The Twins Almanac for June 18: Happy Birthday, Tommy Watkins

[Matt Johnson]

In Today's Almanac:

• Happy birthday to a career .357 hitter
• Team record XBH streak
• 5-for-5 with a HR and stolen base
• Rookie gets rare national recognition
• Minor leaguer has four-HR game

---

Happy Birthday, Tommy Watkins

Happy 45th birthday to current Twins third base coach Tommy Watkins—owner of a .357 career major league batting average. After going 0-for-4 in his first two games in August 2007, he connected for 10 hits over the next seven games before suffering an oblique injury. (He never made it back to the majors.)

---

Dozier Begins Extra-Base Hit Streak

Brian Dozier began a Twins record 11-game extra-base hit streak on this date in 2016. He went 20-for-43 (.456) with six home runs, four doubles, and two triples during the streak, while only taking one walk. 

---

Boileryard's Big Game

Senators catcher Boileryard Clarke went 5-for-5 with a home run and stolen base on this date in 1901.

The only other players in franchise history with five hits, including a home run, and a stolen base in a game are Jacque Jones on May 6, 2003, and Byron Buxton on April 28, 2021.

---

Rollins Off to Hot Start

Twins third baseman Rich Rollins went 3-for-5 on this date in 1962, raising his average to .360 through the first 65 games of his rookie season.

Incredibly, Rollins was the American League's leading All-Star vote-getter that season, starting at third base over Brooks Robinson, who was in his prime. If anybody knows how Rollins pulled that off, let me know in the comments below. 

The National League's leading vote-getter was Orlando Cepeda, who previously played for both the St. Cloud Rox and Minneapolis Millers. 

---

Brunansky Hits Four Homers

Tom Brunansky hit four home runs playing at double-A El Paso in the Angels organization on this date in 1980. 

There have only been three four-home run games in the Twins organization (zero at the major league level): Randy Bass at triple-A Tacoma in 1977, Lew Ford at double-A New Britain in 2001, and Garrett Jones at single-A Quad Cities in 2002. 

---

Birthdates:

• Lou Brock was born on this date in 1939. He was the Northern League Rookie of the Year playing for the St. Cloud Rox in 1961.
• Faribault High School alumnus and three-year Washington Senators infielder Jimmy Pofahl was born on this date in 1917. He hit two home runs during his 1940 rookie season—both inside-the-parkers.

View full article

[Doctor Wu]

Great article! Seeing that cropped photo of the 1963 Topps All-Star Rookie card brought back some great memories. That may have been the first year that I started collecting cards ... although that habit was happily forced on me without me having to ask. I was only 4 years old but luckily, my grandfather knew someone at Topps and I was able to get free boxes of baseball cards for the next 10 years or so. Sheer heaven for a kid!

I also liked the photo in this post:

Special instructor Lou Brock working with Twins youngsters Kirby Puckett, Billy Beane, Ron Washington, and Alex Marte at spring training 1986.

Hard to imagine Ron Washington as a "youngster" but I suppose he sort of was back in those days!