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
Players that made their big league debuts as Minnesota Twins on August 31st.
Jason Kubel (OF) – August 31, 2004 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. Debuted as a PH and grounded out to the second baseman at the Dome in a 8-5 loss to the Texas Rangers.
John Hobbs (P) – August 31, 1981 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the Seattle Mariners in the 1980 rule 5 draft. Debuted at the Met in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees in relief and he pitched 2 innings allowing one run on 2 hits and two walks.
This weeks Twins Minor League Player of the Week is Rochester Red Wings (AAA) third baseman Leonardo Reginatto. In 7 games the 27 year-old Reginatto hit .391 (9 for 23), with 3 doubles and scored 4 runs. Reginatto has played 81 games for Rochester this season appearing at third base and second base and has hit .296 in 260 at bats with 3 home runs and 36 RBI. Reginatto was a non-roster Twins spring training invitee this year.
Reginatto, a Brazilian native was originally signed by the Tampa Rays as a non-drafted free agent in February 2009 and signed with the Twins as a minor league free agent in December 2015.
Double-A Chattanooga Manager Jake Mauer has been named the Southern League Manager of the Year. Mauer is the first Lookouts manager to win this award since Jayhawk Owens in 2004.
Southern League Postseason All-Stars have been announced and the Twins will be represented by four players from Double-A Chattanooga: infielder Nick Gordon, outfielder Edgar Corcino, designated hitter Jonathan Rodriguez and relief pitcher Gabriel Moya.
Rookie-Level Elizabethton recently clinched their Division Title and will open the playoffs on Saturday against Greenville or Johnson City. Elizabethton currently has a record of 41-26. This marks their 12th time in postseason play since 2003.
GCL Twins also recently clinched a playoff berth and will open their postseason play on Sunday (opponent TBD).
Jose Berrios pitched seven scoreless innings in the Twins’ win over the White Sox last night. It was the ninth time this season that a Twins starting pitcher did not allow a run in an outing of seven or more innings, tying them with the Red Sox and Indians for the most such games in the American League.
Kevin Slowey
Berrios is 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA over his last seven home starts. Only one other Twins pitcher over the last 20 seasons won each of seven consecutive home starts within one season. Kevin Slowey did it in 2009.
Ervin Santana earned his 14th win of the season and teammate Jorge Polanco homered from each side of the plate in the Twins’ 6-4 triumph over the White Sox. Santana has a 14-win season with three different teams (three such seasons with the Angels, one with the Braves, and now one with the Twins). Two other active pitchers have had at least one season of 14-or-more wins with three different teams: Bartolo Colon (five different teams) and Zack Greinke (four teams). The last pitcher to win at least 14 games for the Twins was Phil Hughes who won 16 games in 2014.
Jorge Polanco
Polanco is the third player to homer from each side of the plate as a shortstop in a game this season, joining Francisco Lindor (April 5) and Freddy Galvis (June 4). Polanco joins a select group of Minnesota Twins (Roy Smalley, Chili Davis, Ryan Doumit, and Kennys Vargas) to hit a home run from each side of the plate in a single game.
Major League debuts as Minnesota Twins on August 30.
Todd Walker (2B/3B) – August 30, 1996 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (8th pick) of the 1994 amateur draft. This first rounder debuted at County Stadium against the Brewers and hit sixth playing 3B before moving to 2B. Walker went 1 for 5 with a run scored but the Twins lost 5-4 in 12 innings on a walk-off home run by Marc Newfield off Twins reliever Jose Parra.
Curt Wardle (P) – August 30, 1984 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1981 amateur draft. Wardle debuted at the Metrodome in a 9-3 Twins beat-down by the Red Sox. Wardle went one inning allowing a home run and striking out one.
Dustan Mohr (OF) – August 29, 2001 – Signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins on April 1, 2000. Debuted as the starting right fielder at the Dome in a 10-8 Twins win over the Rangers hitting 8th and going 1 for 3 with a Sac fly and 3 RBI.
One big league debut as a Minnesota Twin on August 28.
Tim Laudner (C) – August 28, 1981 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1979 amateur draft. Debuted as the starting catcher at the Met against the Tigers and hit in the 8 spot. Laudner must have thought that the big leagues were easy when he had a single in his first at bat, then a walk and then a home run before fouling out in his final at bat.
Byron Buxton went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBIs in the Twins’ 7–2 win at Toronto yesterday. It was the 64th time since 2012 that a player hit as many as three homers in one game. But Buxton was only the second of those players to steal a base in the game. The other was Yoenis Cespedes for the Mets in 2015.
Buxton joins his outfield compatriots Max Kepler (8/1/2016 in Cleveland) and Eddie Rosario (6/13/2017 versus Seattle at Target Field) with three home runs in a single Twins game.
UPDATE 8/27– Byron Buxton has been named the AL Player of the Week for the period
ending August 27th. Buxton hit .333 (11-for-33) with nine runs scored, a double, five home
runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases over eight games played to earn his first career AL Player of the Week Award. Among his AL counterparts, Byron finished first in home runs; tied for first in total bases (27); tied for second in extra-base hits (6) and RBI; fourth in slugging percentage (.818); and tied for fourth in hits and stolen bases.
This is Minnesota’s third weekly award this season, becoming the second AL Club to do so (also Baltimore Orioles), other Twins to win this season include Miguel Sanó (April 30) and Eddie Rosario (August 13).
One player debuted in the big leagues as a Minnesota Twin on August 27.
Chip Hale
Chip Hale (2B/3B) – August 27, 1989 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of the 1987 amateur draft. Debuted in the Dome in a Twins 8-5 win over the Seattle Mariners going 1 for 5 with a run scored.
Adalberto Mejia (P) – August 20, 2016 – Traded by the San Francisco Giants to the Minnesota Twins for Eduardo Nunez on July 28, 2016. It is never easy to make your debut when your team is down 8 to zip in the fifth inning but that was Mejia’s task at Kauffmann Stadium. Mejia went 2.1 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 earned runs in his first time on a big league mound.
Paul Abbott (P) – August 21, 1990 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1985 amateur draft. A tough start for Mr. Abbott against the Kansas City Royals at Royals Stadium when he is pinned with the loss after giving up 7 earned runs in 3 innings on 6 hits and 5 walks in his 84 pitches that day.
Dave McKay (3B/2B/SS) – August 22, 1975 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1971. McKay was the starting third baseman against the Tigers at the Met. Started a Twins four run rally by leading off the bottom of the third inning with a home run off Tiger pitcher Vern Ruhle in his first big league at bat. Ended up 1 for 3 with a RBI and run scored.
Jason Ryan (P) – August 24, 1999 – Traded by the Chicago Cubs with Kyle Lohse to the Minnesota Twins for Rick Aguilera and Scott Downs. Probably drew the short straw when his big league debut was at the Met against the Red Sox and Pedro Martinez. Ryan lasted 4.1 innings giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits and 6 walks and getting the loss in a 7-1 Red Sox victory.
Kent Hrbek (1B) – August 24, 1981 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of the 1978 amateur draft. First big league action was a start at first base in Yankee Stadium II against Tommy John in the 8 hole in the batting order. Hrbek went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. One of his 2 hits was a home run off George Frazier leading off the top of the 12th inning which provided the winning run in a Twins 3-2 victory over the Bronx Bombers.
Armando Gabino (P) – August 25, 2009 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the Cleveland Indians in the 2004 minor league draft on December 13, 2004. Gabino started his big league career with a start at the Dome against the Orioles. Gabino unfortunately lasted just 2.2 innings when he gave up 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks but the Twins came back to win the game 7-6.
Travis Miller (P) – August 25, 1996 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (34th pick) of the 1994 amateur draft. Travis Miller kind of showed right away that starting was not his thing when he started against the Texas Rangers at the Dome and was lifted after throwing 48 pitches in his first and only inning when he gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while allowing 7 Rangers runs. Two of the five hits were home runs. Oh, he did get the loss.
Alex Wimmers (P) – August 26, 2016 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (21st) of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft. Debuted at Rogers Centre in relief and pitched a slick 1 inning striking out 2 batters in a 15-8 Twins loss to the Bluejays.
Jack Cressend (P) – August 26, 2000 – Selected off waivers by the Minnesota Twins from the Boston Red Sox on April 22, 1999. The Twins were down 6-2 to the Tigers when Cressend entered the game in relief and pitched 1 inning giving up one run on two hits. The Twins eventually lost the game 8-2.
Dwight Siebler
Dwight Siebler (P) – August 26, 1963 – Purchased by the Minnesota Twins from the Philadelphia Phillies on August 24, 1963. Siebler entered the game in relief of Jim Kaat with runners on first and second and one out. Siebler got the first batter on a weak foul popup to the third baseman, but then he issued a bases filling walk before hitting the next batter to force in a run, walked the next guy to force in another run before retiring the next batter for the final out of the inning. It all sounds bad but his line was 2/3 of an inning with 2 walks, a HBP and zero runs on his record.
Jason Kubel (OF) – August 31, 2004 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. Debuted as a PH and grounded out to the second baseman at the Dome in a 8-5 loss to the Texas Rangers.
John Hobbs (P) – August 31, 1981 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the Seattle Mariners in the 1980 rule 5 draft. Debuted at the Met in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees in relief and he pitched 2 innings allowing one run on 2 hits and two walks. 
