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Darrell Jackson, Talented Twins Lefty Who Battled Through Adversity, Dies at 70

Darrell Preston Jackson, a steady and soft-spoken left-hander who spent his entire major-league career with the Minnesota Twins, passed away on July 5 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 70.

Born April 3, 1956, in Los Angeles, Jackson grew up in a difficult environment where stability was scarce and the pressures around him were real. Baseball became both refuge and identity — first at Locke High School where his teammates included future Baseball Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith. All three were members of the class of 1973, and later at Arizona State University, where his athleticism and smooth left-handed delivery caught the Twins’ eye. Minnesota drafted him twice, in 1973 and again in 1977, finally signing the compact, 5′ 10″ southpaw whose poise on the mound contrasted sharply with the turbulence he faced off it.

Darrell Jackson’s professional debut in 1978 was the stuff of organizational lore: pitching for the Double-A Orlando Twins, he threw nine innings of no-hit ball in his very first outing, walking seven and fanning five. He was taken out with a 0-0 tie in the 10th in favor of Jeff Holly. Orlando beat the Jacksonville Suns, 1-0. performance that convinced the club he was ready for more. After just 10 minor-league starts, the Twins fast-tracked him to the majors in June 1978. He debuted on June 16 against Detroit, working 7.1 innings and earning the win. Four starts later, he fired a shutout against the Oakland Athletics, cementing his place in the rotation and finishing his rookie season with a 4–6 record.

Do you remember Chuck Knoblauch

Chuck Knoblauch – SABR BIO by Ralph Caola – (Born in Houston, Texas on July 7, 1968) – played 2B and a few games at SS for the Twins for seven seasons between 1991 and 1997 was elected and scheduled for induction in to the Twins Hall of Fame on August 23, 2014. However, another brush with the law in late July 2014 forced the Twins to cancel plans to add him to their HOF. There was no inductee into the Twins HOF in 2014. Knoblauch is the first and only player to be elected to the Twins Hall of Fame but not inducted.

First-round draft pick (25th overall) in 1989 by the Twins
“Knobby” had a 12-year major league career, spanning from 1991-2002, mostly as a 2B with the Twins, Yankees and Royals.
Won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1991 after batting .281 with 25 SB
Led the AL with 45 doubles in the shortened 1994 season, and then led the AL with 14 triples in 1996.
Had 25+ SB in 10 of his 12 major league seasons
Four-time All-Star, two-time silver slugger winner who scored 100+ runs six times, including a high of 140 runs in 1996
A good defender at 2B early in his career, Knoblauch won an AL Gold Glove award in 1997. After seven seasons with the Twins, he was traded to the Yankees for a package of four players. Soon after, he developed throwing troubles on defense, a condition often referred to as the “yips”. He tried to correct the issue, but ended his career mostly as a LF and DH.
Overall had 1,132 runs, 407 SB, a .289/.378/.406 slash line, and a 106 OPS+

Do you remember Cesar Tovar

Cesar Tovar is in the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

César Tovar (1940-1994) – SABR BIO by Rory Costello
12-year major league career, spanning from 1965-1976, spending his first eight seasons with the Twins, and rest spread across four other clubs
“Pepito” was perhaps best known for his versatility on the field, including once in 1968 becoming the second player in history to play all nine positions in a single game.
Over his career he played 200+ games at five different positions (2B, 3B, and all three OF spots).
He was also a capable batsman, leading the AL with 36 doubles and 13 triples in 1970, and then with 204 hits in 1971
He also had 20+ SB five times, with a high of 45 in 1969
Overall had 226 SB, 834 runs, a .278/.335/.368 slash line, and an even 100 OPS+
Elected and inducted into Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2022

The Twins in June of 1964

Today we check out some June 1964 articles about the death of Griffith Stadium by Jimmy McCannon and Max Nichols writes about Minnesota native Dick Stigman, Tony Oliva, Jim Roland and I know you won’t believe it, but back then the manager Sam Mele was complaining about relievers “failing to deliver”. Baseball was different back then but teams had similar problems and these articles give you a look back at Twins players from a time when some of you were not yet born and a perspective on what the MLB was like back then. I hope you enjoy them.

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Al “Red” Worthington (1929–2026)

The Twins’ first great closer — and one of baseball’s most principled men

Al “Red” Worthington, the calm, ethical, late-inning anchor of the Minnesota Twins’ first golden era, passed away on June 18, 2026, at the age of 97. Born February 5, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama, Worthington lived a baseball life that stretched across eras — from the New York Giants of the early 1950s to the pennant winning Twins of the mid-1960s — and he carried a reputation for honesty that became as defining as his pitching.

A Stunning, Unforgettable Beginning

Worthington’s arrival in the Major Leagues in 1953 remains one of the most extraordinary debuts in modern baseball history. In his first two big league starts, he threw back-to-back complete game shutouts, blanking the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in succession — a feat reflected in his rookie line, which shows 5 complete games and 2 shutouts in just 20 appearances . Eighteen innings. Zero runs. Six total hits. A beginning worthy of a future ace.

But Worthington’s early career was complicated. Even as he showed front-line stuff, he openly objected to sign-stealing practices he witnessed — a stance that cost him favor in clubhouses and front offices. In an era when silence was expected, Red refused to compromise.

The Twins in May of 1962

Checking out some May 1962 articles about the Minnesota Twins written by Arno Goethel and Tom Briere about Rick Rollins, Don Mincher, Zoilo Versalles, Earl Battey and others. Baseball was different back then and these articles give you a look back at Twins players from a time when some of you were not yet born and a perspective on what the MLB was like back then.

Back then there was no internet and the best way to get major league baseball news was in your local newspaper (which I read in the Taylors Falls school library during study hall cause we couldn’t afford a daily subscription and my folks could not read English back then) or by signing up to get the Sporting News once a week in the mail. It wasn’t as timely as the internet but it sure was fun waiting and finally getting that weeks Sporting News in the mail. A one-year subscription to The Sporting News in 1962 cost $12.00, as a standard weekly issue was priced at $0.15 per copy on the newsstand.

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Twins Iron Men

When I watch MLB I always expect to see a good game and to me that means that the teams best players are going to be on the field. I am getting up there in age and over the years I could probably name the starting line-up for every team in the American League. Sadly that is no longer true as today’s style of play is such that most players seem to expect to get at least a day a week off. So when I watch a game I am no longer surprised when one of the teams is resting one or more of their starting position players.

I never played professional baseball so I don’t know how hard it is to play 6 games a week. But the umpire still starts the game with a “play ball” and not a “work ball” so how tough can it be? I can complain but that won’t change anything so I am just going to get right to the point of this post.

Who are the Minnesota Twins franchise “Iron Men”? By “Iron Men” for my purposes I am going to use 160 games played. As you can see by the attached B-R Stathead link the Twins have had just 11 players that have played in 160 or more games in a season over the last 65 seasons and they have accomplished this feat a total of 21 times. Zoilo Versalles, a shortstop did it four times between 1962 and 1967 and Harmon Killebrew who played first, third and the outfield and outfielder Kirby Puckett each did it three times.

Between 1961 and 1999 it was done 19 times and in the current century Twins players have done it just twice. Torii Hunter did it in 2007 and the last Twins player to play 160 or more games was Justin Morneau in 2008. Matter of fact, he is the last Twins player to appear in every game in a season which he did in the 2008 season when he played in 163 games.

A number of players over the years like Bob Allison, Rich Rollins, Bernie Allen, Versalles, Oliva, Ron Jackson and Puckett played in 159 games and just missed the 160 cutoff. So without further ado here is the list of Twins Iron Men that came to play ball day in and day out.

Chuck Nieson, Brief September Call-Up of 1964 Twins, Dies at 83

Charles “Chuck” Nieson, a right-handed pitcher who spent seven seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization and made two major league appearances during a short September call-up in 1964, passed away on April 7, 2026, in Ortonville, Minnesota. He was 83.

Born September 24, 1942, in Hanford, California, Nieson developed into a promising young arm at Fresno State University, becoming just the fifth Bulldogs player ever to reach the major leagues. The Twins signed him as an amateur free agent before the 1962 season, beginning a long and steady climb through the organization’s minor-league system.

Nieson debuted that summer with the Fort Walton Beach Jets, striking out more than a batter per inning and showing the swing-and-miss ability that would remain his calling card. He advanced to Double-A Charlotte in 1963 and then to AAA Atlanta in 1964, earning a September promotion to Minnesota at age 21.

Tom Nieto, Steady Hand Behind the Plate for the 1987 Twins, Dies at 65

Former Minnesota Twins catcher Tom Nieto, a member of the franchise’s unforgettable 1987 World Series championship team, passed away on March 27 at the age of 65. His family shared that he died in Florida following a heart attack, leaving behind a long baseball life that touched clubhouses across the majors and minors alike.

Nieto’s career wound through several organizations, but in Minnesota he found the role that Twins fans remember best: a reliable, defense first catcher who helped stabilize a pitching staff during one of the most pivotal seasons in franchise history.

From California to the Big Leagues

Born in Downey, California, Nieto played his college ball at Oral Roberts University before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round in 1981. He reached the majors in 1984 and served as Darrell Porter’s backup during the Cardinals’ 1985 pennant run.

After a stop in Montreal, the Expos dealt him to Minnesota — a move that would place him squarely in the middle of one of the most improbable championship seasons in modern baseball.

A Quiet Contributor to a Loud Season

The 1987 Twins were a team built on personality, power, and the Metrodome’s peculiar magic. But every championship club needs its glue pieces, and Nieto was one of them. Working behind the plate with a staff that included Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, Les Straker, and a bullpen full of characters, Nieto provided the steady defensive presence that managers covet in a backup catcher. He appeared in 47 games that season, and while his offensive numbers were modest, his value came in the trust the staff placed in him and the professionalism he brought to the job.

He earned a World Series ring that fall as the Twins stunned the baseball world by beating the Cardinals — the very team that drafted him — in seven games. For Twins fans, his name sits comfortably in that long list of role players whose contributions don’t always show up in the box score but are woven into the fabric of a championship.

Most innings pitched

The Minnesota Twins have had a number of work-horse starting pitchers over the years but Jim Kaat stands on the top of the hill with 2,959.1 inning logged. In his Twins career “Kitty” pitched in 468 games with 422 of them as a starter. Back then it was not unusual for starters to pitch in relief now and then as needed. Here is a look at a list of pitchers with 500 or more innings logged wearing a Twins uniform.

Now let’s take a look at the Senators/Twins franchise leaders in innings pitched and who else but Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson would you expect to head this list? Over 5,900 innings, my goodness. Look at the rest of his numbers as compared to more modern pitchers.

That said how about taking a look across all of MLB and look at innings pitched over 1,000 and then we see a number of modern day pitchers with over 5,000 innings logged. I did not expect to find that to be the case.

Darrell Jackson, Talented Twins Lefty Who Battled Through Adversity, Dies at 70

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Do you remember Chuck Knoblauch

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Do you remember Cesar Tovar

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The Twins in June of 1964

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