Dan Dobbek

Daniel John Dobbek was born on December 6, 1934 in Ontonagon, Michigan.

He signed with the Washington Senators in 1955 after a successful tenure at Western Michigan University. Dobbek made his Major League debut for them in 1959, appearing in 16 games that season. He became a frequently used bench player for the Senators in 1960, playing in 110 games. Only 55 of these appearances were starts. Washington commonly used him as a pinch runner or defensive replacement in the outfield, batting .218 with ten home runs and 34 RBI at the plate.

The Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins ahead of the 1961 season, bringing Dobbek with them. He was used as a defensive replacement for Jim Lemon in left field on Opening Day, making him the first player in Twins history to be used off the bench. In that same game, Dobbek was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning when his spot in the order came up. This made him the first player in Twins history to be hit by a pitch. He slashed just .168/.255/.304 in 72 games with Minnesota that season. The Twins traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in the insuring off-season.

Dobbek spent 1962 in the Reds minor league system, and never reached the big leagues again. He bounced around the minor league systems of a few different clubs, including a brief return to the Twins organization in 1964. Dobbek passed away in 2023 at the age of 88.

• First player in Twins history to come off the bench
  • Defensive replacement in left field on Opening Day in 1961
• First player in Twins history to be hit by a pitch
  • April 11, 1961 vs New York Yankees