Twins Almanac: Tony Oliva's Birthday, Justin Morneau Mashes

Happy 86th birthday to Hall of Famer Tony Oliva, born in Pinar del Río, Cuba on this date in 1938.

He is one of six players in major league history to lead their league in hits five times, along with Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Pete Rose, Tony Gwynn, and Ichiro.

What's your favorite memory, stat, or fun fact about Tony O? Let's get a conversation going down in the comments sections below.

July 20, 1896: Major League Born in Jordan, MN

Ollie Fuhrman was born in Jordan, MN on this date in 1896. He got into seven major league games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1922 as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement at catcher (he never started a game) going 2-for-6 with a double and run scored. Hey, that's a lifetime .333 MLB batting average! 

He passed away in 1969 (age 72), and is buried at Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan.

July 20, 1927: '27 Yankees Play in St. Paul

The Yankees narrowly beat the Saints 9-8 in an exhibition game in St. Paul on this date in 1927 (a pretty good season for the Yankees). Winona native Julie Wera played in the game for the Yankees and scored on a home run by catcher Pat Collins.

According to SABR historian Rich Bogovich, the Yankees were stealing signs! Can you believe it? The vaunted '27 Yankees stealing signs to win an exhibition game against the minor-league St. Paul Saints. 

July 20, 1969: Pitcher Wins Two Games in One Day

Jim Perry earned two wins on this date in 1969, first pitching two perfect innings of relief before pitching a complete-game shutout. 

In a game resumed from the night before, Perry pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 17th. Then, in the top of the 18th, he hit a double and eventually scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded balk. He then pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 18th to secure an 11-7 win in Seattle versus the short-lived Pilots. 

Perry then went back out there and pitched a complete-game shutout for a 4-0 Twins win in the day's regularly scheduled game.

The first win is officially listed as July 19—when the game began—but Perry did all of his pitching on July 20.

July 20, 2000: Catching Prospect Drives In 10 Runs

Twins catching prospect Justin Morneau set a Gulf Coast League record with TEN runs batted in on this date in 2000, going 5-for-5 with a grand slam and three-run homer.

July 20, 2009: Morneau Drives in Seven, Twins Blow 10-Run Lead

Justin Morneau hit a grand slam in the second inning and three-run homer in the third but the Twins blew a 10-run lead for a tough loss in Oakland on this date in 2009.

The Twins led 12-2 after the top of the third (with Morneau driving in seven runs), and led 13-7 going into the bottom of the seventh, but ultimately lost 14-13.

1997 Austin graduate Michael Wuertz pitched the ninth for the A's, and got Nick Punto and Justin Morneau swinging to start the inning. But then Michael Cuddyer doubled, putting the tying run on second with two out. Wuertz bounced a pitch that got past catcher Kurt Suzuki, who had trouble finding the ball. Cuddyer tried scoring the tying run all the way from second, but was called out. The video—which you can find on YouTube—clearly shows he was safe.

Morneau's seven-RBI game was the 16th such performance in Twins history.

Well, friends, that's it for today's Almanac. Let's meet back here tomorrow for the Sunday edition featuring Rip Repulski, Mike Cubbage, Don Mincher, Tony Oliva, Jim Merritt, Steve Lombardozzi/Dan Gladden, Joe Mauer, and more. And as always, keep in touch on Facebook and Twitter. 

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!