Category: This Day in Twins History

This Day in Twins History – November 6

Jim Perry
Jim Perry

11/6/1970 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Perry wins the American League Cy Young award in a close race. Perry receives 55 points to edge out Dave McNally (47), Sam McDowell (45), and Mike Cuellar (44). Perry is the first Twins Cy Young award winner.

Bill Campbell11/6/1976 – After having a career year with the Twins, reliever Bill Campbell becomes one of the first players to cash in on the new free-agent system. The reliever signs with the Red Sox for big money, a four-year, one-million dollar contract with an option for a fifth season.

11/6/2001 – MLB owners vote 28-2 to contract two teams before the 2002 season.  They tell the players’ association that the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos are the targeted teams.  It was determined later that Carl Pohlad, the Twins owner voted for contraction.

11/6/2009 – The Twins trade outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy.

This Day in Twins History – September 19, 2002

Mike RyanSeptember 19, 2002 – Twins rookie outfielder Mike Ryan gets 2 hits in the first inning of his major league debut in Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers. In what was a nine-run first inning for Minnesota, Ryan singled in his first two big league at-bats, and drove in two runs. But the glow of the feat was short-lived when his hits and Minnesota’s 9-0 lead were wiped out when rain forced the game to be called before the top of the third inning. In his official debut the next day Ryan goes 0 for 4.

This is the kind of situation where a player could play in a major league game and if his career ended at that point he would never go down in baseball history as having played in a big league game, this doesn’t seem right to me. You have to wonder how many other times this has happened. You could tell your grand kids you played in the majors and their might be no proof.

Don’t forget to check out our Today in Twins History page daily to learn more about Twins history.

 

This Day in Twins History – Twins longest game

Munoz, PedroAugust 31, 1993 – The Minnesota Twins finally win the longest game in their history when Pedro Munoz hits a walk-off home run to lead off the bottom of the 22nd inning to beat Jason Grimsley and the Cleveland Indians 5-4 in 22 innings after playing ball for 6 hours and 17 minutes at the Metrodome. Twins rookie RHP Brett Merriman picks up his first big league win in his seventh big league game. Sadly for Merriman, that win turned out to be the only game he would win in the big leagues. According to some reports, there were only about 1,500 fans in the stands when Munoz crossed the plate at 1:22 AM on 9/1. I was home and stayed up to watch the entire game on TV. Don’t forget to check out the pitch counts in the box score provided below.

Brett Merriman
Brett Merriman

Twins and Indians did not want to go home

Box Score

This Day in Twins History – August 19, 2013

Joe Mauer 4Catcher Joe Mauer goes 2 for 4 but the Twins lose 6-1 to the New York Mets in a meaning less make-up game at Target Field. Turns out that this is probably the last time that Mauer will ever catch for the Twins. The next day Mauer has concussion symptoms and misses the rest of the season. Mauer caught the entire game but took a foul tip off his mask during the game. On November 11, 2013 the Twins and Mauer announce that Mauer is giving up catching and moving to play 1B where he has played a total of 56 games over the last three seasons.

So many issues with the Twins might be solved if Mauer was still the catcher…..

Since Joe moved to first base he has played in 237 games hitting .271 with 12 home runs and 106 RBI, in those 1,002 plate appearances he has struck out 175 times. In his first four big league seasons Mauer had 183 strike outs in 1,755 PA’s.

This Day in Twins History – August 15, 1994

Pat MahomesAugust 15, 1994 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Mahomes was knocked unconscious and trapped in his Jeep after it rolled over on a bridge in downtown Minneapolis, the police said. Mahomes sustained head injuries and his condition was upgraded from serious to satisfactory by mid-afternoon, according to the Hennepin County Medical Center. Mahomes, who was alone, was traveling at “a fairly high rate of speed” when his vehicle crossed the center line, hit a guard rail and rolled over, a police spokes woman said. He was not wearing a seat belt and was trapped until police were able to get him out. Mahomes may be charged with a DUI. Mahomes, 24, of Lindale, Texas was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 1988 free-agent draft.

This Day in Twins History – July 25, 1977 – Goltz throws 180 pitches

Native Minnesotan Dave Goltz - Twins pitcher from 1972 - 1979 (courtesy of Minnesota Twins)
Native Minnesotan Dave Goltz – Twins pitcher from 1972 – 1979 (courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

Coming off a double-header sweep (with the 2nd game going 12 innings) of the A’s the day before, the Twins are again going up against the boys from Oakland at Met Stadium. The game goes 11 innings before the Twins prevail 2-1 on a bases loaded single by Larry Hisle. But, the real story of the game is Twins starter Dave Goltz who pitches all 11 innings throwing 180 pitches. Goltz improves his record to 12-6 as he faces 41 batters giving up 8 hits and walking 1 while striking out 14 Oakland A’s. In spite of all of this, the game is over in 2 hours and 39 minutes. Box score.

This Day in Twins History – Martin & Fox duke it out

Blly Martin
Blly Martin
Howard Fox
Howard Fox

July 19, 1966 – Two members of the Minnesota Twins exchanged blows in the lobby of the Statler-Hilton hotel after the team arrived in Washington early Tuesday. Howard Fox, the Twins’ traveling secretary, suffered a bloody nose and a cut on the face in the fight with third base coach Billy Martin. Martin was not injured. “Martin and Fox had words during the course of the flight here and again in the lobby as the team was checking in,” said Thomas A. Mee, director of public relations. Four other Twins – Bob Allison, Earl Battey, Jim Perry and Harmon Killebrew – broke up the fight after several punches were thrown.

Billy Martin in scrap with Howard Fox

This Day in Twins History – July 16, 1969

Shown here is Carew sliding past White Sox catcher Don Pavletich, the umpire is Bob Stewart, and the batter (number 13) is John Roseboro.
Carew sliding past White Sox catcher Don Pavletich, the umpire is Bob Stewart, and the batter (number 13) is John Roseboro.

July 16, 1969 – Rod Carew steals home for the 7th time, as the AL-West leading Twins sweep a twin bill, winning 9-8 and 6-3 from the White Sox. Carew ties Pete Reiser’s 1946 record for steals of home in a season. Here you can read some excerpts from Carew’s autobiography “Carew.”

Please stop by our Today in Twins History page to see all the other Twins events that occurred on July 16 over the years.

This Day in Twins History – June 22

Carew, Rod 166/22/1970 – In the fourth inning of the Twins game against the Milwaukee Brewers in County Stadium Rod Carew suffers a serious knee injury with torn cartilage and torn ligaments when Brewers 1B Mike Hegan rolls in to Carew at 2B trying to break up a double play. According to Rod Carew in his book “Carew”, my leg snapped back and went crack! He goes on to say that 2B umpire Jake O’Donnell had heard the crack and vomited. Carew was hitting .376 at the time underwent surgery and ended up in essence missing the rest of the season. Rod did return for 5 at bats late in September but did not get a hit. Carew had only 2 plate appearances against the Orioles in the ALCS with no hits.

6/22/1984 – In a teary home plate ceremony before the Twins-White Sox game at the Metrodome, Calvin Griffith and his sister, Thelma Haynes, sign a letter of intent to sell their 52 percent ownership of the Twins to Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad for $32 million (some reports state it was $36 million) ending the longest family ownership of a team in baseball history. Griffith and his sister had been involved with the franchise since 1922, when they were adopted by owner Clark Griffith when the team was the Washington Senators.

This Day in Twins History – May 27, 1964 – Hall beaned

Jimmie Hall

Bo Belinsky
Bo Belinsky

In the first game of a doubleheader at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Angels Twins center fielder Jimmie Hall is beaned by Angel lefty Bo Belinsky as Hall leads off the top of the fifth inning. The Twins end up losing the game 4-1 but come back to win the second game 4-3. Hall ends up with a concussion and tries to come back on May 31st as a pinch-hitter but ends up striking out. Hall sits out several more games and gets back in the line-up on June 4th. Hall hit 33 home runs as a rookie in 1963 but is never really the same player after this beaning. The Star Tribune write-up about the incident.