The Twins Almanac for July 2, 2025: Jim Kaat Proves He's a Bulldog

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In Today's Almanac:

Twins workhorse retires six-straight with broken wrist
Twins rookie single-game RBI record
Future Twins closer pitches townball no-hitter
Twins play White Sox in Milwaukee

Kaat Pitches with Broken Wrist
After breaking a bone in his pitching wrist while running the bases on this date in 1972, Twins workhorse Jim Kaat pitched 1-2-3 sixth and seventh innings before getting into a jam in the eighth. He was out the rest of the season. Adrenaline is a helluva drug.

He was having an elite season, too, entering the game with a 9-2 record and an even 2.00 ERA. (He earned the win in this game for number 10.) The American League adopted the designated hitter rule for the 1973 season, sparing future junior-circuit hurlers the kind of risk and indignity Kaat suffered—but also denying them the opportunity to do something so certifiably tough.

The injury interrupted a good season not only on the mound, but at the plate. Kaat only had 47 plate appearances before getting hurt, but he hit an impressive .289/.304/.489, including five extra-base hits (two of them homers). Through that year, he batted .191/.235/.275 for his career, a fine line for a pitcher in an offense-starved era. A perennial Gold Glove winner, Kaat added lots of value outside his pure pitching skills, including with the bat in his hands.

Kepler Sets Team Rookie RBI Record
Max Kepler drove in a Twins rookie-record seven runs on this date in 2016, hitting a pair of three-run homers and an RBI groundout. The Twins led 11-1 after three innings and finished out a drubbing of the Rangers, 17-5, before the home crowd at Target Field.

It was the 18th seven-plus RBI game overall in Twins history. Of all the great sluggers in Twins history, it's Glenn Adams and Randy Bush who hold the team record with eight RBIs in a contest.

Future Twins Closer Pitches Townball No-Hitter
Fresh off pitching for the University of Alabama in the College World Series, Fulda Giants hired gun Al Worthingon no-hit Wilmont on this date in 1950.

Dick Reusse (Patrick‘s dad) was the manager of the Fulda townball team and recruited some marquee talent to the small Minnesota town. Just one year earlier, Reusse brought Kansas City Monarchs star Hilton Smith to Fulda. Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001—the same class as Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield.

In 1950, Reusse went down to the College World Series in Omaha where he recruited Worthington. While in rural Minnesota, Worthington fell in love with and married manager Dick Reusse’s niece, Shirley Reusse, who was a lifeguard at Fulda’s Seven Mile Lake.

Worthington spent 14 years in the majors, including as the Twins' first great closer (or "stopper") at the end of his career, from 1964 to ’69.

Twins Play White Sox in Milwaukee
In an attempt to lure major-league baseball back to Wisconsin, the Twins and White Sox played a regular season game in Milwaukee on this date in 1969. The Twins won 4-2, with Dave Boswell earning the win, and future Twins broadcaster Tommy John taking the loss. Harmon Killebrew homered, Tony Oliva and César Tovar doubled, and Bob Allison tripled.

The upstart Seattle Pilots relocated to Milwaukee, becoming the Brewers in 1970.

Today's Birthdays:

Sam Deduno (41)
Rene Tosoni (39)

Are you interested in Twins history? Then check out the Minnesota Twins Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Twins uniform!

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