The Twins Almanac for June 16, 2024

Matt Johnson · June 16, 2024

Today's Almanac is a short and sweet two-minute read, featuring the birthdate of the first Golden Gopher to play in the majors • A team record winning streak • Dick Such pitching against the Twins • And the Twins sign a Sauk Rapids legend out of their annual Met Stadium tryout camp. Happy Fathers Day!

June 16, 1889: Capron Born in Minneapolis
The first Golden Gopher to play in the majors, Ralph Capron, was born in Minneapolis on this date in 1889.

June 16, 1970: Dick Such Pitches Against Twins
Playing for the Ted Williams-managed Washington Senators, future Twins pitching coach (1986–2001) Dick Such made his only career appearance against the Twins at Met Stadium on this date in 1970. He entered down 5-2 in the seventh, and walked Rod Carew to lead off the inning. Carew stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. It was a moot point, however, as Tony Oliva hit a two-run homer. (Of course, Such and Oliva were the pitching and hitting coaches for the 1987 World Series Championship team.)

After the Oliva homer, Such loaded the bases, but got pitcher Jim Perry to ground out to end the inning. Such retired Tovar, Carew, and Killebrew in order in the bottom of the eighth. The Twins won 7-3.

Jim Perry went 3-for-4 in the game (raising his average to .361) with an RBI and run scored. That 1970 campaign was Such's only season in the majors, making 21 appearances with a 1-5 record and 7.56 ERA.

Fun Fact: Such shares a 1970 Topps "Rookie Stars" card with Rick Stelmaszek, who was the Twins' bullpen coach from 1981 to 2012. The two did not play together in the majors, however, as Stelly wasn't called up until 1971.

June 15–16, 1981: Twins Sign Sauk Rapids Native Out of Tryout Camp
The Twins signed 1979 Sauk Rapids graduate Dick Henkemeyer out of their annual tryout camp held at Met Stadium on June 15 & 16, 1981. While at Brainerd Community College in 1980, Henkemeyer led the nation with 1.93 strikeouts per inning. He was roommates with Kirby Puckett at spring training in 1982, and went on to be a longtime Phy Ed teacher in Sauk Rapids.

Henkemeyer played for the townball Sartell Muskies in the '80s.

June 16, 1991: Twins Win 15th Straight
The Twins won their team-record 15th straight game on this date in 1991, beating Cleveland 4-2 in 10 innings. The streak began in Kansas City on June 1. At the time, the Twins were in fifth place in the AL West—5.5 games behind Oakland. With the win in Cleveland, the Twins moved half a game ahead of Oakland.

The streak came to an end when Rick Aguilera blew a two-run ninth-inning lead the next night in Baltimore. The Twins then won another four in a row, and six of their next seven, before going on a seven-game losing streak, ensuring a summer of further drama as an amuse-bouche before the October feast.

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