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
Another day and another big league debut as a Minnesota Twin on July 22.
Grant Balfour (P) – July 22, 2001 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent on January 19, 1997. Debuted at the Dome in relief in a 6-3 Twins loss to the Mariners.
Major league debuts as Minnesota Twins on July 21.
Anthony Slama (P) – July 21, 2010 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. Slama slammed the door on the Indians at Target Field in a Twins 6-0 win with one inning pitched and two strikeouts.
Just the one player with a big league debut as a Minnesota Twins on July 20.
Kevin Mulvey (P) – July 20, 2009 – Traded by the New York Mets with Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra and Philip Humber to the Minnesota Twins for Johan Santana on February 2, 2008. Mulvey’s debut was a short one, facing just one batter and retiring him on four pitches to close out the 14-13 loss to the Oakland A’s in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The Twins had a 6-4 lead at Municipal Stadium over the last place Kansas City A’s going into the bottom of the 8th inning but the home town A’s plated 5 runs on 4 hits, an error and an IBB and held on for a 9-6 win. The Twins committed five errors while their pitching staff allowed nine hits and five walks and had their losing streak extended to three games, fortunately they remained just one game out of first place. Cesar Tovar was 2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Al Worthington took the loss in relief of Dean Chance. Box Score
The rest of the stories that I have done on the 1967 AL pennant race can be found here.
Twins add sexy
Bartolo Colon made his Twins debut on Tuesday night with a start against the Yankees. Minnesota is the 10th major-league team Colon has started for, becoming the fifth pitcher in major-league history to start for 10 different teams. Mike Morgan holds the all-time record; he started at least one game for 12 different teams and of course one of them was the Minnesota Twins.
This is sort of impossible to believe, but there have been eight pitchers older than the age that Bartolo Colon currently is to appear in a Major League Baseball game in the past 50 years. They are:
Hoyt Wilhelm (49, 1972)
Jamie Moyer (49, 2012)
Phil Niekro (48, 1987)
Nolan Ryan (46, 1993)
Jesse Orosco (46, 2003)
Tommy John (46, 1989)
Charlie Hough (46, 1995)
Randy Johnson (45, 2009)
July the 18th was a busy day for big league debuts as Twins.
Scott Diamond (P) – July 18, 2011 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the Atlanta Braves in the 2010 rule 5 draft. Took the loss (6-3) in his debut as a big leaguer at Target Field against the Cleveland Indians.
Erik Schullstrom (P) – July 18, 1994 – On August 16, 1993 the Baltimore Orioles sent Erik Schullstrom to the Minnesota Twins to complete an earlier deal made on August 15, 1993. Debuted in relief in a loss to the Blue Jays at the Skydome pitching 2.2 scoreless innings allowing one hit, one walk while striking out two.
Dave Goltz (P) – July 18, 1972 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 5th round of the 1967 amateur draft. Major league debut was a rare relief appearance in a Twins 6-0 loss to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium I. Goltz threw 3.2 scoreless innings allowing a single hit and striking out one.
Frank Quilici (2B/3B) – July 18, 1965 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1961. Quilici was 0-1 in his big league debut at the Met in a 5-3 loss to the California Angels.
Eduardo Escobar’s go-ahead single in the eighth inning put the Twins up for good, as they defeated the Yankees, 4-2, at Target Field. Since Target Field opened in 2010, Minnesota has a 7-19 (.269) home record against the Bronx Bombers. Over that span, only two teams have that low of a home winning percentage against a particular opponent (minimum 10 games): Reds vs. Mets (6-17, .261) and Mariners vs. Yankees (7-19, 269).
TWIN KILLING: The Yankees are 10-2 in their last 12 games vs. Minnesota and have won each of the last five series between the clubs…have won 10 consecutive season series
vs. the Twins (since 2007) and have won or split 15 straight season series between the clubs (13-0-2 since 2002). Are 19-6 (.760) in 25 games all-time at Target Field, the
highest winning percentage by any team at any ballpark since 1913 (min. 15 games).
YANKEES AT MINNESOTA
OVERALL TRENDS/FACTS: The Yankees and Twins will meet six times in 2017: with three-game series scheduled for tonight-Wed. in Minneapolis and 9/18-20 at Yankee
Stadium…are 10-2 in the last 12 matchups…had an eight-game winning streak from 7/25/15-6/18/16…have won five consecutive series (since 7/3/14)…are 51-21 (.708)
against the Twins since 2007, their best record vs. any AL club over the last 11 seasons…are 74-29 since 2002…IN 2016: Went 5-2 vs. Minnesota, including 2-1 at home and
3-1 in Minneapolis (all games occurred in an 11-day span from 6/16-26/16)…had opportunities to sweep both series but dropped the finales…IN SEASON SERIES: Have
won 10 consecutive season series since 2007…have won or split 15 consecutive season series vs. the Twins, going 13-0-2 since 2002 (went 3-3 in 2005 and 2006)…marks
their longest active streak of non-losing season series vs. any AL opponent…since 1993, are 20-1-3 in season series (went 2-4 in 2001)…AT YANKEE STADIUM: Are 5-1 vs.
Minnesota in the Bronx since the start of 2015…are 12-2-1 in their last 15 home series (min. 2G) vs. the Twins (went 1-2 in 2014 and ’13, 2-2 in ‘12)…are 18-9 vs. the Twins at
the current Yankee Stadium and 37-12 since the start of 2002…AT TARGET FIELD: Are 13-3 in their last 16 games in Minnesota and 22-6 since the start of 2009…have won
eight straight road series at Minnesota (2009-16)…are 19-6 (.760) at Target Field since its 2010 opening, their best record at any current AL ballpark…are 37-17 at Minnesota
since 2002…IN POSTSEASON: Are 4-0 all-time in postseason series vs. Minnesota (2010 ALDS, 3-0; 2009 ALDS, 3-0; 2004 ALDS, 3-1; 2003 ALDS, 3-1)…own a 12-2 all-time
record against the Twins in postseason games…have won nine straight postseason meetings since 10/6/04, their second-longest postseason win streak vs. any opponent
(10G vs. Texas).
Good Grief! Should the Minnesota Twins even show up?
Another day and another player making his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin.
Josh Rabe (OF) – July 17, 2006 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. His big league debut took place at the Dome and he pinch-ran for Jason Kubel but did not score in a 8-1 Twins win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
To see other Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins
Ft. Myers Miracle (High A) outfielder (yes, another center-fielder) Tanner English, 24, was named the Twins Player of the Week ending July 15. The right-handed hitting English hit .450 (9-for-20) with a double, two triples, three home runs and seven RBI on the week. In 49 games for the Miracle this season English is batting .240 (40-for-167) with nine doubles, five home runs and 27 RBI.
English was originally a 13th round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays but decided to go to college. English was drafted in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina and signed by Minnesota for a reported bonus of $105,000.