Hrbek, Gladden, Bruno, and More - Twins Almanac for May 11

[Matt Johnson]

The Twins Almanac for May 11 features Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky, Frank Quilici, Dean Chance, Kerry Ligtenberg, and Dan Gladden. On this date...

Image courtesy of © MPS-USA TODAY Sports

 

1939

• Former Twins player, player-coach, manager, and broadcaster Frank Quilici was born in Chicago on this date in 1939. 
• As a rookie in 1965, he tied a World Series record by connecting for two hits in one inning off Don Drysdale in Game 1.
• An all-time great guy and a Twins lifer, Quilici received the 2013 “Kirby Puckett Award,” honoring community service by Twins alumni. 

---

1967

• Dean Chance pitched a one-hit shutout against the Kansas City Athletics at Met Stadium on this date in 1967.
• Chance got his no-hitter on August 25 of that season.
• 21-year-old Catfish Hunter, already in his third season, gave up eight runs (seven earned) in just five innings for Kansas City. He got his revenge, though, 363 days later, pitching a perfect game against the Twins in the Athletics’ first season in Oakland. 

---

Happy Birthday, Kerry Ligtenberg

• Happy 53rd birthday to 1989 Park High School (Cottage Grove, MN) and 2000 University of Minnesota graduate Kerry Ligtenberg, born in Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1971.
• After pitching for the independent Minneapolis Loons, Ligtenberg signed with Atlanta on the recommendation of Loons manager and former Atlanta All-Star catcher Greg Olson. (Fun Fact: Ligtenberg was teammates on the Loons with old-timer Juan Berenguer.)
• He pitched in five postseasons with Atlanta from 1997 to 2002 before spending one season each with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks. 
• If you have a couple of minutes, his Wikipedia entry is brief and fascinating. 

---

1982

• Rookie Kent Hrbek connected for a hit in his 21st-straight game on this date in 1982.
• Question: Has a Twins rookie ever had a longer hitting streak? (If you can think of one, let me know in the comments below.)

---

Also 1982

• The Twins traded Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong to the Angels for Tom Brunansky, pitcher Mike Walters, and $400,000 cash on this date in 1982.
• Brunansky, a southern California native, was drafted by the Angels in the first round out of high school in 1978. 
• Bruno was, of course, an integral part of the Twins’ 1987 championship season, hitting 32 home runs with 85 RBI and 83 runs scored.
• The following year, Andy MacPhail ill-advisedly traded him to St. Louis for clubhouse cancer Tommy frickin’ Herr. 

---

1991

• Dan Gladden tripled in his third straight game as the Twins beat the Tigers 5-4 at home in the Dome on this date in 1991.
• Four Twins have tripled in three straight games: Rod Carew (June 15–17, 1977), Gladden, Delmon Young (May 18–20, 2008), and Eddie Rosario (July 28–30, 2015)

 

View full article

[singlesoverwalks]

"Question: Has a Twins rookie ever had a longer hitting streak?"

Looks like no - unless it was after this blog post was published in 2013, and I think we'd remember that.

https://twinstrivia.com/2013/07/27/taking-a-look-at-hitting-streaks/

[Gamblerssoftball]

That's a fantastic picture of Gladden claiming home plate with the catcher on his head!! It would be fun to see the video leading up to that still shot!

[ashbury]

10 hours ago, singlesoverwalks said:

"Question: Has a Twins rookie ever had a longer hitting streak?"

Looks like no - unless it was after this blog post was published in 2013, and I think we'd remember that.

https://twinstrivia.com/2013/07/27/taking-a-look-at-hitting-streaks/

baseball-reference.com's StatHead tool confirms. Hrbek reached 23 games, BTW.

[Fezig]

I still have horrible flashbacks to the news of Brunansky for Herr. I just got the cold sweats! His should be name that goes unspoken!

[singlesoverwalks]

On 5/11/2024 at 7:28 PM, Gamblerssoftball said:

That's a fantastic picture of Gladden claiming home plate with the catcher on his head!! It would be fun to see the video leading up to that still shot!

I gotcha Gamblerssoftball:

https://www.mlb.com/video/hunter-olson-get-out-at-home-c2522587983

That photo is super famous! I vividly remember a 2-page spread of it in Sports Illustrated. By the way, the catcher is Minnesotan and former Twin Greg Olson, and Gladden didn't really hit him that hard. Greg was just like that.