash and 1B Todd Sears. |
July 17, 1990 | The Twins pull a major league first--2 triple plays in the same game. Both are started on grounders to Gary Gaetti, who had started 5 of the Twins' last 6 triple killings. The Red Sox win anyway 1-0. |
July 18, 1962 | Minnesota is the first AL club to hit 2 grand slams in one inning when Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew connect in a club-record, 11-run first inning, against Cleveland. The Twins coast home 14-3. |
July 18, 1990 | The Red Sox hit into 6 double plays, while the Twins ground into 4 for an ML record, as the Red Sox win 5-4. |
July 19, 1962 | Vic Power becomes the first Twins player to steal home in the 5th inning of the Twins 8-0 rout of the Cleveland Indians. |
July 19, 1969 | The Twins and Pilots end an 18-inning game after having stranded 44 runners. Minnesota's Jim Perry beats Hohn Gelnar in relief 11-7. Perry and Gelnar square off again the next day with Perry winning 4-0. |
July 19, 1975 | Yankee catcher Thurman Munson’s first-inning single and RBI against the Twins are nullified because the tar on his bat handle exceeds the 18-inch limit. Catcher Glenn Borgmann gets the putout. |
July 19, 1982 | Tom Brunansky accomplishes a rare feat when he hits an inside-the-park grand slam home run at the Metrodome against the hated Milwaukee Brewers. |
July 19, 1987 | The Twins retire HOF Rod Carew’s number 29. |
July 19, 1989 | Cleveland's Joe Carter hits 3 home runs in a game for the 2nd time this season in a 10-1 win over Minnesota. It is his 4th career 3-HR game, tying Lou Gehrig's AL record, and also gives him a ML-record-tying 5 homers in 2 games. |
July 20, 1987 | Don Mattingly ties another ML record, this time in the field, as he makes 22 putouts in the Yankees 7-1 win over the Twins. The feat was last accomplished in the AL by Hal Chase in 1906. |
July 21, 1966 | Minnesota pitcher Jim Merritt beats the Senators 1-0 and ties an AL mark with 7 straight strikeouts.
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July 23, 1964 | A's rookie Bert Campaneris sends Minnesota to defeat 4-3 with 2 HRs in his ML debut. The first comes on the first pitch thrown to him by Jim Kaat. The 21-year-old Cuban joins Bob Nieman as the only player since 1900 with 2 HRs in his first ML game. |
July 25, 1964 | The Twins tie an AL record by using 9 pitchers in a 13-inning game they lose 6-5 to the White Sox. Gerry Fosnow is the loser; Don Mossi the 5th Chicago pitcher--is the winner. |
July 27, 1990 | The Twins send pitccher John Candelaria to the Blue Jays and receive 2B Nelson Liriano and outfielder Pedro Munoz. |
July 28, 1967 | Dean Chance finally gets a base hit and ends the Twins longest hitless streak at 53 at bats without a hit. This unlucky streak started on April 9. |
July 28, 2001 | The Twins and Tigers swap pitchers, the Tigers get Mark Redman and the Twins get Todd Jones. |
July 30, 2001 | The Twins acquire P Rick Reed from New York but have to give up OF Matt Lawton. |
July 31, 1972 | Dick Allen becomes the first player since 1950, and the 7th in history, to hit two inside-the-park homers in a game. Minnesota's Bert Blyleven was the unlucky victim that day in Met Stadium. |
July 31, 1987 | The Indians trade fading veteran and future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton to the Twins for a player to be named later who turns out to be Jeff Perry. |
July 31, 1989 | The Twins trade AL Cy Young winner Frank Viola and outfielder Loy McBride to the Mets for 5 players, including pitchers Rick Aguilera, David West, Kevin Tapani, Jack Savage and Tim Drummond. Viola is the first Cy Young winner to be traded during the following season. |
July 31, 1995 | In a six player trade with the Dodgers, the Twins part ways with pitchers Mark Guthrie and Kevin Tapani and receive pitchers Jose Parra, Greg Hansell, along with outfielder Chris Latham and 3B Ron Coomer. |
July 31, 1998 | The Twins send P Greg Swindell and OF Orlando Merced to Boston and get OF John Barnes and pitchers Matt Kinney and Joe Thomas. |
July 31, 2003 | The Twins beat the Orioles dramatically 10-9 in a 10 inning four hour and 8 minute game at the Metrodme in what could arguably be one of the strangest games in their history. The Twins entered the 9th inning trailing 9-7. With closer Jorge Julio pitching, Luis Rivas singled and Doug Mientkiewicz walked which put runners on first and second. Two outs later, AJ Pierzynski singled, which scored Rivas. Michael Restovich then struck out swinging for what appeared to be the final out, but the ball eluded the Orioles catcher. Restovich hesitated for several seconds and took off for first base and was safe when the catcher threw wildly to first and Doug Mientkiewicz scored the tying run from second. The Twins won the game in the 10th inning when Jacques Jones hit a single over the head of the first baseman with the bases loaded as the Orioles played a five man infield trying to cut the winning run down at the plate. |
| August 1, 1985 | The Indians trade veteran pitcher Bert Blyleven back to the Twins for outfielder Jim Weaver, pitchers Curt Wardle and Rich Yett, and shortstop Jay Bell. |
| August 1, 1986 | Bert Blyleven pitches a 2-hitter and strikes out a club-record 15 batters to become the 10th pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts. Kirby Puckett hits for the cycle as the Twins romp 10-1 over the A's and in the process becomes the first Minnesota Twin to accomplish this remarkable feat at the Metrodome. |
| August 1, 1994 | Baltimore's shortstop Cal Ripken became only the second major leaguer to play 2,000 straight games as the Orioles beat Minnesota 1-0. |
| August 3, 1969 | Pinch-hitter Rich Reese hit a grand slam to power the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles and ends Dave McNally's 15 game winning streak. His two victories at the end of 1968 had given him 17 straight wins. |
| August 3, 1987 | Twins pitcher Joe Niekro is caught with a file on the mound at Anaheim and is ejected during the 4th inning of Minnesota's 11-3 win over California. He was suspended for 10 games by AL president Bobby Brown, who doesn't buy Niekro's story that he had been filing his nails on the bench and stuck the file in his back pocket when the inning started. |
August 3, 1999 | The Astros and Twins swap catchers, Houston gets George Williams and Minnesota gets Josh Dimmick. |