Category: This Day in Twins History

This Day in Twins History – January 4, 2002

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire

In spite of the Minnesota Twins franchise uncertain future due to possible contraction, Ron Gardenhire is named as the Minnesota Twins 12th manager. Gardenhire, 44, replaces the Twins winningest manager, Tom Kelly who had resigned earlier saying that it was time for him to move on.

Ron Gardenhire was originally a New York Mets sixth round pick in 1979 and debuted with the Mets on September 1, 1981. Gardenhire played in 285 games for the Mets between 1981 – 1985, primarily at shortstop although he also played some 2B and 3B too. The Mets traded Gardenhire to the Twins on November 12, 1966 for the PTBNL and that turned out to be Dominic Iasparro. While the Twins were winning the World Series in 1987, Gardenhire spent the entire season at AAA Portland playing all four infield positions and even taking the pitching mound in two games.

Gardenhire retired as an active player after the 1987 season and started his managing career in 1988 with the A ball Kenosha Twins who finished fourth but had a 81-59 record. Gardenhire then moved up the ladder to the AA Orlando Twins affiliate where he managed for two seasons. Gardy’s teams finished third in 1989 with an 79-65 mark and first the next season, 1990 with an 85-59 record. The Twins then moved Gardenhire up to the big league team where he coached from 1991 – 2001.

Gardenhire has managed the Twins since 2002 and in his 10 big league seasons and 1,621 games as the Twins skipper, Gardy has posted a record of 866-755 (.534) and had led his team to six first place finishes, one second place, two third place and one last place finish (2011).

This Day in Twins History – December 26, 2005

Four-Time All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Reardon is arrested on robbery charges after holding up a jewelry store in Palm Springs Gardens‚ Florida‚ a town he has lived in without incident for 20 years. “He said it was the medication that made him do it and that he was sorry‚” said policeman David O’Neill. Reardon had a son who died of a drug overdose several years ago. In late August 2006, Reardon was found not guilt by reason of insanity. Two court-appointed psychiatrists, along with two defense psychiatrists, will testify that Reardon was under the influence of a dozen prescription medications and that there was no reasonable explanation for the robbery. You can read a story that ESPN wrote about the incident by going here.

This Day in Twins History – December 25, 1989

Popular former Minnesota Twins player and manager Billy Martin dies in an automobile accident in Binghamton,  New  York at the age of 61. Billy served as the Twins fourth skipper during the 1969 season and led the Twins to a first place finish only to lose to the Baltimore Orioles 3 games to none.

Alfred Manual Martin played in the major leagues with the Yankees from 1950-1957, Kansas City A’s in 1957, the Detroit Tigers in 1958, the Cleveland Indians in 1959, the Cincinnati Reds in 1960, and the Milwaukee Braves and Minnesota Twins in 1961. Martin, 33 at the time, only played in 108 games hitting .246 for the Twins before retiring as an active player. The feisty Martin managed the Twins in 1969, the Detroit Tigers in 1971-1973, the Texas Rangers in 1973-1975, the New York Yankees from 1975-1979, the Oakland A’s from 1980-1982 and the Yankees again in 1983, 1985, and 1988. In sixteen years and 2,267 games as a manager, Martin had a 1,253 and 1,013 won-lost record while winning two pennants and one World Series title.

I had written an earlier article about Billy that you can see here.

This Day in Twins History – December 20, 1979

Construction began on what was to be the future HHH Metrodome and it was built by the state of Minnesota at a cost of approximately $68 million. The Metrodome became baseballs’ third domed facility.

What the future HHH Metrodome looked like in April of 1981 about a year before the Twins played their first game there.

The Twins started calling the Metrodome home in 1982 and played there final games their in 2009 before moving into Target Field in 2010. For more information on the Metrodome, please drop my Twins Stadiums page.

This Day in Twins History – December 16, 2002

David Ortiz

The Minnesota Twins released 1B David Ortiz on this day back in 2002 to make room on the roster for shortstop Jose Morban, who was selected from Texas in the major league draft. Morban never appeared in a Twins uniform in the big leagues. The unheralded Ortiz was picked up by the Boston Red Sox as a free agent on January 22, 2003, for whom he has developed as one of the most accomplished sluggers in the game. In his six years with Minnesota between 1997 and 2002 Ortiz appeared in 455 games for the Twins and hit .266 with 58 home runs. With the Red Sox between 2003 and the present the left-handed slugging DH/1B Ortiz has hit .289 with 320 home runs in 1,287 games and he has made the All-Star team seven times in his nine seasons in Beantown. This has to go down as one of the Minnesota Twins worst moves ever and certainly not one of the best moves that Terry Ryan has made as the Twins GM.