TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The following players made their major league debut’s as Minnesota Twins on May 26.
Jason Miller (P) – May 26, 2007 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft
Brad Thomas (P) – May 26, 2001 – Signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins on May 12, 1997. Big league debut not exactly a smooth one for Brad as a starter, Johan Santana came in to relieve him.
Only one major league debut as a Minnesota Twins today.
Rob Radlosky (P) – May 25, 1999 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round of the 1993 amateur draft. Radlosky’s debut was one he would rather forget, first three batters hit a single, double, and a home run. When his three innings of relief were over at the Metrodome, Rob had faced 18 batters giving up 7 hits, 2 walks, 6 earned runs, and last but not least 2 home runs. Before you make fun of him, remember that he pitched in the big leagues, you and I didn’t. By the way, I am looking for pictures of Rob Radlosky in a Twins uniform, if you can help, please let me know.
Orioles lose first home series of the season
The Twins scored three first-inning runs, including a two-run single from Kennys Vargas, and never looked back to complete a three-game sweep of the Orioles at Camden Yards yesterday. Entering their series with Minnesota, the Orioles had won each of their first seven home series this season. Over the last 10 seasons (since 2008), only one other team won their first seven home series to start a season: the 2014 Rockies (also a streak of seven). The Orioles had never had such a home streak of this length to start a season in franchise history before the 2017 campaign.
I recently learned that former Minnesota Twins pitcher Vic Albury who was born on May 12, 1947 in Key West, Florida had passed away on April 18, 2017 in Tampa, Florida from a stroke/heart attack at the age of 69.
Vic Albury was a ninth round selection by the Cleveland Indians in the 1965 June amateur draft as a first baseman out of Key West High School. Albury started his pro career in 1965 but found himself out of baseball from 1966-1968 serving his country in the military. When his military service concluded Albury resumed his baseball career but this time as a pitcher. Sometime prior to the 1969 season the Indians sent Albury to the San Diego Padres where he pitched in their system for two seasons before the Minnesota Twins drafted him in the November 1970 Minor league draft.
Albury, a chunky left-hander, made his big league debut at Met Stadium on August 7, 1973 in a blow-out loss to the Orioles 10-4, pitching 2 innings of relief and giving up one run but followed that up with 10 consecutive relief stints without giving up a single run. In 1974 Albury was used primarily as a starter but a mid-season shoulder injury slowed him down and he posted an 8-9 record with a 4.12 ERA. In 1975 Albury split his time between starting and relieving but his best work was out of the bullpen. The injury bugged continued to plague Albury in 1976 and he was out for three weeks after being hit in the left leg by a George Brett line-drive and Albury finished the season and what turned out to be his big league career with a 3-1 won/lost record and a 3.58 ERA in just 11 games, all in relief.
In his four-year big league career as a Twins pitcher Vic Albury was 18-17 in 101 games and 32 of them as a starter. In 372.2 innings Albury had a 4.11 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP primarily caused by his 5.3 BB/9. Albury left Minnesota after the 1976 season and pitched in the minor leagues in the New York Yankee system and for the Indians AAA team in 1979. Albury also pitched briefly in 1979 for the AAA Puerto Rico Boricuas in the Inter-American League.
Todate nothing has been published regarding his Obituary or where he may be interned. Thank you for the memories and our condolences to Vic Albury’s family and friends.
Ervin Santana threw a two-hit shutout for the Twins against the Orioles last night, improving to 7-2 with a 1.80 ERA in ten starts this season. Since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961, only two Twins pitchers had an ERA that low through their first ten starts of a season: Francisco Liriano was 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA in his first ten starts in 2006 and Scott Erickson was 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA in his first ten starts in 1991.
Santana also improved to 4-0 in four road starts this season. His teammate Phil Hughes has also won his first four road starts this year. It’s just the third time in Twins franchise history that two pitchers each won their first four road starts of a season. It happened in 1913 with Walter Johnson (won first five road starts) and Joe Boehling (four), and in 1979 with Jerry Koosman (five) and Geoff Zahn (five).
The following players made their major league debuts as Minnesota Twins on May 24.
Cole De Vries (P) – May 24, 2012 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent on August 22, 2006. Cole, a Minnesota native was saddled with he loss during his big league debut.
Matt Macri (3B) – May 24, 2008 – Traded by the Colorado Rockies to the Minnesota Twins for Ramon Ortiz on August 15, 2007. Matt made his big league debut in a 19-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Comerica Park but he did pretty well for himself going 2 for 3 with a run scored, a RBI and a stolen base.
Ft. Myers Miracle (High A) 3B/1B/OF Chris Paul was named Twins minor league Player of the Week. In six games for the Miracle, he hit .500 (11-for-22) with four doubles, one home run, six RBI, three walks, seven runs, a .577 on-base percentage and a .818 slugging percentage. In 42 games for the Miracle this season, he is hitting .341 (57-for-167) with 13 doubles, three home runs, 23 RBI and 24 runs scored.
The Irvine, California native was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Cal-Berkeley and signed for a $50,000 bonus on July 17, 2015.
Minor league players earn less than minimum wage (published by News-Press in June 2016)
Only one major league debut as a Minnesota Twins player on May 23 and that is our old buddy Anthony Swarzak who is currently pitching for the Mighty Whities and having a career year.
Anthony Swarzak (P) – May 23, 2009 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft. Swarzak became the first Twins pitcher to start a game and pitch 7 scoreless innings in his major league debut earning him his first big league win in a Twins 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at the Metrodome.
The Twins spotted the Orioles a 5–0 lead last night but came roaring back to win in Baltimore, 14–7. It’s the first time the Twins won a game by at least five runs after trailing by five or more runs in over 18 years, since a 13–8 win in Cleveland on April 17, 1999, in which they trailed by six runs at one point.
Miguel Sano slammed his 11th home run of the season and drove in three runs, bringing his season total to 37 RBIs in 40 games. The only other players in Twins history, including their days as the Washington Senators, to have as many homers and RBIs as Sano in their first 40 games of a season were Larry Hisle in 1977 (11 HR, 42 RBIs) and Joe Mauer in 2009 (13 HR, 40 RBIs).
Perez thriving at Target Field
Salvador Perez’s two-run home run in the second inning got the Royals off and running in the team’s 6-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader in Minnesota on Sunday. Perez also went deep twice in Kansas City’s defeat in the second game of the double dip. Perez has now hit 14 home runs in 200 at bats at Target Field in his career, the second-best home run ratio (one HR every 14.3 AB) among players with at least 150 at bats in Minnesota’s current home, behind Jim Thome (one HR every 11.8 AB). Perez has averaged one home run for every 29.8 at bats in all other stadiums in his career.
Kennedy allows two homers in the first
Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler each hit two-run home runs off of Ian Kennedy in the first inning in the Twins’ 8-4 win over the Royals in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday. It’s the first time Kennedy allowed multiple home runs in the first inning in the 244 starts he has made in his career.