Don Mincher

[William Malone]

Donald Ray Mincher was born on June 24, 1938 in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Chicago White Sox signed him as an amateur free agent in 1956. Mincher and Earl Battey were traded to the Washington Senators for five time All-Star Roy Sievers on the eve of the 1960 season. He made his Major League debut for the Senators on April 18, 1960. The franchise moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961, bringing Mincher with them. He was primarily a bench bat for several years, hitting .238 with 33 home runs and 87 RBI over 230 games between 1960 and 1963.

Mincher began to get fairly regular playing time in 1964, hitting .237 with 23 home runs in 120 games. He batted .251 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI in 1965, helping the Twins/Senators franchise reach the postseason for the first time since 1933. His second inning solo home run off Hall of Fame ace Don Drysdale in game one of the 1965 World Series was the first hit, home run, RBI and run scored in Twins playoff history. Minnesota lost in seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mincher was just 3-for-23 (.130) in the series. He returned in 1966, hitting a career high 30 doubles.

The Twins traded Mincher, Jimmie Hall and Pete Cimino to the California Angels for former Cy Young winner Dean Chance following the 1966 campaign. Mincher made his first All-Star team in 1967, batting .273 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI. After a poor performance in 1968, he was traded to the Seattle Pilots and was named an All-Star again in 1969. Mincher returned to the new version of the Washington Senators in 1971, and moved with them to Texas a year later when they became the Rangers. He is one of nine players to play for both versions of the Senators, and the only player to move with them both times. Texas traded him to the Oakland Athletics during the 1972 season, and he won the World Series with Oakland that fall.

He retired and moved back home to Huntsville following the 1972 World Series, becoming the team president for the minor league Huntsville Stars in 1985. Mincher remained in this role until 2001, serving as the Double-A affiliate for Oakland (1985-98) and the Seattle Mariners (99-01 and beyond his time as team president). He left the club to become commissioner of the Southern League, where the Stars played. Mincher retired from this role in 2011 due to health concerns. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 73.

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