The Twins Almanac for June 1st

[Matt Johnson]

The first TWO pitchers to throw no-hitters in Twins history share a birthday today. Can you name them? The Twins have made a few noteworthy trades on this date, including the first trade in team history, and one in 1976 involving two members of the 1987 World Series Championship team. The longest winning streak in team history began on this date. And in 2005, an all-time fan favorite went 5-for-5 with a grand slam, driving in all six runs in a Twins win over a division rival. 

 

Jack Kralick was born in Ohio on this date in 1935, and Dean Chance was born in Ohio on this date in 1941. Remarkably, they pitched the first and second no-hitters in Twins history.

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June 1, 1961
Calvin Griffith made the first trade in Twins history on this date in 1961, sending 1950 Winona High School graduate and Gopher football legend Paul Giel along with Reno Bertoia to the Kansas City A's in exchange for Bill Tuttle.

Later that same day, the Twins traded infielder Billy Consolo to Milwaukee for four-time World Series champion Billy Martin. 1961 was Martin's 11th and final season as a major league player. From 1962 to '64, he worked as a scout for the Twins, and rejoined the major league team as third base coach in 1965. He was sent down to Denver midway through the 1968 season to serve as the triple-A manager, and then succeeded Cal Ermer as Twins manager in 1969, winning the American League West in his only season at the helm.

Martin was hugely popular as a Twins coach and manager and instrumental in the development of César Tovar and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Rod Carew. Martin went on to manage 16 major league seasons, including five stints with the Yankees whom he led to a World Series Championship in 1977.

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June 1, 1976
The day after giving the ol’ one-finger salute walking off the mound at Met Stadium, Bert Blyleven and his roommate Danny Thompson were traded to the Rangers for Roy Smalley, Mike Cubbage, Bill Singer, Jim Gideon, and $250,000 on this date in 1976.

Blyleven had been involved in contentious contract negotiations with Calvin Griffith leading up to the trade. Blyleven wasn't the only one, though. Talks between Danny Thompson and the owner were also at a standstill. Griffith refused to give the infielder—who had been diagnosed with leukemia prior to the 1973 season—a fair price, insisting that no other team would even offer someone with cancer a contract at all. Thompson struggled in Texas and passed away at the Mayo Clinic that December, just 69 days after playing his final major league game. He was only 29 and left behind a wife and two young daughters.

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June 1, 1991
The Twins were in fifth place in the AL West—5.5 games behind Oakland—when Allan Anderson bested Kevin Appier for an 8-4 win in Kansas City on this date in 1991, beginning a team record 15-game winning streak. Designated Hitter Chili Davis hit a pair of two-run homers in the game.

The Twins had moved into first place—half a game ahead of Oakland—by the end of the streak.

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June 1, 2005
Torii Hunter went 5-for-5 with a grand slam, driving in all six runs in a 6-2 win over Cleveland at home in the Dome on this date in 2005.

Brad Radke gave up a two-run homer in the first, but he, J.C. Romero, and Jesse Crain held Cleveland scoreless for the next eight innings. Hunter gave the Twins the lead with a grand slam in the third inning, driving in Shannon Stewart, Lew Ford, and Justin Morneau. Hunter added two insurance runs in the sixth, driving in Nick Punto and Ford with a bloop double. Designated Hitter Lew Ford was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the game.

 

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[Karbo]

The people that complain a lot about this FO must not have been around, or forgot the days of Calvin.

[Melissa]

Very interesting! Thanks.