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 major league debut as a Minnesota Twin, but this was not your run of the mill Twins star that debuted on June 6
Frank Viola
Frank Viola (P) – June 6, 1982 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft. Viola’s debut was not exactly vintage “sweet music” on June 6 when he first stepped on the Metrodome mound to face the Baltimore Orioles and Dennis Martinez and he ended up taking the loss in the 7-5 O’s win but his good days were just on the horizon. Just in case you wanted to know, the Twins selected Bryan Oelkers as their first round pick and fourth overall just ahead of the Mets pick of Dwight Gooden.
The most famous eye issue in Minnesota Twins history has to be the Kirby Puckett glaucoma issue that led to the future Hall of Famer’s premature retirement. In a meaningless fall game against the Indians at the Metrodome on September 28, 1995 with the Twins in last place and 42 games out of first place, Puckett was hit in the face by a fastball from Dennis Martinez in the bottom of the first inning. When Puckett who was the DH that afternoon and in the third spot in the batting order stepped to the plate, Chuck Knoblauch was on third base after he too was hit by a Martinez pitch leading off the game. Knobby stole second and advanced to third on a fly ball to center by Matt Lawton. On a 0-2 count Martinez hit Puckett in the face and blow shattered his jaw and put him out of play for the rest of the season. My wife and I were at that game along with just 9,440 others and when Puckett fell to the ground the silence was amazing, you could have heard a pin drop before Indians catcher Tony Pena and the Twins medical staff rushed to Puckett’s aid.
At spring training camp the following March he was batting well, but on March 28 he woke up unable to see out of his right eye. Doctors discovered he had glaucoma. The problem could not be corrected, even after four surgeries, and on July 12, 1996, he announced his retirement as a player.
This past summer Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof was injured in a freak accident when he was struck in the face by a resistance band that was anchored to a wall following a minor league game in Florida. The mounted base broke off the wall and damaged Imhof’s right eye. Doctor’s were unable to save the eye. At last report Imhof had not decided if he would continue his professional baseball career as a pitcher. Imhof, a left-hander was a Phillies second round selection in the June 2014 draft.
Almost 50 years ago back in the fall of 1968 a freak injury caused a Minnesota Twins minor league catching prospect to also lose an eye playing the game he loved.
Many players can say that they played ball in the Minnesota Twins minor league system but few can say that they were good enough and fortunate enough to wear a MLB Minnesota Twins uniform. Because of a tragic accident nearly fifty years ago on October 6, 1968 catcher Franklyn Sands big league dreams took a sharp detour and his dreams of becoming a big leaguer would never happen and his life was forever chnaged.
The Bahamas are not exactly a hot-bed for major league talent but at last count six players born in the Bahamas have worn a big league uniform. According to some, Frank Sands was one of the best catchers to ever come out of the Bahamas when the Houston Astros signed Sands to a contract to play pro ball as a 17-year old and sent him to play class A ball in Bismarck-Mandan in the Northern league in 1966. After the 1966 season the Astros chose not to protect Sands and the Minnesota Twins drafted him and assigned him to AAA Denver in 1967 where he appeared in just 46 games. The following season the Twins organization decided to send Sands to play class A ball for the Wilson Tobs. Sands caught 116 of the teams 139 games and gained a reputation as a good receiver with a whip like arm but his hitting remained a work in progress.
Then on October 6, 1968 while taking part in the Twins Florida Instructional League tragedy struck, here is how B-R Bullpen describes the incident.
“Sands was warming up pitcher Tom Hall. Hall bounced a breaking ball in the dirt, and it caromed up and off Sands’ mitt into his cheekbone. A sliver of bone punctured his eye from the inside. Sands knew immediately that he had lost the eye. Scipio Spinks observed, “After his accident, it was mandatory for catchers to wear a mask while warming up pitchers.”
Frank spent four weeks in the hospital, and as soon as he got out, the first thing he wanted to do was put on his uniform and get out for batting practice. He was determined to come back, despite the obstacle he faced in batting with impaired depth perception. Twins owner Calvin Griffith liked the young man very much and gave him every opportunity. In fact, Griffith said that Sands would have a job for life with the organization if he wanted it.”
Sands reported for spring training in 1969, this time as a pitcher but was farmed out early in training camp to the class A Orlando Twins where he appeared in just three games pitching just four innings before breaking his arm throwing a pitch. Frank Sands professional baseball career was over but he still caught in the Bahamas Baseball Association for several years playing a game he loved.
Scipio Spinks was a pitcher and a teammate of Sands in the Northern League in 1966 and today is a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here is what Scipio wrote in a e-mail to me about Frankie Sands.
“It’s been a long time, he mostly hung out with Roy Bethel and other Bahamian players. He was a very good catcher and had a cannon for an arm, very friendly and sure of himself, I threw to him some as he was a very good catcher. He wasn’t a good hitter though and he struggled at the plate. We only played together for a few years as he was ruled 5 by the Twins, I believe he could have become a decent hitter and I do believe he would have made it to the Big Leagues.”
Six years ago today, Minnesota Twins star outfielder and Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett passed away at the age of 45 from a stroke he suffered a day earlier. The youngest of nine children born into poverty in a Chicago housing project, Kirby Puckett was the Minnesota Twins first round pick (and third over all) in the 1982 amateur draft. After just 224 minor league games in Elizabethton (rookie), Visalia (A ball), and Toledo (AAA ball) Kirby was called up by Minnesota and made his big league debut on May 8, 1984 against the California Angels in Anaheim Stadium and he never played in the minors again. In his rookie season in 557 at bats, Kirby had only had 12 doubles, 5 triples, 0 home runs, and 16 walks. This lack of power was rare but even more unusual for a player that two years later hit 31 home runs with a .537 slugging percentage.
Puckett played for 12 years in a Minnesota Twins uniform hitting .318 in 1,783 games while hitting 207 home runs and knocking in 1,085 more. Though his numbers were not exceptional, Puckett was voted into Cooperstown on the first ballot in 2001. His respect and enthusiasm for the game factored in as much his .318 average, 1989 batting title, six Gold Gloves, 10 All-Star game appearances and two championship rings. The man known simply as “Puck” was immensely popular with baseball fans everywhere. Fans loved his style, especially the high leg kick that preceded his swing. Twins public address announcer Bob Casey, who became a close friend, introduced him with vigor before every at-bat, “KIR-beeeeeeeeee PUCK-it.” “I wore one uniform in my career and I’m proud to say that,” Puckett once said.
On September 28, 1995 in the bottom of the first inning in a game at the Metrodome, Puckett was hit by a pitch from Cleveland Indians starter Dennis Martinez that broke his jaw in what turned out to be his last at-bat of the 1995 season and his last at bat in a major league game. Puckett woke up one morning the following spring and couldn’t see out of his right eye. It was eventually diagnosed as glaucoma, forcing him to call it quits that July. It was a sad ending to a brilliant career.
After his career ended prematurely, Puckett tried to remain upbeat but his personal life began to deteriorate. Shortly after his induction to Cooperstown, his then-wife, Tonya, accused him of threatening to kill her during an argument – he denied it – and described to police a history of violence and infidelity. In 2003, he was cleared of all charges from an alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Twin Cities restaurant. He kept a low profile after the trial and eventually moved to Arizona. His relationship with the Twins organization ended in 2002, but the Twins kept trying to re-establish a connection and get him to come to spring training as a guest instructor. Puckett put on considerable weight, as well and his weight gain concerned friends and former teammates. Kirby suffered a massive stroke early Sunday, March 5th at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona and passed away the following day.
