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The history of the Minnesota Twins, one day at a time. Also sharing the stories of the major leaguers who grew up in Minnesota.

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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 9th

April 9 Happy Birthday, Luis Arráez Happy birthday to 2022 American League and 2023 National League Batting Champion Luis Arráez. The legend of Luis Arráez began back in 2019, when the rookie entered for the injured Jonathan Schoop down 0-2 in the count to Edwin Diaz—who was throwing 98–100 miles per hour. Arráez fouled off four pitches and took four for balls to work an electrifying walk. (If you don’t get how a walk could be epic, look up the video and I think you’ll understand.)
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 8th

And here is the Twins Almanac for April 8th, featuring: • Paul Molitor • Will Clark • Dan Gladden • Kirby Puckett • Byron Buxton April 8, 1978 Molitor’s Career Off to a Hot Start The day after hitting an RBI-single in his major league debut, St. Paul native Paul Molitor went 3-for-6 with a three run homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in his second major league game. Guess he was Cooperstown-bound right out of the gate. April 8, 1986 Bonus Fun Fact This one
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 7th

Here is the Twins Almanac for April 7th, featuring: • Harmon Killebrew • Brant Alyea • Jack Morris • Dwight Evans • Kent Hrbek • David Ortiz • Tsuyoshi Nishioka April 7–13, 1962 Killebrew on Cover of TV Times If you were wondering what was on channels 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11 the week of April 7–13, 1962, you could look it up in this issue of TV Times with Harmon Killebrew, Ray Scott, Frank Be
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 6th

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Happy Birthday, Bert Blyleven and Joe Barbeln • Twins Trade Stigman • Oliva Hits First HR by DH • First Regular Season Game at Dome • Puckett and Winfield Thrill the Home Fans • Offerman's Memorable Twins Debut  April 6 Happy Birthday, Bert Blyleven It’s the birthday of two-time World Series Champion and noted flatulence enthusiast Rik Aalbert “Bert” Blyleven, born in Zeist, Holland in 1951. He grew up in Garden Grove, CA, and was drafted by the Tw
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 5th

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Longest HR to CF in Metrodome History • Molitor’s Three-Year SB Streak Snapped • Big Comeback in 2000 • Two Minnesotans Make MLB Debuts • Manager Wins 1,000th Game • Eleventh Cycle in Team History April 5, 1994 Muñoz Hits Epic Blast Pedro Muñoz hit a 473-foot bomb to center field at the Metrodome on this date in 1994. It was the longest homer ever hit to center at the Dome. The longest homer at the Dome overall was 481 feet to right field by M
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 4th

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Birthdate of a Clubhouse Cancer • Tommy John Pitches in 26th Season • Twins Trade Pomeranz • Ortiz Walk-Off April 4, 1956 Birthdate of Tommy Herr Clubhouse cancer Tommy frickin’ Herr was born on this date in 1956. Screw that guy, am I right? April 4, 1989 Tommy John Pitches in 26th Season 45-year-old Tommy John was the Yankees Opening Day starter at the Metrodome on this date in 1989, outdueling reigning Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola fo
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 3rd

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Happy Birthday, Darrell Jackson and Ryan Doumit • First Game at the Domea • Old Man Grand Slam • Radke Does Radke Stuff • Stelmaszek Throws Out First Pitch • Combined One-Hit Shutout April 3 Happy Birthday, Darrell Jackson Happy birthday to former Twins pitcher Darrell Jackson, born in Los Angeles on this date in 1956. The Arizona State alumnus pitched nine no-hit innings in his professional debut at double-A Orlando on April 14, 197
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 2nd

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Happy Birthday, Tom Johnson and Denny Hocking • Twins Trade Ramos for Power and Stigman • First MLB Game at Target Field  April 2 Happy Birthday, Tom Johnson Happy birthday to former Twins pitcher Tom Johnson, born in St. Paul in 1951. He had a stellar season out of the Twins bullpen in 1977, earning 16 wins (all in relief) and 15 saves. Those 16 wins were ninth-most in the American League,
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for April 1st

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Birthdate of Ron Perranoski • Meares Hits Game-Winning Homer • Five Home Runs on Opening Day • Carneal Passes Away • Mauer Ready to Lead Twins to Title • Berríos Pitches Three-Hit Shutout April 1, 1936 Birthdate of Ron Perranoski Ron Perranoski was born in Paterson, New Jersey on this date in 1936. He led the American League in saves in 1969 and ’70 when the Twins won back-to-back AL West Championships.
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for March 31st

And here it is, folks—the Twins Almanac for March 31st: March 31, 1971 Twins Release Tiant After just one season in Minnesota, the Twins released Luis Tiant at the end of spring training on this date in 1971.  1970—Tiant’s sole season in Minnesota—was the middle of a three-year rough patch in his career. He had posted double-digit wins each of his first five seasons in Cleveland, culminating with 21 in 1968 when he led the league with a 1.60 ERA and 0.871 WHIP and came in fifth
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for March 30

TABLE OF CONTENTS • Twins Trade Landreaux for Hatcher • Bob Casey Laid to Rest • Great Starting Pitching in 2019 • Brainerd HS Grad Off to a Great Start March 30, 1981 Twins Trade Landreaux for Hatcher The Twins traded Ken Landreaux to the Dodgers for Mickey Hatcher and a pair of prospects on this date in 1981. Calvin Griffith had acquired Landreaux and a trio of prospects from the Angels two years earlier in exchange for Rod Carew.  Landreaux made Twi
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for March 29

TABLE OF CONTENTS • Happy Birthday, Mike Kingery and Billy Beane • Twins Acquire Veteran Pinch Hitter • Puckett Placed on DL March 29 Happy Birthday, Mike Kingery Happy 63rd birthday to 1979 Atwater High School graduate Mike Kingery, born in Saint James, MN in 1961. When he was six months old, the Kingerys moved to Atwater where Mike’s father was proprietor of the Atwater Bowling Center. Kingery signed with the Royals as an amateur free agent on August 27, 1979. He made hi
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Twins Almanac

The Twins Almanac for March 28

With the 2024 season starting today, I thought I'd start up the old Almanac blog again. You think I can keep this up every day all season long? Stay tuned! With no further ado, here it is—the Twins Almanac for March 28th: TABLE OF CONTENTS • Some Unsettling News About Kirby • Berríos Historically Good on Opening Day • Brainerd Grad Makes MLB Debut March 28, 1996 Puckett Wakes Up with Vision Problem 36-year-old superstar Kirby Puckett appeared poised for a big year,
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The Eddie Rosario Almanac

Now that the Eddie Rosario Experience is almost certainly over, let's take a look back at some of his contributions to Twins history. This is just what appears in my Twins Almanac spreadsheet. Please contribute your own Eddie trivia, fun facts, or cool stories in the comments section. And if you're into this kind of stuff, follow me on Twitter at @TwinsAlmanac.   May 6, 2015 Major League Debut   Leading off the bottom of the third against Oakland's Scott Kazmir, the 23-year-old Puerto Rico na
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The Twin Almanac for Dec 29–Jan 4

December 29 Happy Birthday, Jim Brower   Happy 47th birthday to 1991 Minnetonka graduate and Golden Gophers all-time great Jim Brower (1994 Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year Award winner).   He spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with Cleveland, the Reds, Expos, Giants, Atlanta, the Orioles, Padres, and Yankees.   He led the majors with 89 appearances with the Giants in 2004. (Bonus Fact: 2008 Chaska graduate Brad Hand led the majors with 82 appearances with San Diego in 2016).   Decemb
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Happy Birthday, Jim Perry

It’s the birthday of Twins all-time great Jim Perry, born in Williamston, North Carolina in 1935.   Perry came up with the Cleveland ballclub in 1959 at the age of 23, finishing runner-up to Washington’s Bob Allison in American League Rookie of the Year balloting. His sophomore season he tied with Baltimore’s Chuck Estrada for the AL lead with 18 wins. He made his first All-Star team in 1961.   The Twins acquired Perry from Cleveland on May 2, 1963 for Jack Kralick, who had pitched the first no-
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The Twins Almanac for May 23-26

May 23, 1991 Kirby Puckett Has Second 6-Hit Game   Kirby Puckett collected six hits for the second time in his career, going 6-for-7 with five singles and a triple, scoring two runs in an eleven-inning loss to Texas at the Metrodome. His sixth hit, a single, came in the eleventh inning. The game was tied 5-5 entering the eleventh, but the Rangers were able to score five off of Steve Bedrosian. Kent Hrbek drove in Shane Mack in the bottom of the inning, but the Rangers hung on to win 10-6. Ther
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The Twins Almanac for May 23

May 22 Happy 77th Birthday, Mick Tingelhoff   It's the birthday of longtime Vikings center (1962-'78) and 2015 Hall of Fame inductee Mick Tingelhoff, born in Lexington, Nebraska in 1940.     May 22 Happy 74th Birthday, Tommy John   It's the birthday of 26-year major league pitcher and 1994 Minnesota Twins broadcaster Tommy John, born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1943. Consider this: with 21 major league seasons under his belt, LaTroy Hawkins is only the fourth-longest-tenured pitche
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The Twins Almanac: Weekend Edition

May 20, 1970 Carew Hits for First Cycle in Twins History   Rod Carew hit for the first cycle in Twins history in a 10-5 win in Kansas City. He completed the cycle with an eighth-inning triple, driving in Cesar Tovar. Carew was 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored on the day. After Carew’s triple, St. Cloud Cathedral High School graduate and future-Twin Tom Burgmeier came in to finish the game for KC.   Ten Twins have hit for the cycle: Carew (1970), Cesar Tovar (‘72), Larry Hisle (‘76), Ly
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The Twins Almanac for May 18-19

May 18, 1969 Rod Carew Steals Second, Third, and Home   With the Billy Martin-managed Twins trailing 2-0 in Detroit, Cesar Tovar led off the bottom of third with a single off of Mickey Lolich. Then, with Rod Carew at the plate, Tovar was balked to second and stole third. Perhaps distracted by Tovar, Lolich walked Carew. Then, with Harmon Killebrew at the plate, the Twins executed a double steal, with Carew swiping second as Tovar stole home. With Killebrew still at bat, Carew stole third and h
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The Twins Almanac for May 17

May 17, 1963 Allison Has Twins' First 3-HR Game   Bob Allison became the first Minnesota Twin to hit three home runs in a game in an 11-4 Twins win in Cleveland. He was 3-for-5 on the day with six RBI. His batting average at the end of the day was .330. He would finish his All-Star ‘63 season with a .271 AVG, 35 HRs, and 91 RBI.   Harmon Killebrew and Zoilo Versalles also hit home runs in the game. Pitcher Jim Perry, who had played for Cleveland the previous season, was 2-for-3 with a walk and
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The Twins Almanac for May 16

May 16 Happy 62nd Birthday, Jack Morris   It’s the birthday of 1973 Highland Park High School graduate Jack Morris, born in St. Paul in 1951. Morris was selected in the Fifth Round of the '76 Draft out of Brigham Young. The Tigers had drafted Alan Trammell in the 2nd Round, and Lou Whitaker in the 5th Round a year earlier. All three would make their major league debuts in 1977, with Trammell and Whitaker debuting in the same game. Morris was the Tigers’ Opening Day starter in 1980, beginning a
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The Twins Almanac for May 15

May 15 Happy 36th Birthday, Justin Morneau!   It’s the birthday of 2006 American League Most Valuable Player Justin Morneau, born in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1981. The Twins drafted the 6’4” Canadian in the 3rd round in 1999, behind B.J. Garbe and Rob Bowen, neither of whom made it to the majors. Morneau hit cleanup in his MLB debut on June 10, 2003, hitting a two-strike line drive single to center in his first at-bat, and going 2-for-4 on the day. He hit 19 home runs in just 74 ma
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The Twins Almanac: Weekend Edition

May 13, 1989 Kirby Puckett Hits Four Doubles   Kirby Puckett hit a team record four doubles as the Twins beat the Blue Jays 10-8 at the Metrodome. Kirby, who was 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, hit two doubles each off of 7x All-Star Dave Stieb and '87 AL saves leader Tom Henke.     May 13, 2009 Crede Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam   Down 7-9 to Detroit in the eighth with Mike Redmond on first, Jason Kubel, pinch-hitting for Carlos Gomez, hit a game-tying home run. The teams we
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The Twins Almanac for May 9-12

May 9, 1877 Lew Drill Born in Browerville, MN   It’s the birthdate of former major leaguer Lew Drill, born in Browerville, Minnesota in 1877. Drill graduated from Hamline in 1897, and received a law degree from Georgetown, from where the catcher was signed by the Washington Senators in 1902. Drill played 293 major league games over four seasons for the Senators, Orioles, and Tigers. He would later serve as United States district attorney for Minnesota in the late 1920s and early ‘30s. Lew Dril
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