April 28, 1961 – The Twins and the Los Angeles Angels are tied 4-4 after 9 innings at Wrigley Field. The Twins score an unearned run in the top of the 12th and take the lead 5-4. Twins skipper Cookie Lavagetto pulls starter Pedro Ramos who has pitched the first 11 innings and brings in reliever Bill “Shorty” Pleis to close out the victory. Pleis gets the first out but then gives up a game tieing home run to Ken Hamlin. The next two hitters get singles but Pleis retires Leon Wagner for the second out. The Twins decide to intentionally walk Ted Kluszewski to load the bases. So what happens next? Shorty Pleis hits Ken Hunt and the Angels have a walk-off hit-by-pitcher win. Yikes!! It was the thirteen game the new formed Minnesota Twins had ever played and it turns out to be their first ever walkoff loss. Boxscore
Tag: Pedro Ramos
Former Twins pitcher Bill Whitby passed away March 12, 2016
I found out just recently that former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bill Whitby had passed away on March 12, 2016 in Huntersville, North Carolina at the age of 72 from heart disease.
William Edward Whitby was born in Crewe, Virginia on July 29, 1943. Bill was a star athlete at Victoria High School (Virginia) and after his high school graduation signed as a 17-year-old amateur free agent with the Minnesota Twins for $10,000, a substantial bonus back then.
Bill started his professional pitching career as a 17 year old in class D ball with the Wytheville Twins and played there with future Twins to be Jim Manning, Tony Oliva, Frank Quilici, and Ted Uhlaender. Whitby climbed the Twins minor league ladder quickly and found himself pitching for the AA Charlotte Hornets late in 1963. In 1964 Bill started the season in Charlotte again but got the call that all players wait for, the call to the big leagues. Bill Whitby made his big league debut at the age of 20 on June 17, 1964 at Cleveland Stadium in game 2 of a doubleheader in the 8th inning with two runners on and two out with the Twins trailing 4-0. He retired Indians second baseman Larry Brown for the final out but in the ninth inning he got the first batter out before giving up a home run (Pedro Ramos) and a single before retiring the final two batters. Whitby made three more relief appearances in a Twins uniform before being returned to Charlotte.
Sadly for Bill, it turned out that those four appearances for the Twins would be his only pitching opportunities in the big leagues. Bill started the 1965 season in Charlotte but after posting a 10-8 record with a 2.61 ERA (including pitching a no-hitter) he was promoted to AAA Denver where it turns out he spent the next four years. The Twins traded RHP Bill Whitby to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 1, 1969 and in return received 1B Bill Davis and RHP Mel Nelson. Bill pitched briefly in 1970 for AAA Denver which was then a Washington Senators affiliate before encountering some shoulder issues that prompted him to hang up his baseball spikes for good at the age of 26.
Bill and his wife Donelle were married for over 50 years and actually met when Donelle was selected as “Miss Hornet” in 1964 and Bill who was playing for Charlotte at the time served as her escort. As part of being selected “Miss Hornet”, Donelle Ranson was also given a trip to spring training in Melbourne, Florida where she and Bill started dating and on February 12, 1966 they were married and went on to have two children, son’s Brian and Kevin.
After baseball was in his rear view mirror Bill and Donelle returned to their farming roots and bought a farm near Huntersville, North Carolina where they raised beef cattle and some crops. When I talked with Donelle she was very grateful to the Minnesota Twins because they provided the opportunity for her and Bill to meet and share a wonderful life together.
The Fleeting Baseball Memories of Bill Whitby
Bill’s son put together this YouTube video about his Dad’s life
Sporting News August 28, 1965 P37
Sporting News March 26, 1966 P12
Our condolences to Bill Whitby’s family and friends and to Bill Whitby, thank you for the memories!
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 | 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 |
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.
The 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.
Historical look at Twins pitchers and home runs allowed
Minnesota Twins pitchers allowed 147 home runs in 2014. The fewest home runs allowed by a Twins pitching staff in a full season of 162 games occurred in 1976 when that pitching staff gave up just 89 round trippers to the opponents and the Twins went on to finish with an 85-77 record. On the opposite end of the spectrum the 1996 Twins pitching staff allowed a franchise record 233 home runs and finished the season with a 78-84 record. It only took one season for Ricky Nolasco to make the list but he can pitch his way off this list, the others can’t.
Twins career HR/9 with minimum of 120 innings pitched
Rk | Player | IP | From | To | G | GS | W | L | SV | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dave Stevens | 1.88 | 191.2 | 1994 | 1997 | 135 | 6 | 14 | 12 | .538 | 21 | 5.82 | 40 | .296 |
2 | Scott Aldred | 1.81 | 199.1 | 1996 | 1997 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 15 | .348 | 0 | 6.10 | 40 | .298 |
3 | Jose Parra | 1.78 | 131.2 | 1995 | 1996 | 39 | 17 | 6 | 10 | .375 | 0 | 6.77 | 26 | .310 |
4 | Liam Hendriks | 1.73 | 156.0 | 2011 | 2013 | 30 | 28 | 2 | 13 | .133 | 0 | 6.06 | 30 | .313 |
5 | Pat Mahomes | 1.64 | 366.2 | 1992 | 1996 | 114 | 51 | 18 | 28 | .391 | 3 | 5.82 | 67 | .284 |
6 | Jim Deshaies | 1.63 | 297.2 | 1993 | 1994 | 52 | 52 | 17 | 25 | .405 | 0 | 5.71 | 54 | .285 |
7 | Rick Reed | 1.50 | 390.2 | 2001 | 2003 | 72 | 65 | 25 | 25 | .500 | 0 | 4.47 | 65 | .280 |
8 | Kevin Slowey | 1.42 | 532.2 | 2007 | 2011 | 100 | 90 | 39 | 29 | .574 | 0 | 4.66 | 84 | .285 |
9 | Boof Bonser | 1.40 | 391.2 | 2006 | 2008 | 96 | 60 | 18 | 25 | .419 | 0 | 5.12 | 61 | .281 |
10 | Mark Portugal | 1.40 | 238.2 | 1985 | 1988 | 72 | 26 | 11 | 19 | .367 | 4 | 5.13 | 37 | .280 |
11 | Terry Felton | 1.37 | 138.1 | 1979 | 1982 | 55 | 10 | 0 | 16 | .000 | 3 | 5.53 | 21 | .240 |
12 | Eric Milton | 1.36 | 987.1 | 1998 | 2003 | 166 | 165 | 57 | 51 | .528 | 0 | 4.76 | 149 | .259 |
13 | Ray Moore | 1.35 | 159.2 | 1961 | 1963 | 126 | 1 | 13 | 10 | .565 | 25 | 4.90 | 24 | .252 |
14 | Dick Stigman | 1.34 | 643.2 | 1962 | 1965 | 138 | 85 | 37 | 37 | .500 | 7 | 3.69 | 96 | .229 |
15 | Pedro Ramos | 1.33 | 264.1 | 1961 | 1961 | 42 | 34 | 11 | 20 | .355 | 2 | 3.95 | 39 | .258 |
16 | David West | 1.32 | 285.1 | 1989 | 1992 | 63 | 47 | 15 | 18 | .455 | 0 | 5.33 | 42 | .262 |
17 | Charlie Lea | 1.32 | 130.0 | 1988 | 1988 | 24 | 23 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 0 | 4.85 | 19 | .301 |
18 | Mark Redman | 1.31 | 213.0 | 1999 | 2001 | 46 | 34 | 15 | 13 | .536 | 0 | 4.86 | 31 | .283 |
19 | Neal Heaton | 1.30 | 124.1 | 1986 | 1986 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 9 | .308 | 1 | 3.98 | 18 | .273 |
20 | Nick Blackburn | 1.29 | 818.2 | 2007 | 2012 | 145 | 137 | 43 | 55 | .439 | 0 | 4.85 | 117 | .303 |
21 | Eddie Guardado | 1.28 | 704.2 | 1993 | 2008 | 648 | 25 | 37 | 48 | .435 | 116 | 4.53 | 100 | .253 |
22 | Kyle Lohse | 1.27 | 908.1 | 2001 | 2006 | 172 | 152 | 51 | 57 | .472 | 0 | 4.88 | 128 | .285 |
23 | Bob Wells | 1.26 | 300.1 | 1999 | 2002 | 265 | 0 | 18 | 16 | .529 | 13 | 4.47 | 42 | .268 |
24 | Ricky Nolasco | 1.25 | 159.0 | 2014 | 2014 | 27 | 27 | 6 | 12 | .333 | 0 | 5.38 | 22 | .316 |
25 | Mike Trombley | 1.25 | 645.2 | 1992 | 2002 | 365 | 36 | 30 | 34 | .469 | 34 | 4.53 | 90 | .266 |
26 | Lee Stange | 1.25 | 351.2 | 1961 | 1964 | 97 | 37 | 20 | 14 | .588 | 3 | 3.61 | 49 | .251 |
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The list below show The Twins pitching staff leader board of home runs allowed. Bert Blyleven loves to talk about how many home runs he has allowed but he is only third best or worst, depending on how you want to look at it.
Rk | Player | HR | IP | From | To | G | GS | CG | SHO | W | L | SV | SO | BF | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brad Radke | 326 | 2451.0 | 1995 | 2006 | 378 | 377 | 37 | 10 | 148 | 139 | .516 | 0 | 1467 | 4.22 | 10244 |
2 | Jim Kaat | 270 | 2959.1 | 1961 | 1973 | 468 | 422 | 133 | 23 | 189 | 152 | .554 | 6 | 1824 | 3.28 | 12385 |
3 | Bert Blyleven | 243 | 2566.2 | 1970 | 1988 | 348 | 345 | 141 | 29 | 149 | 138 | .519 | 0 | 2035 | 3.28 | 10542 |
4 | Frank Viola | 213 | 1772.2 | 1982 | 1989 | 260 | 259 | 54 | 10 | 112 | 93 | .546 | 0 | 1214 | 3.86 | 7450 |
5 | Jim Perry | 166 | 1883.1 | 1963 | 1972 | 376 | 249 | 61 | 17 | 128 | 90 | .587 | 5 | 1025 | 3.15 | 7791 |
6 | Eric Milton | 149 | 987.1 | 1998 | 2003 | 166 | 165 | 10 | 4 | 57 | 51 | .528 | 0 | 715 | 4.76 | 4196 |
7 | Johan Santana | 144 | 1308.2 | 2000 | 2007 | 251 | 175 | 6 | 4 | 93 | 44 | .679 | 1 | 1381 | 3.22 | 5281 |
8 | Kyle Lohse | 128 | 908.1 | 2001 | 2006 | 172 | 152 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 57 | .472 | 0 | 561 | 4.88 | 3982 |
9 | Joe Mays | 127 | 946.1 | 1999 | 2005 | 193 | 146 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 65 | .425 | 0 | 487 | 4.85 | 4110 |
10 | Scott Baker | 123 | 958.0 | 2005 | 2011 | 163 | 159 | 4 | 2 | 63 | 48 | .568 | 0 | 770 | 4.15 | 4004 |
11 | Camilo Pascual | 123 | 1284.2 | 1961 | 1966 | 184 | 179 | 72 | 18 | 88 | 57 | .607 | 0 | 994 | 3.31 | 5362 |
12 | Dave Goltz | 119 | 1638.0 | 1972 | 1979 | 247 | 215 | 80 | 11 | 96 | 79 | .549 | 3 | 887 | 3.48 | 6887 |
13 | Nick Blackburn | 117 | 818.2 | 2007 | 2012 | 145 | 137 | 5 | 0 | 43 | 55 | .439 | 0 | 388 | 4.85 | 3577 |
14 | Kevin Tapani | 109 | 1171.1 | 1989 | 1995 | 181 | 180 | 19 | 6 | 75 | 63 | .543 | 0 | 724 | 4.06 | 4897 |
15 | Carlos Silva | 106 | 773.2 | 2004 | 2007 | 129 | 124 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 45 | .511 | 0 | 306 | 4.42 | 3277 |
16 | Dave Boswell | 106 | 1036.1 | 1964 | 1970 | 187 | 150 | 37 | 6 | 67 | 54 | .554 | 0 | 865 | 3.49 | 4344 |
17 | LaTroy Hawkins | 105 | 818.0 | 1995 | 2003 | 366 | 98 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 57 | .436 | 44 | 532 | 5.05 | 3614 |
18 | Mike Smithson | 103 | 816.0 | 1984 | 1987 | 128 | 126 | 26 | 5 | 47 | 48 | .495 | 0 | 438 | 4.46 | 3509 |
19 | Eddie Guardado | 100 | 704.2 | 1993 | 2008 | 648 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 48 | .435 | 116 | 610 | 4.53 | 3009 |
This Day in Twins History – April 12
April 12, 1965 – In Minnesota, the Yankees drop their second straight 11 inning opener, as the Twins win 5-4. Twins starter Jim Kaat, stranded because of the ice and snow, is brought to Metropolitan Stadium by helicopter. Kaat is matched by Jim Bouton, who goes five innings, giving up two earned runs. Bob Allison‘s wind-blown fly ball in the 11th drops untouched for a three-base error by Hector Lopez, one of eight errors the two teams committed on this day. Cesar Tovar‘s 2-out single scores the winner off ex-Twins hurler Pedro Ramos. I did a piece about this opening day back in 2008 that you can view at http://wp.me/p1YQUj-tT
.April 12, 1990 – The Twins and Rangers hook up on a deal and the Twins get 2B Fred Manrique and the Rangers receive pitcher Jeff Satzinger.
April 12, 2002 – In their first sellout since winning the World Series in 1991, the Twins beat the Tigers in their home opener, 4-2, in front of 48,244 loud and enthusiastic fans at the Metrodome. The Minnesota franchise had been considered for elimination due to MLB’s contraction plan proposed during the off-season.
April 12, 2005 – The Twins beat the Tigers 5-4 when Shannon Stewart singles off Troy Percival in the bottom of the 9th and breaks a streak in which Percival had not allowed the Twins to score an earned run over 40 innings since 1995.
April 12, 2010 – In the first regular season game at Target Field the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 with starter Carl Pavano getting the win and Red Sox starter Jon Lester took the loss. Closer Jon Rauch recorded the first save at Target Field. The first hit was a single by Red Sox leadoff hitter Marco Scutaro who was later thrown out trying to steal 2B. The first Twins hit was a single by Orlando Hudson. The first homerun at Target Field was a 391 foot shot to right off the bat of Jason Kubel in the 7th inning. Game time temperature was 68 degrees with partly sunny skies. Attendance was 39,715, slightly over the capacity figure of 39,504. Paid attendance was 38,145. The game lasted 2:59.
April 12, 2013 – The New York Mets thumped the Twins 16-5 at Target Field. The temperature at game time was 34 degrees and snow flurries were evident throughout the game. Twins fans came layered in ski gear, hunting clothes and whatever else they could find to keep warm. The Twins provided free coffee and hot chocolate to the Twins fans at the gate as they entered the ballpark. But the fact that the Mets batted around in each of the first 2 innings putting up 10 runs did little to warm Twins fans. The announced attendance was 23,735, but that’s tickets sold and not the actual number of people inside Target Field.
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.
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 |
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.
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 |
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
Seasons with 20 or more starts
Bonus tidbit
Trivia question for you. How many different Twins pitchers have started at least one game since the Twins came into existence?
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.
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 Perry, Dan 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 |
Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision
Some interesting numbers and players on this chart, about half the players were starters and half were utility players. No surprise that Smalley is the leader in home runs or that Chili Davis is second on that list but finding that Cristian Guzman is number 3 in the Twins switch-hitter home run list really surprised me.
A bonus question for you, this Twins switch-hitter had a career .425 batting average albeit in just 43 plate appearances, do you know who he is?
How Twins have fared on Opening Day
When the Minnesota Twins open the 2012 season in Baltimore on Friday, April 6 it will mark the 32nd time in 52 season openers that the team has opened their baseball season as road warriors. As a cold weather team, the Twins have only played the seasons first game at Met Stadium five times (63,65,66,71,81) and fifteen times at the Metrodome. In their short history at Target Field the Twins have never opened the season at home. The Twins have not charged out of the gate on a winning note over the years winning only won 24 and losing 27 season opening games. You can make a strong case that their first ever game as Minnesota Twins on April 11, 1961 in Yankee Stadium when Pedro Ramos shut out the New Yorks Yankees 6-0 on just 3 hits was their greatest season opener ever. The most frequest opening day opponent for the Twins has been the Oakland A’s. The Twins have played the Oakland A’s on opening day ten times (the last time in 1990), eight times in Oakland and twice at home (at the Met in 1981 and at the Metrodome in 1987) and the opening day series between these two teams is tied at five game each. The Twins have drawn the Seattle Mariners as opening day opponents four times, twice at home and twice on the road and the Twins have yet to beat the Mariners on opening day.
Pitcher Brad Radke has taken the mound for the Twins on opening day nine times including seven in a row between 1999 and 2005. Radke’s record on opening day was 4 wins, 2 losses, and 3 no decisions. Kent Hrbek has started 12 games at 1B on opening day, the most games that any Twins player has played at any position on opening day. A number of players have started opening day at their position nine times but Hrbek is still the leader in that category.
The Twins have opened the season in Baltimore only once before and that was back on April 11, 1967 in Memorial Stadium when Jim Kaat took the mound for the Twins but before he retired a single batter, the Orioles plated four runs and held on for a 6-3 win. The Twins only other season opener against the Baltimore Orioles occurred on April 2, 2007 at the Metrodome when the Twins behind starter Johan Sanatana and home runs from Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau won 7-4.
Here is who the Twins have faced and how they have fared on opening day.
TEAM | WON | LOST | HOME | AWAY | YEARS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yankees | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 61,65,88,89 |
Indians | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 63,64,04 |
Orioles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 67,07 |
Royals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 69,74,02 |
White Sox | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 70,93 |
Oakland A’s | 5 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 72,73,77,79,80,81,86,87,90,91 |
Rangers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 75,76 |
Mariners | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 78,82,05,09 |
Tigers | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 83,84,96,97,01,03 |
Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 95 |
Blue Jays | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 98,99,06,11 |
Rays | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 00 |
LA Angels | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 08,10 |
Cal. Angels | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 85,94 |
Brewers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 71,92 |
Senators | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68 |
KC A’s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 62,66 |
TOTALS | 24 | 27 | 20 | 31 |
Camilo Pascual elected to Twins Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Twins announced yesterday that former pitcher and five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual has been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. Pascual will become the 24th member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he is inducted during a special on field pre-game ceremony July 14, when the Twins host the Oakland Athletics at Target Field.
Pascual, one of the “Twins 50 Greatest Players” made his major league debut on April 15, 1954 as a Washington Senator with 3 innings of scoreless relief at Fenway Park in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Pascual went on to pitch in 529 big league games over 18 seasons and posted a 174-170 won/lost record while pitching for the Washington Senators from 1954-1960, The Minnesota Twins from 1961-1966, the Washington Senators from 1967-1969, the Cincinnati Reds in 1969, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970 and the Cleveland Indians in 1971.
Camilo was the first ever Twins All-Star in 1961 and has appeared in more All-Star games than any pitcher in franchise history since 1950, playing in five of six games from 1959-64 and in four straight from 1959-61. He went 145-141 with a 3.66 ERA during his time with the Twins and Senators, ranking second on the franchise All-Time list in shutouts (31), third in strikeouts (1,885), fourth in innings pitched (2,465.0) and fifth in wins (145) and starts (331). He went 88-57 with a 3.31 ERA in six seasons in a Twins uniform from 1961-66, ranking third in shutouts (18), seventh in strikeouts (994), and eighth in wins (88), innings pitched (1284.2) and starts (179). He was the Twins first ever 20-game winner, recording 20 victories in 1962 and 21 in 1963, while leading the American League in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts in nearly every season from 1959-63.
Camilo Pascual is the younger brother of former major league pitcher Carlos Pascual, whose nickname of “Potato” earned Camilo the nickname of “Little Potato”. The “Little Potato” was a workhorse pitcher for the Washington/Minnesota pitching staffs and he possessed good control with an excellent fastball but it was his outstanding curveball that was his signature pitch. Ted Williams was quoted as saying that it was easily the best curveball in baseball at the time. Although Pascual was a workhorse, stories have been told that Camilo enjoyed taking an annual “mini vacation” via the DL each season. Pascual also served as the Minnesota Twins pitching coach from 1978-1980. Pascual has lived in Miami since 1960 and since 1989 he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco, Alex Cora, Omar Daal, Miguel Cairo, and Franklin Gutierrez.
Pascual is one of only five players to have played against the Athletics in Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland. Harmon Killebrew is another member of that select group. Camilo is also one of only seven players to play for both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams. The others were Don Mincher, Pedro Ramos, Johnny Schaive, Roy Sievers, Zoilo Versalles, and Hal Woodeshick.
The Havana-native ranks 55th on baseball’s All-Time wins list and is a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, ranking second to only Luis Tiant in strikeouts among Cuban born major leaguers. In addition to being selected as a member of the Twins 50 Greatest Players in 2010, Camilo was also selected to the Twins 25th anniversary team in 1986 and the 40th anniversary team in 2000. At 74, Pascual, one of the original Minnesota Twins becomes the oldest living member of the Twins Hall of Fame. The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the Target Field Suite Level as well as on Target Plaza.
This selection of Pascual to the Twins Hall of Fame is well deserved and it should have taken place a long time ago. We at Twins Trivia would like to add our congratulations to Camilo on this great honor. Good things come to those who wait but Camilo should not have had to wait this long. You can check out the entire Twins Hall of Fame here.
I grew up listening to WCCO as they broadcast Minnesota Twins games and Camilo Pascual was always one of my favorite players because you knew when Camilo pitched that the Twins had a good chance of winning the game. Back then I could not attend many games in person and hardly any games were on TV so the radio was the place to be if you followed baseball and the Minnesota Twins.