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
As we start a new year in 2021 and hope to get the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and head out to Target Field to watch the Twins play ball I wanted to share a list of former Minnesota Twins players and people associated with the Twins that passed away in 2020. We lost some great ones.
Pinch-hitter extraordinaire Julio Becquer was born in La Habana, Cuba on December 20, 1931 and passed away on November 1 at the age of 88. Originally signed by the Washington Senators he appeared in 419 games for them between 1955-1960 before playing in 57 games for the Twins in 1961 and in one game in 1963. Becquer goes down in Twins history for hitting the Twins first pinch-hit grand slam home run and as the first “position” player to pitch in a Twins game.
Carroll Hardy was born in Sturgis, South Dakota on May 18, 1933 and passed away at the age of 87 on August 9th. An amazing athlete, he earned ten letters as a Colorado Buffalo in football, baseball and track. While in the Cleveland Indians farm system he played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49’ers in 1955. He played major league baseball as an outfielder with the Indians, Red Sox, Colt .45s and finished his career with the Twins in 1967 primarily as a pinch hitter appearing in eleven games. In 1960 he became a trivia question for the ages when he became the only player to ever pinch-hit for Ted Williams.
Julio (Villegas) Becquer was born in Havana, Cuba on December 20, 1931. The 88 year-old Becquer passed away in Hopkins, Minnesota on November 1, 2020.
Becquer batted and threw left handed and was 5’11” and about 178 lbs. Julio attended the University of Havana and was signed to play for the Washington Senators as a free agent prior to the 1952 season by super scout Joe Cambria who was famous for signing numerous Cuban players. After spending 1952-1954 in the minors, Julio got his first call to the big leagues in late 1955 but in 1956 he was back in the minors.
James Beresford (1B/3B/2B) – September 10, 2016 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent on August 13, 2005. Made his major league debut at Target Field as the starting third baseman hitting eighth. James was 1 for 4 with a sacrifice in 5 PA’s and helped celebrate a Twins 2-1 victory over the Indians.
Chris Heintz (C) – September 10, 2005 – Signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins on November 21, 2003. Heintz debuted as a replacement for Mike Redmond as the catcher with the Twins down 7-2 at Jacobs Field. The Twins ended up losing 7-5 and Heintz was in the on deck circle awaiting his first plate appearance when the game ended.
Travis Bowyer (P) – September 10, 2005 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft. Bowyer debuted in the same game as Chris Heintz but Bowyer entered the game in relief with no outs and the bases full of Indians. Bowyer got the first batter on a sac fly and then threw a wild pitch moving the runners-up before allowing a single to score another run and his night was over at Jacobs Field in the 7-5 loss to Cleveland after 7 pitches.
Rich Becker (OF) – September 10, 1993 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1990 amateur draft. Becker, Hocking, and Stahoviak all debuted in the same game. Becker debuted in the lead-off spot while playing center field and went 2 for 5, both hits were doubles and he scored a run and struck out 3 times. Twins lost 3-2 in Arlington Stadium.
Odds are that you will not recognize the player in this picture but he is still in the Twins organization and has been on the Fort Myers Miracle coaching staff since 2006. He played in the big leagues for 18 seasons for seven different teams but never had more than 260 at bats in any single season and played for the Minnesota Twins in 1998, 1999 and 1990.
It has been over 25 years since a Minnesota Twins batter pinch-hit a grand slam for the Minnesota Twins. This Twins were ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning when “Pig Pen” stepped into the left-handed batters box to hit pinch-hit for Twins catcher Tim Laudner who was hitting in the 7-hole on that day. Right-hander Donn Pall was the third pitcher used by the mighty whitey’s that inning and he gave up the grand salami to Jim Dwyer and the Twins were up 7-2 and would eventually win the game by a score of 10-3 as Frank Viola won his 22nd game of the season. No one has pinch-hit a grand slam home run for the Twins since September 15, 1988.
ERROR, ERROR, RECOMPUTE: A bit of a technical glitch with my search, it turns out that the last player to pinch-hit a home run for the Twins was not Jim Dwyer but our old friend Matt LeCroy in 2004. Here is the corrected list.
I have been out to the CenturyLink Sports Complex several times this week primarily to watch some baseball as about 107 men and women participate in the annual Twins Fantasy Camp which runs from January 10-17. This year there are eight teams playing each other on four fields all day long.
Stan Dickman
Stan Dickman who owns and runs the camp does a fantastic job and he has a staff of former Twins greats that coach the teams, give the players hitting and pitch tips, tell stories and just plain have fun with the fantasy campers. It is not cheap, rookies pay about $4,295 but returning veterans get by with paying $3,795. Having said that it is not cheap, I also need to say that you do get a lot for your money and you won’t get treated any better any place. Stan treats his campers like family and the fact that over 70% of his campers return year after year proves it. I am not going to list all the benefits that campers have but you can check them out on the Twins Fantasy camp website.
I mentioned that the staff is made up of former Twins greats. Here are some of the former Twins greats that I have run into this week, Bert Blyleven is the Fantasy camp commissioner and you see him going from field to field looking for players he can bring up on charges and fine at the daily Kangaroo court. Wouldn’t that be fun to sit in on? When he is not busy writing notes in his ever-present tablet he is interacting with the family members and fans that hang out at the ballpark to watch the games. Others Twins greats that I have run into this week were Tony Oliva, Tom Brunansky, Kent Hrbek, Greg Gagne, Frank Viola, Rick Aguilera, Tim Laudner, Juan Berenguer, Mickey Hatcher, Frank Quilici, Bill Campbell, Steve Braun, Phil Roof, Julio Becquer, Gene Larkin and I am sure there are others that I have not seen. These Twins greats are all willing to spend time talking with fans and family members, have their pictures taken and sign all kinds of autographs. It is like a huge family reunion where everyone knows everyone and the players and the Twins greats are all on a first name basis.
One of the Twins Fantasy Campers, Father Stan Mader watches the ball all the way to the catchers mitt as he bats in one of the games.
I noticed right off the bat that the fantasy games are a bit different then the normal games that I watch out here in the spring at Hammond Stadium and on the adjoining fields. The action is a tad slower, each of the games has two umpires, the players may not be as athletic as they would like to be, catchers have trouble getting the ball back to the pitchers sometimes, there are 10 players on the field as the teams utilize four outfielders, courtesy runners are utilized when needed, in one game I watched I noticed that both shortstops were left-handed, I saw a left-handed third basemen, and even a left-handed catcher, I wonder where he got the left-handed catchers mitt? The play is entertaining, sometimes you can’t help but laugh at a play that may or may not have been made, but you know what, the players cheer for each other and they are playing as hard as they can because they want to win, just like the Twins do. They all want to get to that championship game on Saturday that will be played in Hammond Stadium.
But you know what I didn’t see? I didn’t see pitchers stepping off the mound and adjusting their cups, I didn’t see batters stepping out to walk around and adjust their batting gloves after each pitch, I didn’t see the catchers walk out to the pitcher’s mound every few pitches, there wasn’t as much spitting as you see at a normal baseball game and only once did I see a batter complain to the home plate umpire about a call and he was a pitcher that said “I hope I get the same call when I am pitching.”
But the action isn’t always on the field, today former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee stopped by for a visit and he held court with the fans, fantasy campers, and former Twins players alike with his story-telling. The man is 68 plus years old and he looks like he could take the mound for the Twins in 2015 and win 10 games or so. Matter of fact, according to the “Spaceman” himself, he still plays ball all over the world and last year he claims to have pitched over 340 innings including a couple of one-hitters. Wish I would have taken my camera out there today so I cold have taken his picture but I didn’t. I should know better than to go out to the ballpark without my camera.
I was talking with Bert Blyleven the other day behind the home plate screen at one of the fields when Twins TV announcer Dick Bremer stepped up to the plate and of course Blyleven gave him “an easy out coming” call that got Bremer to look around and smile. Bremer ended up popping out to the third baseman this time but Bert told me that Bremer can get ahold of one now and then. He told me a story about how Bremer a few years back pulled a home run over the left field fence that was a grand slam and the ball darned near hit Bert’s car that was parked near by.
I also wandered over to Hammond Stadium to see what progress was being made on all the work being done there. Even the workers there were friendly and stopped and chatted with me about their work and didn’t yell at me to watch out for all the wet concrete that seemed to be everywhere. According to the workers that I talked with, everything is on schedule and that fans are in for a treat when they come out to watch the Minnesota Twins play their spring training schedule in the not too distant future. The landscaping has not really started but according to one of the workers that will get started in February. I took some pictures of the stadium exterior and you can see them here. Workers have been busy installing the new sign out front at the entrance and that is still not complete but it is not too far away from the looks of things.
After blowing a 4-1 lead by allowing the Baltimore Orioles to score three runs in the top of the ninth on a 3-run home by Earl Robinson off Jack Kralick, the Twins come to bat in their half of the ninth inning. With the score tied 4-4, Julio Becquer is called upon by manager Sam Mele to lead off the bottom of the ninth as a pinch-hitter for Chuck Stobbs against Jack Fisher and Julio proceeds to hit a home run and become not only the first Twin to pinch hit a home run but also becomes the first Twins player in history to hit a walk-off home run as the Twins win 5-4 and 17, 851 Twins fans go home happy..
Becquer, born in Havana, Cuba on December 20, 1931 was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent in 1952 and played for the Senators in 1955 and 1957-1960. Primarily a utility player, Becquer was a left-handed pull hitter and was noted for his good glove at first base. Becquer played first base and some outfield during his career and he even took the mound when that was called for making him the only position player to pitch for both the Senators and the Twins. Although he played for the Senators in 1960 in their final season in Washington prior to relocating to Minnesota, he was not one of the original Minnesota Twins because on December 14, 1960 the Los Angeles Angels made Becquer the 55th selection in the 1960 expansion draft. Julio appeared in 11 games for the Angels going hitless in just 8 at bats before the Angels sold him to the Philadelphia Phillies. Becquer spent several weeks with the Phillies AAA Buffalo team before being sold again on June 2, 1960, this time to the Minnesota Twins. Julio only had 84 at bats for the 1961 Twins but a number of them were key pinch hits. As a matter of fact, Becquer was such a good pinch-hitter that he led the AL in that category in 1957 and again in 1959 as a Washington Senator. In 1962 Becquer played in Mexico and was there again in 1963 when Twins owner Calvin Griffith was informed that Becquer needed just a few weeks of big league time to qualify for a pension so Griffith re-signed Julio so that could qualify for that major league pension. Becquer appeared in just one big league game in 1963 (September 18) at Met Stadium in a 10-0 Twins win over the Detroit Tigers appearing as a pinch-runner for Earl Battey and scoring on a Bernie Allen double.
Julio Becquer lives in the Minneapolis area and can be seen frequently at Twins games at Target Field. Becquer was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. I did an interview with Julio on May 2010 that you can listen to at http://wp.me/P1YQUj-dE .
June 9, 2009 – A nice story written by Matt Welch a number of years ago for ESPN.com that I think is worth your read. The story is about the Washington Senators ties to Cuban ballplayers such as Julio Becquer, Pedro Ramos, Camilo Pascual, Tony Oliva and numerous others. The relationship of super Cuban scout Papa Joe Cambria and the numerous players he signed to major league contracts is also looked at. The story ends with a “feel good” moment that shows once again that Calvin Griffith was not the ogre that many made him out to be. Click here for the story.
Friday, May 28, 2010 was kind of an odd day in baseball in the fact that two different games had position players pitching, utility player Bill Hall pitched a scoreless inning for the Red Sox in their 12-5 loss to the Royals in Fenway and catcher Kevin Cash pitched the final inning for the Astros in their 15-6 loss to the Reds in Cincinnati, giving up one run. In Minnesota we have to look all the way back to 1990 to see a position player (John Moses) take the mound. A total of four Twins position players have toed the pitching rubber for Minnesota and they have pitched in a total of 7 games. One of these pitching appearances was unusual in that Cesar Tovar started the game on the mound and played each position in sequence as the game progressed. Let’s take a look at how these guys fared.
Julio Becquer (first baseman) – September 10, 1961 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City in a 13-1 loss to the A’s. Julio pitched 1.1 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 walk and 3 runs. Click here for the box score. Julio also pitched in a game as a Washington Senator in 1960.
2. Cesar Tovar (infielder/outfielder) – September 22, 1968 at Met Stadium in a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City A’s. Cesar started the game and pitched one scoreless inning giving up a walk and striking out future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in the process. Cesar went on to play C-1B-2B-SS-3B-LF-CF-RF. This was the only occurrence of a Twins position player pitching at Met Stadium. This is the only instance where a Twins position player pitched and the Twins won the game. Click here to see the box score.
3.Dan Gladden (outfielder) – June 27, 1988 at Anaheim Stadium in a 16-7 Twins defeat. Dan pitched a scoreless 8th inning facing just three batters and throwing 9 pitches. Click here to see the box score.
4. Dan Gladden (outfielder) – May 7, 1989 at Cleveland Stadium in a 12-1 loss to the Indians. Gladden pitched one inning giving up a walk, two hits and one run. Click here for the box score.
5. John Moses (outfielder) – June 24, 1989 at Fenway Park in an 11-2 loss to the Red Sox. John pitched one scoreless inning giving up a walk but only faced 3 batters with the team turned a double play behind him. Click here for the box score.
6. John Moses (outfielder) – May 19, 1990 at Fenway Park in a 13-1 loss to the Red Sox. John pitched one inning allowing two hits and one run. Click here for the box score.
7. John Moses (outfielder) – July 31, 1990 at the Metrodome in a 13-2 loss to the California Angels. John pitched one inning walking 2, giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. Click here for the box score. This was the only occurrence of a Twins position player pitching in the Metrodome. This pitching appearance makes Moses the all-time Minnesota Twins leader in games and innings pitched by a position player with a total of 3 innings in 3 games. To this point Moses is also the only position player in Twins history to appear on the mound twice in the same season but that record does not hold.
8.Michael Cuddyer (outfielder) – July 25, 2011 at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington with the Twins trailing the Texas Rangers 20-3 and having burned through five pitchers, Cuddyer was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. Cuddy threw 16 pitches and retired the Rangers on 2 hits and a walk but kept Texas from scoring. Click here for the box score.
9. Drew Butera catcher) – Trailing the Brewers 16-2 on May 20, 2012 catcher Drew Butera was asked to pitch for the Twins in the 8th inning. Butera kept the Brewers from scoring while throwing 17 pitches and only allowed one walk and in the process struck out former Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez. The Twins ended up losing the game 16-4. Butera is only the second Twins position player to pitch and strike out an opposing batter. Click here for the box score. Drew’s father Sal Butera who was also a Twins catcher in 1980-1982 and again in 1987 also took the mound but not when he was with the Twins. Sal Butera pitched a scoreless inning for the Montreal Expos in 1985 and another scoreless inning for the Cincinnati Reds in 1986.
10. On August 5, 2013, the same day that MLB announced that 13 players were suspended for a total of 811 days for violating drug protocols, the Twins found themselves down 13-0 to the Royals at Kauffman in game one of a three game series. In the eighth inning Twins skipper Gardenhire decided to bring in utility infielder Jamey Carroll to pitch. Carroll threw just 9 pitches, seven for strikes and retired the side with no hits, walks, or runs. Carroll became only the seventh position player to pitch for the Twins but it was the 10th time this kind of situation has occurred. John Moses pitched 3 times and Dan Gladden did it twice. Box score.
11. On August 8, 2015 Shane Robinson (outfielder) became the first Twins position player to pitch since Jamey Carroll did it on August 5, 2013 at Kansas City. Robinson came in with the bases loaded and faced four batters – he walked the first batter and retired the next three hitters the last out was a strikeout on Robinson’s infamous knuckle all. Box Score.
Minnesota Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar throws against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning after he was called to pitch in a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016 in Minneapolis. The Astros won 15-7. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
12. On August 11, 2016 infielder Eduardo Escobar moved from shortstop to the mound at Target Field in the ninth inning with the Twins trailing the Houston Astros 15-6 and allowed just one hit but no runs as he retired the Astros on 16 pitches. Escobar was the sixth pitcher used by the Twins in the first game of a doubleheader. Box Score.
Catcher Chris Gimenez pitching to the Tigers on April 23, 2017 at Target Field.
13. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, April 23, 2017 The Twins were losing 13-4 to the Detroit Tigers in the top of the ninth inning at Target Field and Twins reliever Ryan Pressly just could not get the final out so manager Paul Molitor turned to catcher/utility man Chris Gimenez to finish it off. Gimenez took the mound and retired Andrew Romine on four pitches. Over the course of a nine-year career and before Sunday, the backup catcher had taken the hill three times. Catcher Chris Gimenez kept it ‘slow, slow, and slower’ in his fourth career pitching appearance. Some of Gimenez’s pitches might have registered on Gameday as knuckleballs, but keeping the pitches simple was merely part of his strategy. “I just try to locate about 68 to 79 mph and go from there. Let them supply the power. They were all heaters. Just slow and slower. That’s my game. Box score
14. With the Twins being pounded 11-1 at Target Field on Saturday, May 6, 2017 Twins skipper Paul Molitor was once again forced to bring catcher Chris Gimenez to the mound with one out and runners at first and second. Gimenez retired Xander Bogaerts and Nick Benintendi for the final two out of the inning on just four pitches. Box score
15. The Astros showed no mercy and routed the Twins on May 31, 2017, 17–6, completing a three-game sweep in which they scored 40 runs (16, 7 and 17). That is a franchise record for runs scored in a regular-season series of any length. Twins C/1B Chris Gimenez was called upon (moving from 1B to the mound) for the third time this season to pitch and the season is just ending its second month. Gimenez pitched the ninth inning but gave up two runs on a two-run home run to Marwin Gonzalez. Box Score
16. Manager Paul Molitor calls on catcher/1B Chris Gimenez again as the Twins get thrashed at Safeco Field 12-3 and Gimenez delivers a scoreless inning. Box Score 17. Twins fans get to see their back-up catcher Chris Gimenez make his fifth pitching appearance of the 2017 season and fourth appearance in front of the home town crowd as Gimenez pitches 1 inning and gives up 2 runs on 3 hits in a Twins 14-3 loss to the Mariners. Box Score
18. Make that six pitching appearances in 2017 for C/1B Chris Gimenez. Gimenez pitched 1 inning allowing 2 hits but he kept the White Sox off the board which is relatively rare for Twins relievers this season. Box Score
Ryan LaMarre pitching on April 23, 2018 in Yankee Stadium. Credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
19. The visiting Twins get pummeled by the New York Yankees 14-1 forcing manager Paul Molitor to use outfielder Ryan LaMarre as a relief pitcher. LaMarre went 2/3 of an inning facing three batters, one of which, Tyler Austin hit a home run. LaMarre need just five pitches to get his two outs. This is the second pitching appearance for Ryan who also appeared as a pitcher for the Red Sox in July 2016. Box Score
20. Catcher Willians Astudillo became the Twins fifth pitcher of the day at Target Field when he took the mound on July 14, 2018 to pitch the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays with the Twins trailing 14-6. It took 35 pitches but Astudillo finally retired the Rays but not until they scored five times on five hits, two of which were home runs. Box Score
21. Catcher Mitch Garver made his maiden big league pitching appearance on August 6, 2018 at Progressive Field when he toed the rubber in the eighth inning of a 10-0 shellacking of the Twins by the Cleveland Indians. Garver was the Twins third pitcher of the day and the only one to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard. Garver threw 14 pitches in one scoreless inning allowing just one hit, no walks and not striking out anyone. Box Score
22. On September 2, 2018 shortly after being acquired from the Cubs, manager Paul Molitor again calls on catcher Chris Gimenez to take the mound. With the Twins down 13-2 at Globe Life Park in Arlington to the Texas Rangers. Gimenez has a rough go of it allowing five runs on six hits including two home runs in one inning of pitching in which he throws 29 pitches. Gimenez however; bats in the top of the ninth inning and hits a two-run home run making him the first Twins pitcher to hit a home run since Jim Kaat hit one in 1972. Box Score
23. Twins utility player Willians Astudillo gets a chance to redeem himself on April 16, 2021 when he gets to toe the pitching rubber for the second time in his career. In his last pitching appearance back in 2018 he got roughed up by the Tampa Bay Rays for five runs on five hits but today at Angel Stadium of Anaheim Astudillo was on his game. Throwing just seven pitches Astudillo retired the Angels 1-2-3 in the ninth inning. Box Score
24. La Tortuga (Willians Astudillo) is called on for mound mop-up duty again, his third career pitching appearance on May 17, 2021 at Target Field to help out the Twins who are being pounded by the league leading Chicago White Sox 16-3. Astudillo gives up a home run to rookie Yermin Mercedes on a 3-0 count with two out in the ninth inning to make the final score 16-4. It was the only hit that Astudillo gave up but Twins players were not happy with Mercedes. After the game White Sox skipper Tony LaRussa criticized Mercedes for breaking an unwritten rule and said that it would be taken care of in-house. The next day Twins reliever Tyler Duffey enters the game in the seventh inning to face Yermin Mercedes and his first pitch sails behind Mercedes and the umpires quickly confer and send Duffey to the showers. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli quickly follows Duffey to the clubhouse after he too is ejected. Box Score
25. The Twins are down 14-5 to the Kansas City Royals after eight innings at Kauffman Stadium so Willians Astudillo is asked to slide over to the mound from his third base duties and help out the Twins pitching staff that has already burned through four pitchers after starter Matt Shoemaker retires just one batter out of the ten he faced. Astudillo needs just 12 pitches to retire the side even though he walked a batter and another reached base on an error. This is the third time La Tortuga has taken the mound in 2021 (and it is early June) for the Twins and that kind of tells you how the Twins 2021 season is going. Box Score
26. The Twins are at Fenway Park and the Twins are trailing 12-2 when manager Baldelli calls on Willians Astudillo to take the mound for the fourth time this season. Astudillo throws 20 pitches during his scoreless inning on the mound, he did walk one batter. Video of his pitching appearance can be seen on August 26 OTD in Twins history. Astudillo hit a home run earlier in the game accounting for all the Twins runs. Box Score
27. Trailing the Houston Astros 11-3 after eight innings at Target Field on May 11, 2022 Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli bring in UT player Nick Gordon to make his maiden appearance on the mound. Gordon pitches one scoreless inning (16 pitches) giving up just one harmless single. Box Score
28. Nick Gordon returns to the mound for the second time this season in a White Sox rout over the Twins at Target Field on July 14, 2022. This time Gordon gets roughed up a bit in his one inning (19 pitches) on the mound as he gives up three runs on a walk and four hits one of which was a three-run home run. Box Score
29. Gordon takes the mound for his third career appearance on July 29th against the San Diego Padres and pitches one scoreless inning in San Diego in a 10-1 blowout loss. Box Score
30. On 9/3/22 it is the fourth time that Rocco Baldelli calls on Nick Gordon to do a bit of pitching but this time Gordon lasts just 2/3 of an inning as he gives up 6 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks to the White Sox in Chicago and has to be relieved by Jermaine Palacios, another position player. This is the first time that the Twins have ever used two position players to pitch in one game. Box Score
31. Jermaine Palacios takes the mound to relieve position player Nick Gordon on 9/3/22 and strikes out Adam Haseley for the final out in a 10-0 shellacking by the White Sox in Chicago. Box Score
32. Rocco calls on Jermaine Palacios to toe the rubber one more time on 9/19/22 and Palacios again gets the final out in relief of closer Jorge Lopez as the Guardians whip the Twins 11-4. VideoBox Score
33. Rocco Baldelli calls on Willie Castro to get the final out at Fenway Park in a 11-5 blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 20, 2023. Castro came through by retiring Enrique Hernandez the only batter he faced on a ground out to second. Castro becomes the sixteen different Twins position player to take the bump for Minnesota. Box Score
34. MLB blowout rules were applicable when the Twins were getting blown out at Target Field by the Boston Red Sox on June 20, 2023 so Twins manager called for utility man Willie Castro to make his second appearance on a mound in 2023. Castro peaked out at 54 MPH pitching a scoreless ninth inning allowing just one hit and getting the side out on just nine pitches. Box Score
35. Twins outfielder Jordan Luplow, who had joined Minnesota just one week earlier after being claimed off waivers was asked to take the mound by Rocco Baldelli at Philly on August 11, 2023 in a 13-2 blowout loss. You can watch him pitch here. This is not Luplow first rodeo, it is actually his third pitching appearance and they have all been with different teams. One of his appearances was against the Twins and he gave up a home run to Ron Jeffers. On this day he also gave up a home run to Johan Rojas, his first big league long ball. Luplow threw 11 pitches in his one inning giving up one hit, hit a batter and two runs. Box Score
36. The Twins vs Guardians game on September 4, 2023 was an odd one for sure. In the sixth inning with the Twins up 11-1 and two runners on with no outs at Progressive Field the Guardians brought in catcher David Fry to pitch. Fry ended up pitching the last four innings throwing 64 pitches in a game in which he gave up 10 hits and seven runs. But there is more to the story, the Twins brought in utility man Willi Castro from third base to pitch the ninth inning with a 20-3 lead. Castro in his third pitching appearance of 2023 for the Twins gives up 3 runs on 2 hits. Castro has never had a strikeout in his three pitching appearances. But what is unique about this appearance is that Castro become the first Twins position player to pitch in a game in which the Twins win.
37. Twins utility player Willi Castro slides over from playing shortstop to the mound to get the final out in the Twins 8-2 loss at Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers. It is Castro’s fourth career pitching appearance.
Seventeen different Twins position players have now pitched on 37 different occasions for the Minnesota Twins.
