Tag: Freddie Toliver

Former Minnesota Twins pitcher Greg Booker passes away at age 58

Gregory Scott Booker was born in Burlington, North Carolina on June 22, 1960 and after a courageous fight with melanoma passed away at the age of 58 on March 30, 2019. Greg Booker was a 10th round pick in the 1981 amateur draft by the San Diego Padres and signed by Kelly McKeon. Booker is the son-in-law of “Trader Jack” McKeon and brother-in-law of Kasey McKeon and Kelly McKeon.

Greg Booker

Greg Booker, a 6’6″ right-handed pitcher started his big league career in 1981 in the San Diego Padres organization and made his major league debut on September 11, 1983 after putting up relatively mediocre minor league pitching numbers. Booker spent all or parts of seven seasons (1983-1989) with the San Diego Padres and made an appearance in the 1984 NLCS and the 1984 World Series before being traded by his father-in-law Jack McKeon to the Minnesota Twins on June 29, 1989 for pitcher Freddie Toliver.

The 30-year-old Booker was sent to AAA Portland after being acquired by Minnesota and then in September the Twins called him up and he appeared in six games pitching a total 8.2 innings with no decisions and a 4.15 ERA. After the 1989 season ended Booker became a free agent and signed with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs released Booker prior to the 1990 season and the San Francisco Giants signed him a few days later and he appeared in just two games as a Giant and pitched in his final big league game on May 26, 1990.

Continue reading Former Minnesota Twins pitcher Greg Booker passes away at age 58

This Day in Twins History – February 5

Freddie Toliver1988 – The Twins trade for pitcher Freddie Toliver and send catcher Chris Calvert to Philly. The right-handed Toliver spent parts of 1988 and 1989 pitching for the Twins mostly as a starter and he had a 8-9 record with a 1.55 WHIP and a 4.95 ERA in 143.2 innings. The string bean Toliver (6’1″ and 165 lbs) always had control issues and in mid-1989 the Twins traded him to the Padres for Greg Booker. Calvert never advanced past AA ball. Booker a big 6’6″ right-handed pitcher appeared in 6 games in a Minnesota uniform in 1989 and had no record and the Twins let him go after the season ended.

2002 – MLB owners postpone contraction until the 2003 season; a day after the Minnesota Supreme Court refuses to hear their appeal of the injunction that forces the Twins to honor their Metrodome lease for the 2002 season.

The Minnesota Twins and litigation have not exactly been strangers over the years and this April 2010 article on mnbenchbar.com by Marshall Tanick highlights some of the brushes that the Minnesota Twins and their players have had with the courts over the years. There are several other cases of Twins players or ex-Twins players that have run afoul of the law that are not mentioned in this story.