Tag: Reds

Spending some time with Dave McCarty

Dave McCarty

Dave McCarty was born in Houston, Texas on November 23, 1969. Dave grew up playing the three major sports and attended Sharpstown High School in Houston. Like most Texas athletes, McCarty grew up thinking he would attend the University of Texas but while on a recruiting trip to Stanford he fell in love with the campus, the weather and the quality of education offered there and before he knew it he had accepted a baseball scholarship and became a Stanford Cardinal. In 1991 after hitting .420 with 24 home runs, 66 RBI’s with a .828 slugging percentage McCarty was named as a first team All-American and the NCAA National Player of the Year.

McCarty was the Twins first round pick (third overall behind Brien Taylor and Mike Kelly) in the 1991 June amateur draft and he signed with Minnesota a few weeks later for a $390K bonus. McCarty started his baseball career in “A” ball with Visalia and quickly moved up to AA Orlando. In 1992 McCarty spent most of the season with Orlando but was promoted at the end of the season to AAA Portland where he played in 7 games. McCarty started the 1993 season with Portland but in May the Twins called him up and on May 17, 1993 Dave McCarty made his major league debut at the Metrodome as an outfielder against the New York Yankees. McCarty was 1-4 in his first big league game but the Twins lost 11-5. McCarty stayed with the Twins for the rest of the 1993 season but his relationship with manager Tom Kelly left something to be desired. McCarty started the 1994 season with Minnesota but appeared in only 44 games through the end of June and was sent back to Portland where he finished the 1994 season. McCarty again started the 1995 season in Minnesota but played sparingly and on June 8, 1995 the Twins traded their 1991 first round pick to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher John Courtright who as it turned out would never spend a day in a Minnesota Twins uniform. McCarty never played for the Reds either and just 6 weeks later they sent him to the San Francisco Giants in a big seven player trade. McCarty played for the Giants 1995-1996, the Mariners in 1998, the Royals in 2000-2002, the Tampa Devil Rays in 2002, the Oakland A’s in 2003 and finished his big league career with the Boston Red Sox between 2003 and 2005 where he ended up earning a World Series ring in 2004 though he did not appear in the playoffs or the World Series that season.

McCarty played 1B/outfield in the major leagues for all or parts of 11 seasons but the most at bats he ever accumulated in a single season was during his rookie year in Minnesota when he had 350. Though he had a strong college hitting career he quickly became labeled as a utility player in the big leagues and was known more for his glove work that his work with the stick. In his big league career McCarty hit .242 in 1,493 at bats with 36 home runs, 175 RBI’s, and had 9 stolen bases. A right-handed hitter, McCarty threw left-handed and was used as a pitcher on 3 occasions with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 pitching a total of 3.2 innings against the Blue Jays, Dodgers and the Orioles. Although he posted a 0-0 record he did have a nice 2.45 ERA and he struck out 4 batters while walking just one batter.

After retiring from baseball as an active player in May of 2005 Dave McCarty joined NESN as the Red Sox baseball analyst where he stayed until the end of the 2008 season. Now days Dave McCarty works in commercial real estate for Lee & Associates in Oakland and lives in the Piedmont, California area with his wife Monica and two children. Monica McCarty is a well-known Scottish historical romance writer who has published numerous books and has been on the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. In his spare time Dave enjoys playing golf and spending time traveling with his family.

Earlier this month I had a chance to interview Dave and you can listen to that interview here. Be sure to check out our other interviews with former Twins players by going to the Interview Archives page, there are 37 different interviews you can check out.

Did you know?

That going into Sunday’s finale against the Boston Red Sox that the Minnesota Twins are 24-28 on the road this season?

That in their last 9 games the Twins starters have posted a 2.20 ERA while allowing just three home runs and holding opponents to a .204 (46-for-225) batting average against? Starters have pitched 6 or more innings in eight of their last nine starts while getting 8 quality starts. The team has gone 7-2 over that stretch.

That Ben Revere has hit safely in a career-high 18 straight games since July 16, batting .364 (28-for-77) with five doubles, one triple, 10 RBI’s, 13 runs scored and just seven strikeouts? The 18-game streak is the longest since Torii Hunter hit in 23 straight games in 2007.

That the Twins have had four different 15-game hitting streaks this season: Josh Willingham has had two 15-game streaks and Trevor Plouffe had a 17-game streak. The four streaks of 15-plus are the most in baseball so far this season.

That Nick Blackburn is 17-34 in 70 career road starts with a 5.66 ERA in 402 innings?

That catchers Sal and Drew Butera are the first father-son position players to pitch in a major league game? Sal Butera pitched a scoreless inning for Montreal in 1985 and again for Cincinnati in 1986 while Drew Butera tossed a scoreless inning in Milwaukee earlier this season.

That Joe Mauer played in his 1,000th career game earlier this season becoming 17th member of the Twins to accomplish the feat?

That the Twins have not had complete game back to back victories since Joe Mays and Carlos Silva accomplished that feat back on May 19-20, 2005?

That the last Twins player to steal Home was Torii Hunter in Detroit back on May 4, 2002?

That Joe Mauer’s three-run ninth-inning home run off Alfredo Aceves yesterday was Mauer’s first career game-winning homer in the ninth inning or later? The last Minnesota player to hit such a blast at Fenway Park was Ron Washington on May 22, 1983.

 

Are the Twins pitchers in trouble in Cincinnati?

Located on the winding banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the GABP (Great American Ball Park) serves as the home of the Cincinnati Reds, baseball’s first professional franchise. The ballpark officially opened for the 2003 season, making 2010 its eighth big-league season.

At least 1 home run has been hit in each of the last 59 games at Great American Ball Park, dating back to a homer less game vs the Giants on July 29, 2011, making it the longest active ballpark homer streak in the major leagues and the longest home run streak in GABP history. There have only been 60 homer less contests in the ballpark’s 764 games. Only twice in the park’s 10-year existence has there been a streak of 2 straight games without a home run by either team and there never has been a 3-game homer less stretch at GABP. Earlier this season, there were 29 home runs hit during the home stand from May 21 – May 27 (Reds 17, Braves 6, Rockies 6), a new GABP record for HR during a home stand of 7 games or fewer and including a single-game record 9 homers in the finale (Rockies 5, Reds 4).

The GABP is a bandbox and in 2012 it ranks second to Arizona’s Chase Field (1.84) in home runs allowed at 1.80 per game. Safeco Field in Seattle is the toughest place to hit a home run with on 0.45 long balls per game. This year Target Field ranks 18 out of 30 as far as home runs hit is concerned and their ratio stands at 0.90 . With Twins pitchers having given up a major league leading 93 home runs this season it could be a long week-end for Rick Anderson’s chuckers. The Twins physical therapists better be ready to massage some of those Twins pitchers neck muscles as they might suffer from whip-lash before this 3-game series comes to an end.

This Day in Twins History – May 19

1961 – Outfielder Dan Dobbek hits the Twins first grand slam home run at Metropolitan Stadium. The unlucky hurler is Kansas City Athletic pitcher Ed Rakow. 1961 was Dobbek’s first and last season in Minnesota and he only had 125 at bats as a Twin hitting .168 with 4 home runs. In January of 1962 the Twins traded Dobbek to Cincinnati for catcher Jerry Zimmerman.

1990 – Twins outfielder John Moses makes his second appearance as a Twins pitcher in Fenway Park in a 13-1 loss to the Red Sox. John pitched one inning allowing two hits and one run. This is the sixth time that a Twins position player has turned pitcher. Red Sox RF anf former Twins player Tom Brunansky has a huge day going 5 for 5 with a double and 2 home runs, scoring three times and knocking in 7 more.

 

Bobby Korecky

2008 – The Twins beat the Texas Rangers 7-6 in 12 innings at the Metrodome. After blowing a lead, the Twins scored one in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the score at 6 apiece. The Twins give up their DH in the 10th inning and Twins reliever Bobby Korecky is forced to hit in the bottom of the 11th and delivers a single in what turns out to be the only time that a Twins pitcher has had a base hit in the Metrodome. The Twins end up scoring on a walk-off double by Howie Clark in the 12th inning. Korecky also gets the victory, his first major league win.

 

According to Elias

The Twins, held to one hit by Seattle Mariners Felix Hernandez and Steve Delabar last night after being no-hit by the Angels Jered Weaver on Wednesday, now have accumulated a total of just nine hits over their last four games, the fewest hits over a four-game span by any team in modern major-league history (that is, since 1900). Minnesota surpassed the previous four-game low of 10 hits, done by the California Angels in 1969 and by the Reds in 1993.

Sam Perlozzo – Twins 2B and baseball lifer

Sam Perlozzo played 2B for the Twins in 1977.

Samuel Benedict Perlozzo was born in Cumberland, Maryland on March 4, 1951. Growing up in Maryland, Sam enjoyed playing football and baseball and was probably better known as a football player playing running back and safety but his lack of size kept him from pursing the gridiron. Sam earned a baseball scholarship to George Washington University where he played for three seasons from 1970 to 1972. In his final year, Sam was the star of the team hitting .345, leading the nation in stolen bases and getting named as an Academic All-American. Sam ended up signing a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins on August 15, 1972. Perlozzo started his professional career in “A” ball with Fort Lauderdale in 1973 and played in Dubuque in 1974 and Reno in 1975. Back in those days some of the big league clubs had co-op teams where a team was made up of players for several big league clubs so even though Sam was signed as a Minnesota Twin, he did not get to play on a team of Twins minor leaguers until he joined the Orlando team in 1976. Sam Perlozzo made his major league debut on September 13, 1977 at Comiskey Park replacing Bob Randall at 2B in the seventh inning but he did not get an at bat that day. Sam ended up playing in 10 games for the Twins in 1977 going 7 for 24 (.292 average) and scoring 6 runs. As it turned out, those 10 games would be the only games that Sam played in a Minnesota Twins uniform as he spent 1978 in AAA Toledo. In the spring of 1979 Perlozzo and the Twins had reached an agreement that if Sam did not make the Twins ballclub coming out of spring training he would be granted his release and that took place on March 30, 1979. Perlozzo signed with the San Diego Padres and spent the season playing in Hawaii before getting a September call-up. Unfortunately for Sam he was suffering from a groin injury at the time and only got two at bats with the Padres before being carted off the field after he reinjured his groin. That my friends marked the end of Sam Perlozzo’s big league playing career. In January of 1980 the Padres sold Perlozzo to the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese League and Sam played ball there in 1980 hitting .281 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI’s in 118 games. In 1981 Sam joined the New York Mets as a player/coach in AAA Tidewater but after that season, Sam, who was 30 at the time, walked away from his playing days and moved into coaching and managing.

Perlozzo managed various teams in the Mets minor league system from 1982-1986 winning three league titles while never having a losing season. Perlozzo ended his minor managing league career with a 364-263 (.581) record in five seasons. The following season (1987), Sam was promoted to the New York Mets as a third base coach and he stayed in that role through the 1989 season. Perlozzo then went on to coach for the Cincinnati Reds from 1990-1992, the Seattle Mariners from 1993-1995, and the Baltimore Orioles from 1996-2005. In August of 2005 Perlozzo was named as the Baltimore Orioles manager after Lee Mazzilli was let go. After nearly two years at the helm, Perlozzo could not get the Orioles over the hump and on June 18, 2007 Sam was replaced by Dave Tremblay as the O’s skipper. Sam then returned to coaching with the Seattle Mariners from 2008-2009 before joining the Philadelphia Phillies as a coach in 2009. Perlozzo is still coaching with the Phillies and has now been a big league coach or manager for 25 straight seasons. Sam obviously loves the game of baseball. In the off season, Sam lives in Tampa, Florida and enjoys playing golf and spending time with family and friends. Sam’s son Eric was drafted by the Orioles in the 2007 amateur draft.

You can listen to the Sam Perlozzo interview by clicking here. Be sure to check out our other interviews with former Twins players by going to the Interview Archives page, there are 35 different interviews you can check out.

Camilo Pascual elected to Twins Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Twins announced yesterday that former pitcher and five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual has been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. Pascual will become the 24th member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he is inducted during a special on field pre-game ceremony July 14, when the Twins host the Oakland Athletics at Target Field.

Pascual, one of the “Twins 50 Greatest Players” made his major league debut on April 15, 1954 as a Washington Senator with 3 innings of scoreless relief at Fenway Park in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Pascual went on to pitch in 529 big league games over 18 seasons and posted a 174-170 won/lost record while pitching for the Washington Senators from 1954-1960, The Minnesota Twins from 1961-1966, the Washington Senators from 1967-1969, the Cincinnati Reds in 1969, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970 and the Cleveland Indians in 1971.

1955 Topps card

Camilo was the first ever Twins All-Star in 1961 and has appeared in more All-Star games than any pitcher in franchise history since 1950, playing in five of six games from 1959-64 and in four straight from 1959-61. He went 145-141 with a 3.66 ERA during his time with the Twins and Senators, ranking second on the franchise All-Time list in shutouts (31), third in strikeouts (1,885), fourth in innings pitched (2,465.0) and fifth in wins (145) and starts (331). He went 88-57 with a 3.31 ERA in six seasons in a Twins uniform from 1961-66, ranking third in shutouts (18), seventh in strikeouts (994), and eighth in wins (88), innings pitched (1284.2) and starts (179). He was the Twins first ever 20-game winner, recording 20 victories in 1962 and 21 in 1963, while leading the American League in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts in nearly every season from 1959-63.

Camilo Pascual is the younger brother of former major league pitcher Carlos Pascual, whose nickname of “Potato” earned Camilo the nickname of “Little Potato”. The “Little Potato” was a workhorse pitcher for the Washington/Minnesota pitching staffs and he possessed good control with an excellent fastball but it was his outstanding curveball that was his signature pitch. Ted Williams was quoted as saying that it was easily the best curveball in baseball at the time. Although Pascual was a workhorse, stories have been told that Camilo enjoyed taking an annual “mini vacation” via the DL each season. Pascual also served as the Minnesota Twins pitching coach from 1978-1980. Pascual has lived in Miami since 1960 and since 1989 he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco, Alex Cora, Omar Daal, Miguel Cairo, and Franklin Gutierrez.

Pascual is one of only five players to have played against the Athletics in Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland. Harmon Killebrew is another member of that select group. Camilo is also one of only seven players to play for both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams. The others were Don Mincher, Pedro Ramos, Johnny Schaive, Roy Sievers, Zoilo Versalles, and Hal Woodeshick.

The Havana-native ranks 55th on baseball’s All-Time wins list and is a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, ranking second to only Luis Tiant in strikeouts among Cuban born major leaguers. In addition to being selected as a member of the Twins 50 Greatest Players in 2010, Camilo was also selected to the Twins 25th anniversary team in 1986 and the 40th anniversary team in 2000. At 74, Pascual, one of the original Minnesota Twins becomes the oldest living member of the Twins Hall of Fame. The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the Target Field Suite Level as well as on Target Plaza.

This selection of Pascual to the Twins Hall of Fame is well deserved and it should have taken place a long time ago. We at Twins Trivia would like to add our congratulations to Camilo on this great honor. Good things come to those who wait but Camilo should not have had to wait this long. You can check out the entire Twins Hall of Fame here.

I grew up listening to WCCO as they broadcast Minnesota Twins games and Camilo Pascual was always one of my favorite players because you knew when Camilo pitched that the Twins had a good chance of winning the game. Back then I could not attend many games in person and hardly any games were on TV so the radio was the place to be if you followed baseball and the Minnesota Twins.

This Day in Twins History – December 25, 1989

Popular former Minnesota Twins player and manager Billy Martin dies in an automobile accident in Binghamton,  New  York at the age of 61. Billy served as the Twins fourth skipper during the 1969 season and led the Twins to a first place finish only to lose to the Baltimore Orioles 3 games to none.

Alfred Manual Martin played in the major leagues with the Yankees from 1950-1957, Kansas City A’s in 1957, the Detroit Tigers in 1958, the Cleveland Indians in 1959, the Cincinnati Reds in 1960, and the Milwaukee Braves and Minnesota Twins in 1961. Martin, 33 at the time, only played in 108 games hitting .246 for the Twins before retiring as an active player. The feisty Martin managed the Twins in 1969, the Detroit Tigers in 1971-1973, the Texas Rangers in 1973-1975, the New York Yankees from 1975-1979, the Oakland A’s from 1980-1982 and the Yankees again in 1983, 1985, and 1988. In sixteen years and 2,267 games as a manager, Martin had a 1,253 and 1,013 won-lost record while winning two pennants and one World Series title.

I had written an earlier article about Billy that you can see here.

How they will finish in 2011

March 31, 2011 – I know the season started today and I am a bit slow with my predictions for this year but here is how I see things playing out. Sorry to say, but I don’t see the Twins winning the AL Central this year, the new champs of the Central will be those “dag nabbit” Mighty Whitey’s. I see the Chicago White Sox as just beating out the Twins by 1 ½ games in a season long battle for supremacy. But things aren’t all bad, as the Twins will be the American league wild card winners for the first time in their history. Here is how I see the Division races ending up.

Finish AL East AL Central AL West
1 Red Sox White Sox Rangers
2 Yankees Twins * A’s
3 Rays Tigers Angels
4 Orioles Royals Mariners
5 Blue Jays Indians  
       
Finish NL East NL Central NL West
1 Braves Reds Rockies
2 Phillies * Cardinals Giants
3 Marlins Brewers Padres
4 Nationals Cubs Dodgers
5 Mets Pirates D-Backs
    Astros  

* – Wild Card Winner

The Twins will make some progress in the playoffs this year but they will only win one series and get beat out in the ALCS by the Boston Red Sox who will face the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The Boston Red Sox will become the World Champions in 5 games.