First big league game and first major league win

Appearing in a big league game and stepping on a major league pitching mound for the first time is something you never forget. It makes no difference if you are the starter or if you enter the game in relief, you have reached the goal that has been waiting for you since you first started playing baseball in your backyard as a child.

Bill Pleis

Many a pitcher has made his major league debut with Minnesota across his chest and some have had good games and others have not been as lucky but only 20 Twins pitchers can lay claim to the fact that they earned the “win” in their first big league game. Bill  “Shorty” Pleis was the first Twins pitcher to accomplish this feat and he did so in relief.

It took more than 10 years for the Twins to have a starting pitcher start his major league career and get credited with a “W” and it was none other than Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven and as he has told us many times, the first batter he faced, Lee Maye, did indeed hit a home run off him at RFK Stadium. Bert however; maintained his composure and earned the win with seven innings of five hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk and the Twins went on to beat the Washington Senators in a 2-1 game.

First big league game and first major league win

Bert Blyleven as a rookie in 1970
Results
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR UER Pit Str BF
1 Bill Pleis 1961-04-16 (2) MIN BAL W 6-4 9-10, W 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0     4
2 Joe Bonikowski 1962-04-12 MIN KCA W 9-5 4-GF, W 5.2 3 1 1 4 3 0 0     23
3 Bert Blyleven 1970-06-05 MIN WSA W 2-1 GS-7, W 7.0 5 1 1 1 7 1 0     27
4 Hal Haydel 1970-09-07 (2) MIN MIL W 8-3 2-6, W 5.0 4 2 2 0 2 1 0     19
5 Jim Strickland 1971-05-19 MIN CAL W 12-6 3-5, W 2.1 1 0 0 0 4 0 0     8
6 Tom Johnson 1974-09-10 MIN CHW W 8-7 14-GF(15), W 2.0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1     8
7 Pete Redfern 1976-05-15 (2) MIN CAL W 15-5 GS-6, W 5.0 3 4 4 3 2 1 0     21
8 Paul Thormodsgard 1977-04-10 (2) MIN OAK W 7-1 GS-7, W 6.1 6 1 1 3 2 0 0     28
9 Jeff Holly 1977-05-01 MIN DET W 6-5 3-GF, W 7.0 2 0 0 1 6 0 0     23
10 Roger Erickson 1978-04-06 MIN SEA W 5-4 GS-7, W 6.1 5 3 3 1 4 0 0     25
11 Darrell Jackson 1978-06-16 MIN DET W 5-2 GS-8, W 7.1 7 1 1 4 7 0 0     31
12 Doug Corbett 1980-04-10 MIN OAK W 9-7 8-GF(12), W 5.0 1 0 0 0 6 0 0     16
13 Scott Erickson 1990-06-25 MIN TEX W 9-1 GS-6, W 6.0 4 1 1 2 4 0 0 94 53 25
14 Todd Ritchie 1997-04-03 MIN DET W 10-6 4-6, W 3.0 3 1 1 0 3 0 0 50 30 11
15 Eric Milton 1998-04-05 MIN KCR W 10-1 GS-6, W 6.0 6 0 0 2 1 0 0 88 60 26
16 Dave Gassner 2005-04-16 MIN CLE W 6-4 GS-6, W 6.0 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 72 48 22
17 Anthony Swarzak 2009-05-23 MIN MIL W 6-2 GS-7, W 7.0 5 0 0 2 3 0 0 98 64 27
18 Kyle Gibson 2013-06-29 MIN KCR W 6-2 GS-6, W 6.0 8 2 2 0 5 0 0 91 64 26
19 Andrew Albers 2013-08-06 MIN KCR W 7-0 GS-9, W 8.1 4 0 0 1 2 0 0 109 67 29
20 Felix Jorge 2017-07-01 (2) MIN KCR W 10-5 GS-6, W 5.0 7 3 3 1 2 1 0 85 54 21
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/25/2017.

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Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Jackson & Rollins

Two players made their major league debuts as Twins on June 16, both a few years ago.

Darrell Jackson (P) – June 16, 1978 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 9th round of the 1977 amateur draft. Jackson was originally drafted by Minnesota as a sixth round selection in 1973 out of high school but chose to go to Arizona State University where he had the opportunity to play in three College World Series while he attended school there. Jackson debuted in pro ball with the Orlando Twins in 1978 and in his first professional game pitched nine innings of no-hit ball against the Jacksonville Suns. Unfortunately, the game was tied after nine innings, and Jackson was relieved by fellow future Twin Jeff Holly. Orlando won the game, 1–0, in 12 innings. After just 10 starts in the minors, Jackson was called up to the Twins. 

Rich Rollins – Twins 3B from 1961 – 1968

Rich Rollins (3B) – June 16, 1961 – Signed as amateur free agent in 1960. Rollins was the sixth player to make his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin. Rollins debuted against the White Sox going 1 for 4 off pitchers Don Larsen and Early Wynn. In his first full season with Minnesota in 1962 he was selected to both All-Star games and finished 8th in MVP voting behind winner Mickey Mantle.

To see other Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins

Twins switch-hitters from 1961-2015

One of the more frequent questions I get pertains to switch-hitters that played for the Minnesota Twins so I thought I would put together the entire list of Twins players both position players and pitchers that swung from both sides of the plate. In this case I ranked then in order of home runs hit. The list includes Twins pitchers as well as position players.

Rk Player HR From To G PA AB H 2B 3B RBI BA OPS Pos
1 Roy Smalley 110 1976 1987 1148 4676 3997 1046 184 21 485 .262 .750 *6DH/53
2 Chili Davis 41 1991 1992 291 1163 978 276 61 3 159 .282 .862 *D/H793
3 Cristian Guzman 39 1999 2004 841 3538 3277 871 142 61 289 .266 .685 *6/HD
4 Butch Wynegar 37 1976 1982 794 3188 2746 697 112 9 325 .254 .682 *2/HD5
5 Gene Larkin 32 1987 1993 758 2670 2321 618 131 12 266 .266 .723 3D9H/754
6 Ryan Doumit 32 2012 2013 269 1066 969 253 62 2 130 .261 .745 2/D9H73
7 Denny Hocking 25 1993 2003 876 2455 2204 556 109 17 215 .252 .661 64H5/9738D
8 Bobby Kielty 23 2001 2003 224 750 631 170 35 3 92 .269 .818 9/8HD73
9 Eduardo Escobar 21 2012 2015 340 1139 1051 275 71 8 111 .262 .710 *6/574HD98
10 Aaron Hicks 20 2013 2015 247 928 819 184 30 6 78 .225 .655 *8/97HD
11 Kennys Vargas 14 2014 2015 111 418 390 101 14 1 55 .259 .707 /*D3H
12 Dave Hollins 13 1996 1996 121 503 422 102 26 0 53 .242 .760 *5/HD6
13 Nick Punto 12 2004 2010 747 2707 2365 587 102 21 194 .248 .648 564/HD879
14 Alexi Casilla 11 2006 2012 515 1764 1580 395 72 14 147 .250 .639 *4/6HD58
15 Pedro Florimon 10 2012 2014 210 682 616 126 23 3 55 .205 .567 *6/HD
16 Matt Walbeck 8 1994 1996 275 1008 946 218 40 1 103 .230 .571 *2/HD
17 Javier Valentin 8 1997 2002 141 435 391 90 19 2 46 .230 .638 *2/HD
18 Danny Santana 7 2014 2015 192 707 666 185 37 12 61 .278 .710 *6/8HD9
19 Brent Gates 6 1998 1999 217 723 639 161 28 2 80 .252 .656 *5/4H3D6
20 Luis Rodriguez 6 2005 2007 206 508 445 108 19 3 38 .243 .651 /54H6D3
21 Orlando Hudson 6 2010 2010 126 559 497 133 24 5 37 .268 .710 *4/D
22 Jim Perry 5 1963 1972 380 681 613 117 17 2 46 .191 .478 *1/H7
23 Terry Tiffee 5 2004 2006 91 256 239 54 13 1 29 .226 .625 /5H3D
24 Orlando Merced 5 1998 1998 63 223 204 59 12 0 33 .289 .767 /*39DH
25 John Moses 4 1988 1990 349 687 620 171 25 7 57 .276 .693 9H/78D31
26 Matt Tolbert 3 2008 2011 247 680 605 139 27 9 54 .230 .607 4/5H6D39
27 Luis Castillo 3 2006 2007 227 1036 933 279 33 9 67 .299 .720 *4
28 Pedro Ramos 3 1961 1961 53 100 93 16 1 0 11 .172 .484 /*1H
29 Marcus Jensen 3 2000 2000 52 164 139 29 7 1 14 .209 .663 /*2HD
30 Dave McKay 2 1975 1976 78 290 263 60 6 1 24 .228 .562 /*5H6D
31 Jose Offerman 2 2004 2004 77 202 172 44 14 2 22 .256 .759 /*DH34
32 Augie Ojeda 2 2004 2004 30 72 59 20 1 0 7 .339 .886 /*46H5
33 Darrell Brown 1 1983 1984 186 602 569 155 15 5 41 .272 .624 *8/H7D
34 Otis Nixon 1 1998 1998 110 500 448 133 6 6 20 .297 .705 *8/H
35 Wally Backman 1 1989 1989 87 337 299 69 9 2 26 .231 .591 /*4HD
36 Tom Herr 1 1988 1988 86 345 304 80 16 0 21 .263 .674 /*4HD6
37 Chris Latham 1 1997 1999 63 154 138 21 2 0 9 .152 .411 /8H79
38 Kendrys Morales 1 2014 2014 39 162 154 36 11 0 18 .234 .584 /*D3H
39 Rob Bowen 1 2003 2004 24 43 37 4 0 0 3 .108 .380 /*2HD
40 Al Newman 0 1987 1991 618 1876 1647 380 59 7 135 .231 .581 465H/D738
41 J.C. Romero 0 1999 2005 327 3 3 1 1 0 0 .333 1.000 *1
42 Joe Mays 0 1999 2005 193 21 15 4 1 0 0 .267 .722 *1
43 Pat Neshek 0 2006 2010 132 0 0 0 0 0 0 *1
44 Pete Filson 0 1982 1986 130 0 0 0 0 0 0 *1
45 Darrell Jackson 0 1978 1982 104 0 0 0 0 0 0 *1/HD
46 Jose Morales 0 2007 2010 74 181 158 47 9 0 14 .297 .725 /*2HD3
47 Tsuyoshi Nishioka 0 2011 2012 71 254 233 50 5 0 20 .215 .503 /*64HD
48 Doug Baker 0 1988 1990 57 100 86 23 5 1 9 .267 .696 /*46HD5
49 Sergio Ferrer 0 1974 1975 56 157 138 36 3 3 2 .261 .648 /*6H4D
50 Nelson Liriano 0 1990 1990 53 211 185 47 5 7 13 .254 .688 /*4HD6
51 Marty Martinez 0 1962 1962 37 24 18 3 0 1 3 .167 .563 /*H65
52 Dan Serafini 0 1996 1998 35 1 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 /*1
53 Larry Milbourne 0 1982 1982 29 106 98 23 1 1 1 .235 .548 /*4H
54 Donnie Hill 0 1992 1992 25 59 51 15 3 0 2 .294 .721 /6H459
55 Chris Pittaro 0 1986 1987 25 34 33 6 0 0 0 .182 .388 /*4H6D
56 Quinton McCracken 0 2001 2001 24 70 64 14 2 2 3 .219 .588 /DH798
57 Jason Ryan 0 1999 2000 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 /*1
58 Tom Lundstedt 0 1975 1975 18 32 28 3 0 0 1 .107 .326 /*2HD
59 Ruben Sierra 0 2006 2006 14 33 28 5 1 0 4 .179 .487 /*H*D
60 Glenn Williams 0 2005 2005 13 43 40 17 1 0 3 .425 .902 /*5H
61 Stan Perzanowski 0 1978 1978 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 /*1
62 Cleatus Davidson 0 1999 1999 12 24 22 3 0 0 3 .136 .273 /*46HD
63 Jorge Polanco 0 2014 2015 9 20 16 5 1 1 4 .313 .950 /*6H
64 David Lamb 0 2002 2002 7 10 10 1 0 0 0 .100 .200 /*6H45
65 Mark Brown 0 1985 1985 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 /*1
66 Luis Quinones 0 1992 1992 3 6 5 1 0 0 1 .200 .367 /*H6D5
67 Eric Hacker 0 2011 2011 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 /*1
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/10/2016.

You can make a strong case that Mickey Mantle was the best switch-hitter in the AL as he hit .300 (with 500 or more PA’s) or more nine time and Victor Martinez who remains active today has hit. 300 eight times as has Bernie Williams. Roberto Alomar did it seven times.

Guzman, Cristian 3The Twins have not had as much luck with their switch-hitters, the only Twin to hit .300 (.302) or better with at least 500 plate appearances was Cristian Guzman in 2001. It kind of makes you wonder if switch hitting is worth the effort. From 1901 to 1960 the Washington Senators never had a switch-hitter that hit .300 or better with at least 500 PA’s.

History indicates Yohan Pino’s tenure as a Twins starter will be short

Yohan Pino
Yohan Pino

A two-hour and 6 minute rain delay before last nights Twins game at Target Field started was no biggie for Twins starter Yohan Pino. After all, he has toiled in the minors for 10 years and waited 30 years and 175 days before making his Major League debut against the White Sox on Thursday.

The right-hander went seven innings, giving up two runs and five hits and one walk while striking out seven, but was lifted after 7 innings with the score knotted at 2-2. His seven strikeouts were the second most in franchise history in a debut, tying him with Darrell Jackson and Bert Blyleven, and trailing only Boof Bonser‘s eight strikeouts set in 2006.

Andrew Albers
Andrew Albers
Alex McColl
Alex McColl

Pino also became the oldest starting pitcher to make a big league debut in Twins history, passing Andrew Albers, who was 27 years and 304 days old when he made his debut with the Twins just last season. The Twins released Albers this past January allowing him to sign with a South Korean team. Albers ended up signing with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. The oldest pitcher in franchise history to debut in the big leagues was Alex McColl who pitched in his first game for the Washington Senators in 1933 at the age of 39 years and 151 days.

Oldest Twins rookie pitchers to debut in big leagues and have at least one start

Rk Player G GS Year Age ? W L SV IP SO ERA
1 Yohan Pino 1 1 2014 30 0 0 0 7.0 7 2.57
2 Les Straker 31 26 1987 27 8 10 0 154.1 76 4.37
3 Jerry Crider 21 1 1969 27 1 0 1 28.2 16 4.71
4 Cole De Vries 17 16 2012 27 5 5 0 87.2 58 4.11
5 Mark Wiley 15 3 1975 27 1 3 2 38.2 15 6.05
6 Andrew Albers 10 10 2013 27 2 5 0 60.0 25 4.05
7 Tom Klawitter 7 2 1985 27 0 0 0 9.1 5 6.75
8 Dennis Burtt 5 2 1985 27 2 2 0 28.1 9 3.81
9 Matt Fox 1 1 2010 27 0 0 0 5.2 0 3.18
10 Ed Hodge 25 15 1984 26 4 3 0 100.0 59 4.77
11 Brian Duensing 24 9 2009 26 5 2 0 84.0 53 3.64
12 Albert Williams 18 9 1980 26 6 2 1 77.0 35 3.51
13 Francisco Oliveras 12 8 1989 26 3 4 0 55.2 24 4.53
14 Greg Brummett 5 5 1993 26 2 1 0 26.2 10 5.74
15 Jay Pettibone 4 4 1983 26 0 4 0 27.0 10 5.33
16 Dave Gassner 2 2 2005 26 1 0 0 7.2 2 5.87
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/20/2014.
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If you look at the list of pitchers on the list above you will see that none of them were a starter for the Minnesota Twins for very long and in most cases most of them did not pitch for the Twins or anyone else for any length o time. Les Straker did start two World Series games for the Twins in 1987. History seems to indicate that if you do not debut in the big leagues before your 26th birthday (at least with the Twins), the odds are very much against you. We can hope that Yohan Pino has better luck but don’t bet the farm on it. Kyle Gibson just missed being on this list because his big league debut occurred in 2013 at the age of 25 and 249 days.

Twins pitchers that went the extra mile

The Twins have been in Minnesota for 53 years and have played 8,455 games winning 4,204 and losing 4,243. (just a FYI, the Angels who also started play in 1961 have won 4,220 games). Over the 53 years and 8,455 games Twins starters have pitched 9 innings or more in a start exactly 300 times (3.55%). Keep in mind that I am talking 9 innings or more pitched in a start, not complete games.

But sometimes just going 9 innings does not get the job done as you can see in the table below. In these 71 games the Twins starter took the mound in inning number 10 and sometimes even innings 11 and 12. The last Twins starter to hurl more than 9 innings in a start was Brad Radke in 1997.

But only one starting pitcher for the Twins, Jim Merritt has gone 13 innings and that remains a team record that in today’s pitch count world will probably never be broken. The franchise record is 18 innings held by Hall of Famer Walter Johnson who went the distance in a 1-0 Washington Senators win over the Chicago White Sox at Griffith Stadium in just 2 hours and 50 minutes on May 15, 1918.

Jim  Merritt
Jim Merritt
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO BF
1 Jim Merritt 1967-07-26 (2) MIN NYY W 3-2 GS-13 13.0 7 2 2 1 7 46
2 Camilo Pascual 1963-07-23 MIN CLE L 2-3 CG 13 ,L 12.2 7 3 3 2 11 46
3 Dave Boswell 1969-07-14 MIN CHW W 4-3 GS-12 12.0 10 3 2 0 7 46
4 Jim Kaat 1969-05-20 MIN BAL W 3-2 GS-13 ,W 12.0 8 2 1 4 4 47
5 Camilo Pascual 1964-10-01 MIN KCA L 4-5 CG 12 ,L 12.0 12 5 1 3 14 52
6 Jim Roland 1964-05-19 MIN NYY W 7-2 GS-12 ,W 12.0 7 2 2 6 8 50
7 Camilo Pascual 1962-09-12 MIN CHW L 1-2 CG 12 ,L 12.0 12 2 2 2 7 47
8 Dave Goltz 1977-07-25 MIN OAK W 2-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 8 1 1 1 14 41
9 Bill Singer 1976-09-01 MIN MIL W 3-2 GS-11 11.0 6 2 2 6 3 43
10 Dave Goltz 1976-05-18 MIN OAK W 4-3 CG 11 ,W 11.0 7 3 3 3 7 43
11 Bert Blyleven 1975-08-27 MIN MIL W 1-0 SHO11 ,W 11.0 6 0 0 1 13 39
12 Jim Kaat 1973-06-23 MIN CAL L 1-3 CG 11 ,L 11.0 11 3 3 4 6 46
13 Jim Kaat 1972-05-24 MIN KCR W 1-0 GS-11 ,W 11.0 5 0 0 3 7 40
14 Jim Perry 1970-08-07 MIN OAK W 2-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 5 1 1 3 7 41
15 Jim Kaat 1969-04-09 MIN KCR L 3-4 GS-12 11.0 8 3 2 5 4 42
16 Jim Kaat 1964-04-26 MIN DET W 3-2 CG 11 ,W 11.0 7 2 2 3 11 43
17 Jim Kaat 1962-08-01 MIN BAL W 3-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 9 1 1 4 12 47
18 Pedro Ramos 1961-04-28 MIN LAA L 5-6 GS-11 11.0 6 4 4 4 10 43
19 Mudcat Grant 1966-08-28 (1) MIN CHW L 3-4 GS-11 10.2 9 3 3 4 2 44
20 Jack Kralick 1961-04-30 MIN CHW L 3-5 GS-11 ,L 10.2 12 5 5 6 6 50
21 Bert Blyleven 1972-09-27 (1) MIN OAK L 0-1 CG 11 ,L 10.1 7 1 1 2 9 39
22 Jim Kaat 1962-08-10 MIN LAA L 0-1 CG 11 ,L 10.1 6 1 1 4 8 42
23 Brad Radke 1997-09-21 MIN MIL W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 6 1 1 0 9 36
24 Allan Anderson 1986-06-11 MIN TEX L 2-6 GS-10 10.0 8 2 2 4 3 37
25 John Butcher 1985-05-15 MIN DET W 5-4 GS-10 10.0 12 4 4 2 7 45
26 Frank Viola 1984-09-20 MIN CHW W 5-4 GS-10 10.0 4 4 4 2 6 36
27 Darrell Jackson 1980-08-14 MIN OAK L 1-2 GS-10 10.0 6 1 1 3 4 38
28 Jerry Koosman 1980-07-30 MIN NYY W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 3 1 1 5 4 38
29 Darrell Jackson 1980-05-10 MIN NYY W 1-0 GS-10 ,W 10.0 5 0 0 1 2 35
30 Dave Goltz 1979-09-27 MIN CHW L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 12 4 4 1 5 42
31 Paul Hartzell 1979-07-01 MIN CHW W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 8 1 1 2 1 38
32 Dave Goltz 1978-08-24 MIN TEX L 1-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 6 4 4 1 4 36
33 Roger Erickson 1978-08-17 MIN KCR W 6-5 CG 10 ,W 10.0 8 5 5 4 3 41
34 Dave Goltz 1976-06-29 MIN KCR L 0-1 CG 10 ,L 10.0 3 1 0 4 2 36
35 Bert Blyleven 1975-09-15 MIN CAL W 7-6 GS-10 10.0 12 6 5 3 12 42
36 Bert Blyleven 1975-07-17 MIN BAL L 3-6 GS-10 10.0 8 3 3 5 7 42
37 Vic Albury 1974-06-22 MIN CHW L 1-3 CG 10 ,L 10.0 5 3 3 4 5 40
38 Ray Corbin 1973-09-29 MIN CAL L 3-4 GS-10 10.0 7 3 3 3 5 39
39 Bert Blyleven 1973-08-30 MIN TEX W 5-2 GS-11 ,W 10.0 12 2 2 2 7 43
40 Dick Woodson 1973-07-17 (1) MIN NYY L 3-4 GS-10 10.0 5 3 2 4 2 37
41 Ray Corbin 1972-08-27 (2) MIN DET L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 5 0 0 3 2 36
42 Ray Corbin 1972-08-06 (1) MIN OAK L 3-6 GS-10 10.0 8 3 1 2 4 43
43 Bert Blyleven 1972-07-08 MIN NYY L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 7 0 0 6 10 41
44 Bert Blyleven 1971-09-01 MIN CHW L 0-2 GS-10 10.0 5 0 0 1 6 36
45 Jim Perry 1971-07-15 MIN BOS L 0-3 GS-10 10.0 3 0 0 4 5 36
46 Jim Perry 1968-09-11 MIN CLE L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 8 0 0 0 5 37
47 Jim Merritt 1968-04-22 MIN BAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 10.0 6 2 2 2 6 36
48 Jim Kaat 1967-09-18 MIN KCA W 2-0 SHO10 ,W 10.0 6 0 0 0 12 36
49 Dean Chance 1967-08-30 MIN BAL L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 9 4 3 1 7 41
50 Jim Kaat 1964-09-10 MIN CHW L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 10.0 8 2 2 2 5 40
51 Dick Stigman 1964-07-03 MIN NYY W 1-0 SHO10 ,W 10.0 4 0 0 2 5 32
52 Camilo Pascual 1963-08-25 MIN BAL W 5-3 CG 10 ,W 10.0 10 3 1 7 8 45
53 Dick Stigman 1963-05-03 MIN NYY L 3-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 8 4 4 2 8 39
54 Jim Kaat 1962-08-05 (1) MIN DET W 8-3 GS-10 ,W 10.0 7 2 2 1 5 37
55 Camilo Pascual 1961-09-06 (2) MIN CHW L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 10 4 2 4 3 47
56 Jim Hughes 1975-06-19 MIN OAK L 2-5 GS-10 ,L 9.2 9 5 5 6 5 43
57 Jim Kaat 1971-06-09 MIN BAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.2 11 2 1 0 6 40
58 Jim Merritt 1968-05-20 MIN DET L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.2 6 4 1 2 6 39
59 Camilo Pascual 1961-05-02 MIN NYY L 4-6 GS-10 ,L 9.2 7 6 6 5 7 41
60 Kevin Tapani 1992-08-20 MIN CLE L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 3 2 2 2 4 32
61 Neal Heaton 1986-10-02 MIN CHW L 4-8 GS-10 ,L 9.1 7 6 5 1 6 35
62 Brad Havens 1982-09-22 MIN TOR L 2-3 GS-10 ,L 9.1 6 3 2 1 8 33
63 Roger Erickson 1981-05-23 MIN KCR L 0-1 GS-10 9.1 7 0 0 1 7 34
64 Pete Redfern 1981-05-09 MIN CLE L 1-2 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 2 1 3 7 39
65 Jerry Koosman 1981-05-04 MIN BAL L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 4 3 4 6 41
66 Roger Erickson 1980-07-18 MIN BOS L 0-1 CG 10 ,L 9.1 8 1 1 2 3 38
67 Jerry Koosman 1980-07-02 MIN KCR L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 4 4 2 5 38
68 Dave Goltz 1976-06-21 MIN CAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 8 2 2 2 1 36
69 Ray Corbin 1972-09-27 (2) MIN OAK L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 9 2 2 1 5 39
70 Jim Kaat 1962-05-20 (2) MIN NYY W 4-2 GS-10 9.1 4 2 1 7 7 38
71 Camilo Pascual 1961-09-29 MIN DET L 4-6 GS-10 ,L 9.1 12 6 6 4 7 43
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

What about the relievers?

But it is not just starting pitchers that have toiled long and hard to win a game. Here I look at relievers who have pitched 7 or more innings of relief in a game and Ray Corbin holds the team record for pitching 10.1 innings of relief against the Tigers in 1975. Corbin who was a starter/reliever during his five years in Minnesota pitched in just 11 more big league games after this long relief outing allowing at least one earned run in each appearance and never again pitched in a big league game.

Ray  Corbin
Ray Corbin
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO BF
1 Ray Corbin 1975-05-21 MIN DET W 6-5 1-11f,W 10.1 7 2 1 4 4 42
2 Jim Kaat 1969-09-06 MIN OAK W 8-6 9-18 ,W 9.1 8 1 1 5 10 44
3 John Sutton 1978-08-07 MIN SEA L 5-6 5-13 9.0 5 0 0 3 4 34
4 Vic Albury 1975-06-30 MIN CAL L 3-10 1-9f 9.0 6 4 1 7 4 38
5 John Verhoeven 1980-07-21 (1) MIN BAL W 8-7 3-11f,W 8.2 7 2 2 2 2 34
6 Tom Burgmeier 1976-08-30 MIN MIL W 10-3 1-9f ,W 8.2 3 1 1 0 4 29
7 Tom Burgmeier 1976-04-25 MIN BAL W 7-2 1-9f ,W 8.2 5 1 1 1 1 30
8 Al Worthington 1967-08-09 MIN WSA L 7-9 8-16 8.2 2 0 0 2 8 30
9 Tom Johnson 1976-09-02 MIN MIL W 8-4 1-9f ,W 8.1 6 1 1 0 6 31
10 Bill Campbell 1975-06-10 MIN CLE W 5-3 1-10 8.1 7 1 1 1 3 32
11 Tom Hall 1969-08-17 MIN WSA W 4-3 3-11 8.0 2 1 1 3 5 30
12 Pedro Ramos 1961-06-16 MIN CHW W 6-1 2-9f ,W 8.0 4 0 0 1 4 28
13 Dennis Burtt 1985-10-04 MIN CLE L 6-8 1-8 ,L 7.2 6 3 3 0 2 28
14 Pete Filson 1985-05-19 MIN TOR W 8-2 2-9f ,W 7.2 3 1 1 1 2 27
15 Mac Scarce 1978-06-07 MIN CHW L 3-8 2-9f 7.2 6 1 1 2 4 27
16 Tom Burgmeier 1976-08-25 MIN NYY L 4-5 12-19f,L 7.2 3 1 1 2 1 25
17 Vic Albury 1975-06-24 MIN OAK L 4-6 1-8f 7.2 6 2 2 7 4 34
18 Bill Butler 1974-09-13 MIN KCR W 6-5 2-9 7.2 2 0 0 4 3 28
19 Jim Kaat 1962-05-12 MIN KCA W 5-4 2-9f ,W 7.2 2 0 0 1 4 25
20 Dave Goltz 1974-07-19 MIN DET W 7-5 1-8 ,W 7.1 7 2 2 1 4 29
21 Danny Fife 1973-08-22 MIN BAL L 3-4 1-8f ,L 7.1 3 1 1 4 3 28
22 Dave Boswell 1965-05-11 MIN CAL W 3-2 1-8 7.1 4 1 0 2 9 28
23 Lee Stange 1962-08-04 MIN DET W 4-3 2-9f ,W 7.1 6 0 0 1 3 27
24 Bill Pleis 1962-07-04 (1) MIN BOS W 8-4 2-9f ,W 7.1 5 2 2 1 2 28
25 Jack O’Connor 1982-06-26 MIN TOR W 4-3 1-8 7.0 6 1 1 0 5 27
26 Jeff Holly 1977-05-01 MIN DET W 6-5 3-9f ,W 7.0 2 0 0 1 6 23
27 Tom Johnson 1975-08-11 MIN MIL W 8-7 3-9f ,W 7.0 5 1 1 2 4 28
28 Ray Corbin 1975-07-24 MIN BOS L 2-6 3-9f 7.0 5 3 2 4 1 29
29 Jim Hughes 1975-05-04 MIN KCR W 6-3 3-9f ,W 7.0 4 0 0 4 5 30
30 Bill Campbell 1974-08-08 MIN KCR W 3-2 8-14f,W 7.0 5 1 0 6 2 31
31 Bill Hands 1973-09-01 MIN TEX W 10-7 3-9f ,W 7.0 6 1 0 1 6 28
32 Ray Corbin 1971-07-17 MIN WSA W 5-3 3-9f ,W 7.0 4 0 0 1 4 25
33 Jim Perry 1964-08-06 MIN BOS W 6-5 1-7 ,W 7.0 7 1 1 4 6 31
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

 

 

Twins “games started” history

The Twins will have three starters that will start 20 or more games during this 2013 season. Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey, and Scott Diamond have all passed that mark and there is no chance of anyone else joining that group. Samuel Deduno had 18 starts but he is done for the season. In 2012 the Twins had just one starter with 20 or more starts and that was Scott Diamond. 2012 was the first time in Twins history that they had only one starter with 20 or more starts. The Twins had only two starters with 20 or more starts only twice and those were the strike shortened 1981 and 1995 seasons. The Twins have had three starters start 20 or more games 12 times, four starters with 20 or more starts 17 times and five starters with 20 or more starts on eight occasions with the last two being 2010 and 2011. Only 6 teams in AL history have had 6 starters with 20 or more starts in a season and they were the 1937 White Sox, the 1942 Tigers, the 1944 Philadelphia A’s, the 1962 Senators, and the 2001 Rays. The Rays will be joining that group again on Monday when Alex Cobb makes his 20th start of 2013.

Twins starters with 20 or more starts

Year Tm #Matching
2011 Minnesota Twins 5 Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Brian Duensing / Francisco Liriano / Carl Pavano
2010 Minnesota Twins 5 Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Francisco Liriano / Carl Pavano / Kevin Slowey
2008 Minnesota Twins 5 Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Livan Hernandez / Glen Perkins / Kevin Slowey
2005 Minnesota Twins 5 Kyle Lohse / Joe Mays / Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2003 Minnesota Twins 5 Kyle Lohse / Joe Mays / Brad Radke / Rick Reed / Kenny Rogers
1990 Minnesota Twins 5 Allan Anderson / Mark Guthrie / Roy Smith / Kevin Tapani / David West
1979 Minnesota Twins 5 Roger Erickson / Dave Goltz / Paul Hartzell / Jerry Koosman / Geoff Zahn
1963 Minnesota Twins 5 Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual / Jim Perry / Lee Stange / Dick Stigman
2007 Minnesota Twins 4 Scott Baker / Boof Bonser / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2004 Minnesota Twins 4 Kyle Lohse / Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2002 Minnesota Twins 4 Kyle Lohse / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Rick Reed
2000 Minnesota Twins 4 Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Mark Redman
1999 Minnesota Twins 4 LaTroy Hawkins / Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke
1998 Minnesota Twins 4 LaTroy Hawkins / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Bob Tewksbury
1997 Minnesota Twins 4 LaTroy Hawkins / Brad Radke / Rich Robertson / Bob Tewksbury
1994 Minnesota Twins 4 Jim Deshaies / Scott Erickson / Pat Mahomes / Kevin Tapani
1993 Minnesota Twins 4 Willie Banks / Jim Deshaies / Scott Erickson / Kevin Tapani
1992 Minnesota Twins 4 Scott Erickson / Bill Krueger / John Smiley / Kevin Tapani
1991 Minnesota Twins 4 Allan Anderson / Scott Erickson / Jack Morris / Kevin Tapani
1989 Minnesota Twins 4 Allan Anderson / Shane Rawley / Roy Smith / Frank Viola
1988 Minnesota Twins 4 Allan Anderson / Bert Blyleven / Charlie Lea / Frank Viola
1987 Minnesota Twins 4 Bert Blyleven / Mike Smithson / Les Straker / Frank Viola
1985 Minnesota Twins 4 John Butcher / Ken Schrom / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1984 Minnesota Twins 4 John Butcher / Ken Schrom / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1983 Minnesota Twins 4 Bobby Castillo / Ken Schrom / Frank Viola / Albert Williams
1982 Minnesota Twins 4 Bobby Castillo / Brad Havens / Frank Viola / Albert Williams
1980 Minnesota Twins 4 Roger Erickson / Darrell Jackson / Jerry Koosman / Geoff Zahn
1978 Minnesota Twins 4 Roger Erickson / Dave Goltz / Gary Serum / Geoff Zahn
1977 Minnesota Twins 4 Dave Goltz / Pete Redfern / Paul Thormodsgard / Geoff Zahn
1976 Minnesota Twins 4 Dave Goltz / Jim Hughes / Pete Redfern / Bill Singer
1974 Minnesota Twins 4 Vic Albury / Bert Blyleven / Joe Decker / Dave Goltz
1973 Minnesota Twins 4 Bert Blyleven / Joe Decker / Jim Kaat / Dick Woodson
1970 Minnesota Twins 4 Bert Blyleven / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry / Bill Zepp
1968 Minnesota Twins 4 Dave Boswell / Dean Chance / Jim Kaat / Jim Merritt
1967 Minnesota Twins 4 Dave Boswell / Dean Chance / Jim Kaat / Jim Merritt
1966 Minnesota Twins 4 Dave Boswell / Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1964 Minnesota Twins 4 Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual / Dick Stigman
1961 Minnesota Twins 4 Jim Kaat / Jack Kralick / Camilo Pascual / Pedro Ramos
2013 Minnesota Twins 3 Kevin Correia / Scott Diamond / Mike Pelfrey
2009 Minnesota Twins 3 Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Francisco Liriano
2006 Minnesota Twins 3 Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2001 Minnesota Twins 3 Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke
1996 Minnesota Twins 3 Brad Radke / Rich Robertson / Frankie Rodriguez
1986 Minnesota Twins 3 Bert Blyleven / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1975 Minnesota Twins 3 Bert Blyleven / Dave Goltz / Jim Hughes
1972 Minnesota Twins 3 Bert Blyleven / Jim Perry / Dick Woodson
1971 Minnesota Twins 3 Bert Blyleven / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1969 Minnesota Twins 3 Dave Boswell / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1965 Minnesota Twins 3 Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual
1962 Minnesota Twins 3 Jim Kaat / Jack Kralick / Camilo Pascual
1995 Minnesota Twins 2 Brad Radke / Kevin Tapani
1981 Minnesota Twins 2 Pete Redfern / Albert Williams
2012 Minnesota Twins 1 Scott Diamond
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/15/2013.
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Seasons with 20 or more starts

Rk Yrs From To Age
1 Brad Radke 12 1995 2006 22-33 Ind. Seasons
2 Jim Kaat 12 1961 1973 22-34 Ind. Seasons
3 Bert Blyleven 9 1970 1988 19-37 Ind. Seasons
4 Frank Viola 8 1982 1989 22-29 Ind. Seasons
5 Kevin Tapani 6 1990 1995 26-31 Ind. Seasons
6 Dave Goltz 6 1974 1979 25-30 Ind. Seasons
7 Jim Perry 6 1963 1972 27-36 Ind. Seasons
8 Scott Baker 5 2007 2011 25-29 Ind. Seasons
9 Joe Mays 5 1999 2005 23-29 Ind. Seasons
10 Eric Milton 5 1998 2002 22-26 Ind. Seasons
11 Camilo Pascual 5 1961 1965 27-31 Ind. Seasons
12 Nick Blackburn 4 2008 2011 26-29 Ind. Seasons
13 Carlos Silva 4 2004 2007 25-28 Ind. Seasons
14 Johan Santana 4 2004 2007 25-28 Ind. Seasons
15 Kyle Lohse 4 2002 2005 23-26 Ind. Seasons
16 Scott Erickson 4 1991 1994 23-26 Ind. Seasons
17 Allan Anderson 4 1988 1991 24-27 Ind. Seasons
18 Mike Smithson 4 1984 1987 29-32 Ind. Seasons
19 Geoff Zahn 4 1977 1980 31-34 Ind. Seasons
20 Dave Boswell 4 1966 1969 21-24 Ind. Seasons
21 Francisco Liriano 3 2009 2011 25-27 Ind. Seasons
22 LaTroy Hawkins 3 1997 1999 24-26 Ind. Seasons
23 Ken Schrom 3 1983 1985 28-30 Ind. Seasons
24 Albert Williams 3 1981 1983 27-29 Ind. Seasons
25 Roger Erickson 3 1978 1980 21-23 Ind. Seasons
Rk Yrs From To Age
26 Pete Redfern 3 1976 1981 21-26 Ind. Seasons
27 Mudcat Grant 3 1964 1966 28-30 Ind. Seasons
28 Scott Diamond 2 2012 2013 25-26 Ind. Seasons
29 Carl Pavano 2 2010 2011 34-35 Ind. Seasons
30 Kevin Slowey 2 2008 2010 24-26 Ind. Seasons
31 Rick Reed 2 2002 2003 37-38 Ind. Seasons
32 Bob Tewksbury 2 1997 1998 36-37 Ind. Seasons
33 Rich Robertson 2 1996 1997 27-28 Ind. Seasons
34 Jim Deshaies 2 1993 1994 33-34 Ind. Seasons
35 Roy Smith 2 1989 1990 27-28 Ind. Seasons
36 John Butcher 2 1984 1985 27-28 Ind. Seasons
37 Bobby Castillo 2 1982 1983 27-28 Ind. Seasons
38 Jerry Koosman 2 1979 1980 36-37 Ind. Seasons
39 Jim Hughes 2 1975 1976 23-24 Ind. Seasons
40 Joe Decker 2 1973 1974 26-27 Ind. Seasons
41 Dick Woodson 2 1972 1973 27-28 Ind. Seasons
42 Jim Merritt 2 1967 1968 23-24 Ind. Seasons
43 Dean Chance 2 1967 1968 26-27 Ind. Seasons
44 Dick Stigman 2 1963 1964 27-28 Ind. Seasons
45 Jack Kralick 2 1961 1962 26-27 Ind. Seasons
46 Mike Pelfrey 1 2013 2013 29-29 Ind. Seasons
47 Kevin Correia 1 2013 2013 32-32 Ind. Seasons
48 Brian Duensing 1 2011 2011 28-28 Ind. Seasons
49 Glen Perkins 1 2008 2008 25-25 Ind. Seasons
50 Livan Hernandez 1 2008 2008 33-33 Ind. Seasons
Rk Yrs From To Age
51 Boof Bonser 1 2007 2007 25-25 Ind. Seasons
52 Kenny Rogers 1 2003 2003 38-38 Ind. Seasons
53 Mark Redman 1 2000 2000 26-26 Ind. Seasons
54 Frankie Rodriguez 1 1996 1996 23-23 Ind. Seasons
55 Pat Mahomes 1 1994 1994 23-23 Ind. Seasons
56 Willie Banks 1 1993 1993 24-24 Ind. Seasons
57 John Smiley 1 1992 1992 27-27 Ind. Seasons
58 Bill Krueger 1 1992 1992 34-34 Ind. Seasons
59 Jack Morris 1 1991 1991 36-36 Ind. Seasons
60 David West 1 1990 1990 25-25 Ind. Seasons
61 Mark Guthrie 1 1990 1990 24-24 Ind. Seasons
62 Shane Rawley 1 1989 1989 33-33 Ind. Seasons
63 Charlie Lea 1 1988 1988 31-31 Ind. Seasons
64 Les Straker 1 1987 1987 27-27 Ind. Seasons
65 Brad Havens 1 1982 1982 22-22 Ind. Seasons
66 Darrell Jackson 1 1980 1980 24-24 Ind. Seasons
67 Paul Hartzell 1 1979 1979 25-25 Ind. Seasons
68 Gary Serum 1 1978 1978 21-21 Ind. Seasons
69 Paul Thormodsgard 1 1977 1977 23-23 Ind. Seasons
70 Bill Singer 1 1976 1976 32-32 Ind. Seasons
71 Vic Albury 1 1974 1974 27-27 Ind. Seasons
72 Bill Zepp 1 1970 1970 23-23 Ind. Seasons
73 Lee Stange 1 1963 1963 26-26 Ind. Seasons
74 Pedro Ramos 1 1961 1961 26-26 Ind. Seasons
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/15/2013.

Bonus tidbit

Trivia question for you. How many different Twins pitchers have started at least one game since the Twins came into existence?

According to Elias

Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson defeated the Royals and struck out five batters in his first game in the major leagues yesterday. Only two other Twins pitchers started and won their major-league debut while striking out five or more batters since the team moved in Minnesota in 1961: Bert Blyleven in 1970 at RFK Stadium against the Senators and Darrell Jackson in 1978 at Metropolitan Stadium against the Tigers; they each had seven strikeouts.

Gibson becomes the first Twins first-round draft pick to win his major league debut, nine others have tried and failed. Gibson joins Anthony Swarzak (5/23/09), Dave Gassner (4/16/05), Eric Milton (4/5/98), Scott Erickson (6/25/90), Darrell Jackson (6/16/78), Roger Erickson (4/6/78), Paul Thormodsgard (4/10/77), Pete Redfern (5/15/76) and Bert Blyleven (6/5/70) as Twins starters that have earned a win in their MLB debut.

Twins switch-hitters

In baseball, a switch-hitter is a batter that bats either from the right side or the left side depending on if the pitcher is right or left-handed. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher making such pitches often harder to hit than those from the other side. History tells us that most right-handed batters hit better against lefty pitchers and left-handed batters hit better against right-handers. This so-called platoon benefit is why managers use pinch hitters and LOOGY’s and why some players want to become switch-hitters.

Switch-hitting at its best

Switch-hitters have been around for ever it seems and yet according to sources that I have researched, only about 6% of baseball batters have been switch-hitters. You have to wonder if switch-hitting is such an advantage, why haven’t more of baseball best hitters been switch-hitters? The best career batting average for a switch-hitter is .316 by Frankie Frisch and he currently ranks 71st all-time. Some of the best switch-hitters in our era have been  Chipper Jones at .306 and Pete Rose at .303. Detroit Tigers DH Victor Martinez has a career average of .302 making him the highest currently active switch-hitter. Switch-hitters have been around for a long time and there have been some pretty good ones over the years, in addition to the players I just mentioned, you have to add players like Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, Roberto Alomar, Bernie Williams, George Davis, Lance Berkman, Tim Raines and Chili Davis to the list of switch-hitting greats.

Switch-hitting and the rules

A question often asked is can a batter switch for right to left or left to right during an at bat. The only rule that I can find that seemingly applies is 6.06(b) which states that “A batter is out for illegal action when he steps from one batter’s box to the other while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch.” Based on that, it appears you can switch from one batters box to the other as often as you want as long as you do it before the pitcher gets in his pitching position.

Twins switch-hitting history

The Twins currently have four switch-hitters on their 25 man playing roster, C Ryan Doumit, SS Pedro Florimon, OF Aaron Hicks, and utility man Eduardo Escobar.

Roy Smalley III
Roy Smalley III

In the Twins 53 years of existence the team has had 62 players that were switch-hitters but not all of them actually batted and we will touch more on that later. The Twins very first switch-hitter was actually a pitcher, Pedro Ramos. Ramos pitched and batted (1 for 4 with 2 RBI) in the Twins very first game when Ramos and the Twins shut out the New York Yankees 6-0 on April 11, 1961 at Yankee Stadium. The first Twins switch-hitting position player to appear in a game was SS Marty Martinez when he had an at bat against the Yankees at Met Stadium on May 30, 1962 in game 2 of a doubleheader. Martinez actually appeared in 3 earlier games as a Twins but was used strictly as a pinch-runner by manager Sam Mele. It wasn’t until 1976 however; that the Twins actually had a regular position player switch-hitting and that year they had two, rookie catcher Butch Wynegar and SS Roy Smalley. The Twins are playing their 53rd season and there has only been one year, 1973 that they have not had a switch-hitter step into the batters box wearing a Twins uniform. On the other hand, they had nine switch-hitters (Cristian Guzman was the only starter) at one time or another on their 1999 team that finished 63-97.

Twins switch-hitting pitchers

Looking at the Twins 62 switch-hitters, eleven of them were pitchers and claimed to be switch-hitters but only Pedro Ramos, Jim PerryDan Serafini, JC Romero, and Joe Mays actually set foot in the batters box. The other six, Stan Perzanowski, Darrell Jackson, Pete Filson, Jason Ryan, Pat Neshek, and Eric Hacker were switch-hitters only on the back of their baseball cards because they never batted in a Twins game. Jim Perry actually hit five home runs as a Twin.

Home runs from each side of the plate club

The Twins switch-hitter with the most home runs is Roy Smalley and he hit 163 career home runs and 110 of them were when he was a Minnesota Twin. The “home runs from each side of the plate” club is relatively exclusive but three of the members were Twins. Roy Smalley accomplished that rare feat twice, once against the Boston Red Sox at the Metrodome on  May 30, 1986 and once earlier in his career as a New York Yankee in 1982. Chili Davis became the second Twin to join the club when he did it against the Royals on October 2, 1992.  Ryan Doumit became the third Twin to do so when too joined the exclusive fraternity against the Royals on July 22, 2012. Chili Davis hit a home run from each side of the plate 11 times in his illustrious 19 year career. Just for comparisons sake, Mickey Mantle did it on 10 occasions.

One oddity that seems to stand out to me is how few of the switch-hitters employed by the Twins over the years actually threw left-handed. If you exclude the 11 switch-hitting pitchers from the list you are left with 51 switch-hitters and only one of the 51 threw left-handed, the other fifty were right-handed. Kind of strange. The lone left-handed position player was John Moses. But keep in mind that John Moses an outfielder by trade, actually pitched in 3 games for the Twins and it gets even stranger.

Twins best switch-hitters

So let’s take a look at the Twins top switch-hitters, there is no good way to rank them so I will list here all the Twins switch-hitters that have 1,000 or more plate appearances in a Twins uniform. The chart also shows positions played, games played, home runs and batting average. All the numbers on this chart are their Twins career numbers. Many of these players played for other teams but those numbers are not included here, I am only interested in their numbers as Minnesota Twins for this story.

Name Positions PA Games HR AVG
1 Roy Smalley 6,5,3 4676 1148 110 .262
2 Cristian Guzman 6 3538 841 39 .266
3 Butch Wynegar 2,5 3188 794 37 .254
4 Nick Punto 5,4,6,8,3 2707 747 12 .248
5 Gene Larkin 3.9.5.4 2670 758 32 .266
6 Denny Hocking 4,6,8,5,3 2455 876 25 .252
7 Al Newman 6,4,5,8 1876 618 0 .231
8 Alexi Casilla 4,6,5,8 1764 515 11 .250
9 Chili Davis DH,9,3 1163 291 41 .282
10 Luis Castillo 4 1036 227 3 .299
11 Matt Walbeck 2 1008 275 8 .230

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