Mike Kinnunen

Michael John Kinnunen was born on April 1, 1958 in Seattle, Washington.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round ten of the 1979 MLB Draft. He rose quickly through the minors, beginning the 1980 season in Triple-A. Kinnunen was called up to make his Major League debut that June.

He made 21 relief appearances as a rookie, posting a 5.11 ERA across 24.2 innings. Kinnunen was often used in lower leverage situations. He never recorded a win, loss, save, blown save, or hold for the Twins. Minnesota kept him in Triple-A for the entire 1981 campaign, and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals after that season.

Kennunen bounced around in a few different minor league systems, not reaching the Majors again until 1986 with the Baltimore Orioles. He made 27 relief appearances for them over parts of two seasons, recording a 5.33 ERA.