Twins Almanac: Joe Mauer Becomes Doubles King, Jim Thome and Jack Morris Enshrined

[Matt Johnson]

Today's Twins Almanac features Mike Cubbage, Rip Repulski, Don Mincher, Tony Oliva, Jim Merritt, Joe Mauer, Jack Morris, Jim Thome, and the Lombardozzi/Gladden kerfuffle. 

Image courtesy of Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Happy Birthday, Mike Cubbage

Happy 74th birthday to former Twins third baseman Mike Cubbage. He hit for the fifth cycle in team history on July 27, 1978.

He had a 17-for-23 (.739) stretch in his first pro season at Low-A Geneva, NY in 1971.

His first major-league hit was a grand slam with the Rangers in June 1975, after going 0-for-15 over two big-league stints in 1974.

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June 17–21, 1953: Repulski Hot Streak

Rookie Rip Repulski (Sauk Rapids class of '46) went on a torrid six-game tear, going 15-for-24 (.625) with three home runs between July 17 and 21, 1953. He hit .447 altogether on the 12-game road trip, with at least one hit in all but one game. (Unfortunately, the Cardinals went 4-8.)

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July 20–21, 1963: First Baseman Has Back-to-Back Multi-HR Games

Don Mincher hit two home runs in the second straight game against the Senators at Met Stadium in Bloomington on this date in 1963. 

Mincher was the first of just four players in Twins history with back-to-back multi-HR games:

• Kirby Puckett, 1987
• Eddie Rosario, 2019
• Byron Buxton, 2022

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July 21, 1965: Oliva Has Five-Hit Game

There have been 58 five-hit games in Twins history, and Tony Oliva had two of them just eight days apart in 1965— on this date, and again on the 28th.

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July 21, 1966: Pitcher Strikes Out Seven-Straight

Jim Merritt struck out seven straight Senators while pitching a three-hit shutout on this date in 1966. Seven straight K's established a Twins record tied by Francisco Liriano on June 11, 2010, and broken by Kenta Maeda when he K'ed eight straight on August 18, 2020. 

The Twins' only run in the 1-0 win came when Don Mincher scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth. 

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July 21, 1988: Lombardozzi Visits Gladden at Home

Steve Lombardozzi ill-advisedly showed up at Dan "Wrench" Gladden's house on this morning in 1988. 

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July 21, 2018: New Twins Career Doubles Leader

Joe Mauer led off the game in Kansas City with his 415th career double on this date in 2018, surpassing Kirby Puckett as the Twins career leader. 

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July 21, 2018: Morris and Thome Inducted in Cooperstown

St. Paul native Jack Morris and former Twin Jim Thome were inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Allan Trammell, Chipper Jones, Trevor Hoffman, and Vladimir Guerrero on this date in 2018.

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[bean5302]

Lombardozzi visits Gladden, LOL. That's some fun history right there. I wonder how that would play out in modern times? Is that covered under the domestic policy? haha