Matt Johnson

The Twins Almanac for May 5th features a lot of familiar names, including Charles Bender, Larry Hisle, Mike Kingery, Jack Morris, Brian Harper, LaTroy Hawkins, David McCarty, Stan "Krusher" Kowalski, and Joe Mauer. And maybe one less familiar name: Ever heard of North Branch, MN native Lee Quillin? Image courtesy of © Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports May 5, 1882 Lee Quillin was born in North Branch, Minnesota on this date in 1882. The infielder made it to the majors with the Chicago White Sox, getting a cup of coffee with the 1906 World Series Champions and spending the 1907 season as their backup third baseman. He passed away in 1965 at age 83, and is buried at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul. May 5, 1884 Hall of Fame pitcher Charles Albert Bender was born in Crow Wing County (near Brainerd) on this date in 1884. Bender made his debut with the Philadelphia Athletics at age 18, earning the win in relief over Boston’s Cy Young on April 20, 1903. He earned a complete-game win in his first start seven days later. Bender won 212 games and three World Series over fifteen seasons (plus one novelty appearance with the White Sox at age 41). He became the first Minnesotan inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1953. He was the only Minnesotan enshrined in Cooperstown for 48 years until 1969 St. Paul Central graduate Dave Winfield joined him in 2001, alongside Twins all-time great Kirby Puckett, and Negro Leagues legend Hilton Smith, who played for the townball Fulda Giants in 1949 (managed by Patrick Reusse’s dad, Dick). Happy 82nd birthday to the legendary Larry Hisle. The 14-year major leaguer played five seasons with the Twins, from 1973 to 1977. Hisle made Twins history twice in June 1976, hitting for the third cycle in team history on June 4, and stealing a team record four bases on June 30. (Lyman Bostock, incidentally, hit for the cycle just 20 days later.) In 1977, Hisle hit .302 with 28 home runs and an American League-leading 119 RBI. Hisle was the hitting coach for the 1992 and ’93 World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays’ John Olerud, Paul Molitor, and Roberto Alomar had the first-, second-, and third-best batting averages in the American League in 1993. In 2010, Fox Sports North included Hisle among their “50 Greatest Twins.” He is currently the Milwaukee Brewers’ Manager of Youth Outreach. May 5, 1987 A little Minnesotan-on-Minnesotan note: Atwater High School graduate Mike Kingery hit a two-run homer and RBI sac fly off Highland Park graduate Jack Morris in a 7-5 Mariners win at Tiger Stadium on this date in 1987. May 5, 1990 Brian Harper hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Dan Plesac for a 9-5 Twins win in Milwaukee on this date in 1990. Randy Bush homered off Chris Bosio earlier in the game. May 5, 2001 On a Saturday night in Kansas City, the first place Twins (20-7) handed LaTroy Hawkins a 10-8 ninth-inning lead. Hawkins had successfully converted his first 23 career save opportunities, setting a major league record. After the Royals pulled within a run on a sacrifice fly, however, former Twin David McCarty tied the game with a two-out, line drive single to center, scoring Jermaine Dye, giving Hawkins his first blown save. With McCarty aboard in the 12th, Royals outfielder Dee Brown hit a walk-off home run off Travis Miller. The Twins drafted both David McCarty and LaTroy Hawkins in 1991: McCarty in the first round, and Hawkins in the seventh. May 5, 2017 Mrs. Almanac and I brought four-month-old baby Parker to her first Twins game and got to see World War II veteran and pro wrestling legend Stan “Krusher” Kowalski raise the American flag during the National Anthem. The Twins jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead against the Red Sox on a Miguel Sanó triple driving in Joe Mauer, and a Robbie Grossman single bringing home Sanó. In the seventh inning, Mauer pulled a single to right, driving in Eddie Rosario for a 3-1 lead. But the Red Sox tied it up in the top of the ninth against Twins closer Brandon Kintzler. It was getting a little late for baby Parker, and we weren’t excited about extra innings. Fortunately, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Joe Mauer deposited Matt Barnes’ 1-2 pitch over the left-center field wall for his first career walk-off home run. Please join the conservation in the comments section below. Keep in touch with the Twins Almanac on Twitter and Facebook. View full article

The Twins Almanac for May 4th features Minnesota natives Jim Burnos, Charles Bender, and Paul Castner, and Twins legends Harmon Killebrew and . . . Mike Lincoln? I also manage to work Julio Franco into today's installment. Happy 62nd birthday to former Twins minor leaguer Jim Burnos. While at Cooper High School in New Hope, he was defensive partners with 13-year NHLer Jim Johnson. He was rookie-ball teammates with Kirby Puckett at Elizabethton in the Appalachian League in 1982. Just doing a little poking around on the internet, it looks like Jim was an assistant baseball coach up in Nevis at one point. If anyone has any fun facts or interesting stories about Jim, please join the conversation in the comments section below. May 4, 1906 Native Americans Charles Albert Bender (from Minnesota) and Louis Leroy (from Wisconsin) were the opposing starting pitchers in New York on this date in 1906. Bender lost his cool and was ejected in the fifth inning after supposedly enduring racial abuse from the Highlanders' Clark Griffith. (Clark, of course, was Calvin Griffith’s uncle, with whom Calvin lived from age 11.) Wanting to make up for his early exit, Bender went out the next day and earned a complete-game win against New York, pitching a total of 13.2 innings on consecutive days. May 4, 1975 The Twins retired Harmon Killebrew’s number 3 in a pre-game ceremony while he was in town playing for the Kansas City Royals on this date in 1975. Figuring a lot of fans were at Met Stadium that day to see him, Killebrew decided to hit a home run off Vic Albury in the top of the first inning, driving in Hal Mcrae. On September 18 of that season, Killebrew hit his 573rd and final home run at Met Stadium off the Twins’ Eddie Bane. May 4, 1999 Rookie Mike Lincoln earned his first major league win, and the 3,000th win in Twins history, versus the Yankees at home in the Dome on this date in 1999. Every Twins batter had at least one hit in the 8-5 win, with Torii Hunter and Ron Coomer each going 3-for-5. No offense to Lincoln, but he was a fairly unremarkable player to earn the 3,000th win in Twins history, considering Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven earned both the team’s 1,000th and 2,000th wins. (In between those milestone wins, Blyleven won a World Series ring with Pittsburgh and made an All-Star team with Cleveland.) Bonus Content St. Thomas Academy graduate, World War I veteran, Notre Dame legend, and former White Sox pitcher Paul Castner was the featured guest at the Halsey Hall SABR Chapter meeting on this date in 1985. Castner played fullback at Notre Dame under legendary coach Knute Rockne, blocking for the Gipper. According to biographer Bill Lamb, baseball was Castner’s third-best sport after football and hockey. As an aside, the 52nd annual SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) national convention will be held in Minneapolis at the Hyatt Regency on Nicollet Avenue August 7–11 this summer. Double Bonus Including this for all the townball players in the audience: 48-year-old Julio Franco homered off five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson on this date in 2007. Don't tell Molly, but looks like I have at least another eight years of baseball left in me. Please join the conservation in the comments section below. Keep in touch with the Twins Almanac on Twitter and Facebook. View full article

The Twins Almanac for Sunday, April 28th features Pedro Ramos, Ron Washington, John Gaub, Mickey Hatcher, Kent Hrbek, Jack Morris, Luke Hughes, and Byron Buxton, with special guest appearances by Tony Oliva, Todd Walker, Rick Renick, Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Eddie Rosario, Boileryard Clarke, and Jacque Jones. April 28th Birthdays Happy 89th birthday to 15-year major leaguer Pedro Ramos, born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba in 1935. He pitched a three-hit shutout at Yankee Stadium in the very first regular season game in Twins history. Happy 72nd birthday to current Angels manager Ron Washington. He was Kirby Puckett's first roommate in the majors. And happy 39th birthday to 2003 South St. Paul graduate, Golden Gophers all-time great, and former Cubs pitcher John Gaub. He struck out the first batter he faced in his major league debut on September 12, 2011. John Gaub MLB debut (1).mp4 1985 Mickey Hatcher connected for his ninth consecutive hit on this date in 1985, tying Tony Oliva's team record set in 1967. After going 5-for-5 the previous day, Hatcher reeled off four-straight hits, going 4-for-5 in a 10-1 win over Oakland at home in the Dome on this date. Todd Walker also tied the team record with nine-straight hits in 1998. 1988 The Twins beat the Orioles 4-2 on this date in 1988, dropping Baltimore to an abysmal 0-21 to start the season. Kent Hrbek finished a triple shy of the cycle. 1991 St. Paul native Jack Morris earned his 200th major league win at the Metrodome on this date in 1991. Morris—who the Twins made the highest-paid pitcher in the majors over the offseason—entered the game 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA and 1.492 WHIP. Needless to say, he got things figured out. 2010 Australia native Luke Hughes homered off Max Scherzer in his first major league at-bat on this date in 2010. Hughes originally came to the plate with two out in the second inning, but Delmon Young was thrown out attempting to steal third base for the third out of the inning. So Hughes came up again leading off the top of the third, and lifted Scherzer's 2-2 pitch over the right-fence wall for an opposite field homer. Six Twins have homered in their first major league at-bat: Rick Renick, Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Hughes, and Eddie Rosario. Between August 26 and September 20, 1981, Kent Hrbek, Tim Laudner, and Gary Gaetti each homered in their first major league game. 2021 Byron Buxton went 5-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base on this date in 2021. The only other players in franchise history with five hits, a home run, and a stolen base in a game are Boileryard Clarke on June 18, 1901, and Jacque Jones on May 6, 2003. View full article

The Twins Almanac for April 27th spans 120 seasons, featuring Charles Albert Bender, Showboat Fisher, Camilo Pascual, Harmon Killebrew, Scott Erickson, David Ortiz, and Joe Ryan. 1903 18-year-old Minnesota native Charles Albert Bender pitched a four-hit shutout in his first major league start on this date in 1903, a week after earning the win in relief over Boston’s Cy Young in his MLB debut. The Philadelphia Athletics beat the New York Highlanders and opposing pitcher Clark Griffith 6-0. Griffith went on to own the Washington Senators until his death in 1955 when Calvin Griffith took over. Calvin, of course, moved the Senators to Minnesota in 1961. Bender became the first Minnesotan inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953. 1930 Albany, Minnesota High School alumnus Showboat Fisher went 3-for-4 with a walk and two doubles on this date in 1930, giving him a .523 average and 1.323 OPS through the first 12 games of the season, after being out of the majors the previous five seasons. The Cardinals went on to win the National League pennant in 1930. Just two years later, Showboat opened Fisher's Club on Middle Spunk Lake in Avon, MN. It's still open today. 1965 Before even climbing the mound, Camilo Pascual hit the only grand slam by a pitcher in Twins history, staking himself to a 7-0 first-inning lead in Cleveland on this date in 1965. He went on to pitch a heckuva game, allowing just two hits and two walks in an 11-1 Twins win. Pascual had previously hit a grand slam in the Senators’ final season in Washington, on August 14, 1960. Those four RBI were significant, as the Senators won the first game of the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium 5-4. (They won Game 2 in 15 innings.) 1969 Harmon Killebrew hit his 400th career home run in the top of the first inning of an afternoon game in Chicago on this date in 1969. Rod Carew hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give the Twins a 4-3 win. All told, Killebrew hit 573 home runs, fifth-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He hit 84 as a member of the Washington Senators, 14 as a Kansas City Royal in 1975, and 475 in a Twins uniform. 1994 Scott Erickson pitched the first no-hitter in Metrodome history on this date in 1994, as the Twins beat the Brewers 5-0. It was the third of five no-hitters in Twins history, and the first since Dean Chance in 1967. The Twins scored in each of the first four innings, staking Erickson to an early 5-0 lead. The ninth inning was a little suspenseful. With two out in the inning, Erickson walked two batters before finally getting the dangerous Greg Vaughn to fly out to Alex Cole in left. Kirby Puckett went 4-for-5 in the game. Erickson, who led the American League with 20 wins and finished second in Cy Young balloting in 1991, was coming off a 1993 season in which he led the league with 19 losses and 266 hits allowed. He was 1-3 with a 7.48 ERA on the season prior to pitching his no-hitter. Francisco Liriano was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA before pitching his no-hitter on May 3, 2011. Scott Erickson no-hitter.mp4 2003 David Ortiz hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox on this date in 2003. One of the Twins' grievances with Ortiz was his supposed inability (or unwillingness) to hit to the opposite field, so of course his first home run with Boston was to the opposite field in Anaheim, where the Twins lost the ALCS six months earlier. Feels like he was trolling us. David Ortiz first home run Red Sox (1).mp4 2022 Rookie Joe Ryan pitched a heckuva game on this date in 2022, giving up just one hit over seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.71 through his first four starts of the season. View full article

The Twins Almanac for Sunday, April 21st features John Butcher, Wally Backman, Alexi Casilla, Josh Willingham, Kirby Puckett, Lenny Green, and the first home opener in Minnesota Twins history. And it's the birthday of the man who pitched in more MLB games than anyone. April 21 Happy Birthday, Jesse Orosco Happy 67th birthday to Jesse Orosco! His 1,252 appearances are the most in MLB history. He pitched for the Twins in 2003, at age 46 . . . 25 years after they originally drafted him! The final pitch of his career resulted in a walk-off strikeout. True story. Look up the video on YouTube. April 21, 1961 First Home Opener in Twins History Having started their inaugural season 5-1, the Twins came home to Bloomington to play the expansion Washington Senators. Only 24,606 fans attended the first home opener—6,000 short of a sellout despite a gametime temperature of 63 degrees. The Senators jumped out to an early lead with a two-run homer off Camilo Pascual in the top of the first. Going into the bottom of the eighth, the Twins trailed 3-2, but Lenny Green tied it up with a solo home run. The Senators scored two off reliever Ray Moore in the top of the ninth, however, for a 5-3 win. April 21, 1985 Butcher Pitches Speedy Shutout The Twins had lost nine a row, falling to 2-9 entering the Sunday series finale in Oakland when John Butcher hurled a remarkable three-hit, 81-pitch* shutout. Butcher faced just 28 batters, only one over the minimum thanks to a caught-stealing and ground-ball double play. The game was over in one hour and 55 minutes. Leadoff hitter Kirby Puckett went 3-for-5, driving in both runs in the 2-0 victory. It was the beginning of a 10-game winning streak. *Pitch count according to John Swol's great site TwinsTrivia.com. April 21, 1989 Backman Gets Off to a Hot Start Wally Backman's Twins career got off to a hot start. He went 3-for-4 in a 7-1 win in Baltimore on this date in 1989, giving him 20 hits in the team's first 14 games. He was batting .345 with 12 runs scored to that point. April 21, 2007 Nineteenth-Straight Steal In the 17th game of the season, Alexi Casilla stole second for the Twins' 19th-straight successful stolen base attempt to start the season. Torii Hunter was caught attempting to steal in the eighth, ending the streak. I wonder if Casilla will make another appearance in the Almanac later in the year. Joe Nathan protected the 7-5 lead in the ninth, striking out three-straight Royals—all looking. April 21, 2012 Willingham Extends Record Hit Streak Big offseason free agent acquisition Josh Willingham led off the top of the ninth with a line-drive single to center, extending his season-starting hitting streak to 15 games. The Twins lost to the Rays 4-1, but Willingham's hit set a new record for longest streak to begin a Twins career, and tied Kirby Puckett (1994) for the longest streak to begin a season in team history. Brian Dozier set a new team season-starting hit streak record with 17 games in 2018. (Willingham's streak is still the longest to begin a Twins career.) Willingham had a career year in 2012, hitting .260 with 35 home runs and 110 RBI, and winning a Silver Slugger Award alongside fellow AL outfielders Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton. View full article

The wide-ranging Twins Almanac for 4/20 features quite a cast of characters, including Hall of Famers Charles Albert Bender, Dave Bancroft, Bert Blyleven, Kirby Puckett, and Cy Young, and Minnesotan major leaguers Dan Smith, Jack Crooks, and Sam Hentges. We also revisit an 11-home run doubleheader back in 2019. April 20 Happy Birthday, Dan Smith Happy 55th birthday to 1987 Apple Valley grad and former Rangers first-round draft pick Dan Smith. He made his major league debut in Texas on September 12, 1992 (age 23), opposing fellow Minnesota native Jack Morris and the eventual World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays. Devon White led off the game with a ground ball single and promptly stole second. Roberto Alomar bunted White over to third, and Joe Carter drove him in with a sac fly. Welcome to the big leagues, right?! Smith induced a pop out from Dave Winfield to end the inning. April 20, 1891 Birthdate of Dave Bancroft Hall of Fame shortstop Dave Bancroft was born in Sioux City, Iowa on this date in 1891. He got his start in pro baseball in Duluth the summer after his junior year of high school. He was traded to Superior, got married a year later, and made his home in the Wisconsin port town the rest of his life. He managed the St. Cloud Rox in 1947. April 20, 1898 St. Paul Native Homers off Cy Young Playing for the National League St. Louis Browns, St. Paul native Jack Crooks hit his 21st and final major league home run off Cleveland Spiders ace Cy Young on this date in 1898. Young only gave up six home runs all season. Crooks also homered off Young in 1892—the season Young won a career-high 36 games. Fun Fact: Crooks had the first four-home run game in professional baseball history playing for the Omaha Omahogs in his hometown of St. Paul on June 8, 1889. April 20, 1903 Bender Beats Young in MLB Debut 18-year-old Minnesota native Charles Albert Bender earned the win over the Boston Americans' Cy Young in his major league debut on this date in 1903. Bender allowed four runs over six innings in relief of Hall of Famer Eddie Plank. He made his first start seven days later, pitching a shutout against the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders' starting pitcher that day was Clark Griffith, who went on to own the Washington Senators until his death in 1955 when his son Calvin took over. Calvin, of course, moved the Senators to Minnesota in 1961. Bender became the first Minnesotan inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1953. He was the only Minnesotan enshrined in Cooperstown for 48 years until 1969 St. Paul Central grad Dave Winfield was inducted in 2001, alongside Twins all-time great Kirby Puckett, and Negro Leagues legend Hilton Smith, who pitched for the semi-pro Fulda, MN team in 1949. April 20, 1974 Blyleven Tough-Luck Loss Bert Blyleven struck out 13 in Arlington, but lost 1-0 on this date in 1974. The Rangers' Jim Spencer singled in the bottom of the ninth, moved to second on a passed ball by Twins catcher Randy Hundley, and scored on Jim Fregosi's two-out walk-off single to left. The run was unearned. Rangers pitcher Steve Hargan held the Twins to two hits and three walks. April 20, 1991 Some Pollyannaish Perspective The Twins were 2-9 on this date in 1991. Manager Tom Kelly—known for keeping an even keel—saw his team right the ship and put together a pretty decent little season. April 20, 1994 Puckett’s Season-Starting Hit Streak Right fielder Kirby Puckett went 1-for-4 with two RBI off Cleveland's Dennis Martinez in a 6-5 walkoff win on this date in 1994, extending his team record season-starting hitting streak to 15 games. Josh Willingham tied that record in 2012—and established a new record for the longest streak to start a Twins career. Brian Dozier broke Puckett's record in 2018, hitting in the first 17 games of the season. He had hit in 24 consecutive games going back to 2017 (25 if you count the Wild Card game, in which he hit a leadoff home run in the 8-4 loss in New York). April 20, 2019 11-Homer Doubleheader In the first game of a Saturday doubleheader in Baltimore, Eddie Rosario hit two solo home runs in a 6-5 win, becoming the third player in team history with back-to-back multi-homer games. (He hit two in a 7-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Target Field on 4/18.) The first Twin with consecutive multi-homer games was Don Mincher on July 20 and 21, 1963, and the second was Kirby Puckett in Milwaukee on August 29 and 30, 1987. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Twins tied the team record with eight home runs (former Oriole All-Star Jonathan Schoop hit the eighth off position player Chris Davis in the ninth). Interesting to note that the original record was also set in a doubleheader, when the Twins hit eight in Game 1, and four in Game 2 on August 29, 1963, for a team record of 12 on the day. Nelson Cruz, Mitch Garver, and Schoop each hit a pair. Garver also doubled, for a total of 10 total bases. He also hit for 10 total bases 11 days earlier, on April 9. The only other Twins catcher to hit for 10 total bases even once was Earl Battey on July 9, 1961. Garver did it twice in less than a month. (Tim Laudner hit for 10 total bases as a DH on May 7, 1989). The Twins hit eight home runs again just over a month later, on May 23, becoming just the second team in major league history with two eight-home run games in one season (‘05 Rangers). April 20, 2021 Mounds View Graduate Makes MLB Debut 2014 Mounds View graduate Sam Hentges made his major league debut with Cleveland on this date in 2021. He struck out three of the four batters he faced (and gave up a solo home run to José Abreu). Bonus 4/20 Trivia Former major league center fielder Charlie Jones connected for 420 major league hits with the Red Sox, White Sox, Senators, and St. Louis Browns between 1901 and 1908. An avid fisherman, the Pennsylvania native eventually moved to and is buried in Lutsen, Minnesota. "He earned a reputation as an excellent sign painter in Cook County and worked as a tax collector for the Internal Revenue Service." View full article

The wide-ranging Twins Almanac: Sunday Edition features some slow starts—both individually and as a team—as well as an outright collapse. We'll also look back at a heckuva pro debut by a Twins prospect back in 1978, and we'll remember a couple Minnesotan ballplayers from the 1930s and 40s. April 14 Happy Birthday, Mike Trombley Happy 57th birthday to Mike Trombley. His 77 appearances in 1998 are tied for seventh-most in Twins history. He led the team in ERA that season, and won the Joseph W. Haynes Award for the team's most outstanding pitcher. April 14, 1915 Birthdate of Chet Wieczorek Ten-year minor leaguer Chet Wieczorek was born in Winona on this date in 1915. The slugger put up some big numbers a few years. He hit .342 with 37 home runs and 111 RBI with the Duluth Dukes in 1936. At Portsmouth, OH in 1938, he hit .366 with 28 home runs and 130 RBI. After being out of pro ball in 1944 and '45 (presumably related to WWII), he made it to Triple A in 1946. April 14, 1927 Wera Makes MLB Debut 25-year-old Winona native Julie Wera made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium on this date in 1927, pinch hitting for Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt against Hall of Famer Lefty Grove. (He grounded out.) Wera played 38 games at third base for the vaunted ‘27 Yankees. He hit his one and only big league homer during a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1927 in front of a then-record crowd of 74,000. Wera didn’t get any action in the 1927 World Series, in which the Yankees swept the Pirates, but he did receive the same $5,782 share of the winners’ purse as the rest of his teammates, which included Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Nice bonus, considering that Wera’s ‘27 salary was reported to be $2,400. April 14, 1978 Jackson Makes Heckuva Pro Debut Arizona State alumnus Darrell Jackson pitched nine no-hit innings in his professional debut at double-A Orlando on this date in 1978. Manager Johnny Goryl went to the pen in the 10th, and Orlando eventually won in 12 innings. He pitched a three-hit shutout in just his fourth major league start later that summer. April 14, 1983 Snow Collapses the Dome The largest April snowstorm in Twin Cities history (at the time) forced the postponement of a game versus the California Angels on this date in 1983. The decision to postpone the game was made the night before out of concern that the Angels would not be able to arrive in Minnesota in time. Travel concerns were a moot point, however, as damage from the storm caused the Metrodome roof to collapse. The spring storm dumped 13.6 inches of snow on the metro. That record was eclipsed when 14.9 inches of snow forced the postponement of three games on April 13, 14, and 15, 2018. April 14, 1991 Morris a Bust?/Gaetti Gets Revenge New Twins pitcher Jack Morris—the highest-paid pitcher in the majors—got knocked around by the Angels on this date in 1991, giving up eight runs on 13 hits in just 5.2 innings. New Angels third baseman Gary Gaetti had four RBI spread over three plate appearances. After starting the season 1-for-13 on the road in Seattle, Gaetti went 7-for-14 in his first-ever series against the Twins as the Angels took two of three at the Dome. Meanwhile, by April 20 Morris had fallen to 0-3 and the team record was 2-9. (Things got better.) April 14, 2016 Worst Start in Twins History The Twins were swept by the White Sox in their home-opening series in 2016, falling to 0-9 on the season, the worst start in the franchise’s 116-year history. It was the worst start by any major league team in 13 years, going back to the epically awful 2003 Tigers who finished 43-119. Atlanta would also fall to 0-9 later that day, and finish the season 68-93. Minnesota, meanwhile, would finish 59-103—the worst record in Twins history. It was remarkably not the worst season in franchise history, however: the 1904 Washington Senators finished 38-113 (.252 winning %). Join the conversation in the comments section below, and follow the Twins Almanac on Facebook and Twitter throughout the week for interesting "On This Date" notes about: • Showboat Fisher • Jim Eisenreich • Cal Ripken Jr. • Eric Milton • Ervin Santana • Bob Allison • ByungHo Park • Jim Kaat • George Mitterwald • Rod Carew • Nolan Ryan • Jason Kubel • Joe Mauer • Camilo Pascual • Dick Stigman • Tony Oliva • Tom Hall • Frank Viola and many more View full article

A couple clarifications: Don Wheeler was not actually decorated with a Bronze Star on this date in 1945, but rather the heroic achievement for which he was decorated occurred in the vicinity of Lowenstein, Germany on this date in 1945. Also, Bill Barnes did not play in the MLB (uppercase Major League Baseball), but rather the 1884 Union Association is considered a “major” league (lowercase). MLB—and baseball historians in general—recognize a number of other leagues from the 1800s and first half of the 1900s as major. I apologize. Some editing happens that is beyond my control.

Gonna make it a weekend thing. Hard to do it every day and still attend to all my other adulting.

April 13 is an eventful date in Minnesota baseball history. Jim Perry, Kirby Puckett, and Dave Winfield had great games, and Ron Davis had a Ron Davis game. The first major leaguer born in Minnesota was born in Shakopee on this date in 1858. A staple of the Minneapolis sports scene showed incredible heroism in Germany on this date in 1945. April 13, 1858 Birthdate of Bill Barnes Centerfielder Bill Barnes was born in Shakopee on this date in 1858. He and teammates Joe Werrick and Lou Galvin became the first Minnesota natives to play Major League Baseball when St. Paul joined the Union Association as a replacement team for the final nine games of the 1884 season. Even though the Union Association only existed for one season, MLB officially recognized it as a “major league.” St. Paul played all nine of their Union Association games on the road, so even though Minnesota technically had a major league baseball team in 1884, no major league games were actually played on Minnesota soil. April 13, 1945 Minnesotan Major Leaguer Heroic in WWII Minneapolis native and 1949 White Sox catcher Don Wheeler was decorated with a Bronze Star on this date in 1945 for his heroic achievement in the vicinity of Lowenstein, Germany. Following his nine-year professional career, Wheeler remained active in Minneapolis sports. At various times, he threw batting practice for the Millers, umpired Gophers games, was a penalty timekeeper for the North Stars, and worked the sidelines at Vikings games. April 13, 1962 Home Opener Snowed Out In just the second year of Major League Baseball in Minnesota, the Twins’ home opener versus the Los Angeles Angels was canceled due to six inches of snow. April 13, 1968 Perry Pitches Shutout, Hits Homer Jim Perry had a heckuva game on this date in 1968, pitching a four-hit shutout and hitting a ninth-inning homer in a 6-0 Twins win at Yankee Stadium. The only other player in Twins history to homer while pitching a shutout is Jim Kaat, who did so on July 24, 1963, and October 1, 1970. April 13, 1985 Davis Gives Up Walk-Off Grand Slam Trying to protect a 7-4 lead with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Twins closer Ron Davis gave up a walk-off grand slam to Mariners left fielder Phil Bradley. It was the first walk-off grand slam surrendered in team history. Davis, of course, was coming off a 1984 season in which he tied the MLB record with 14 blown saves. In Davis’s defense, Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers (1976) and Bruce Sutter (1978) had previously blown 14 saves in a season, but nobody has done it again since Davis. April 13, 1987 Puckett Homers in Fourth-Straight Kirby Puckett homered in his fourth straight game on this date in 1987. The team record for consecutive games with a home run is five, by Harmon Killebrew on two separate occasions in 1970, rookie Marty Cordova in 1995, Brian Dozier in 2016, and Nelson Cruz in 2019. Cordova tied the record in just his 23rd major league game. Dozier and Cruz hit three home runs in a single game during their five-game home run streaks. April 13, 1991 Winfield Has Historic Game versus Twins Angels right fielder Dave Winfield went 5-for-6 with three home runs (in his first three at-bats), a double, six RBI, and four runs scored in a 15-9 win at the Metrodome. Winfield was lifted for a pinch runner after collecting his fifth hit in the top of the ninth. I wonder if he received an ovation from the Metrodome fans. Also Noteworthy: Winfield hit his 400th home run at the Metrodome in August 1991. Guess Winny knew 1991 would be a big season in Minnesota history, and he wanted to be part of it. New Angels third baseman Gary Gaetti went 4-for-6 with a double. Overall, he went 7-for-14 (.500) with five RBI in his first series as a visitor at the Metrodome. Winfield’s 15 total bases are the most ever in a major league game played in Minnesota (Met Stadium, the Dome, or Target Field). Fifteen total bases is tied for the most by a player born in Minnesota with Clearbrook native Wes Westrum, who went 4-for-4 with three home runs and a triple at the Polo Grounds on June 24, 1950. The Twins record is 14 by Kirby Puckett in Milwaukee on August 30, 1987. April 13–15, 2018 April Snowstorm The largest April snowstorm in Twin Cities history (14.9″) forced the postponement of the final three games of a four-game series versus the White Sox. Please join the conversation in the comments section below and return tomorrow for the Twins Almanac: Sunday Edition. Keep in touch with the Twins Almanac throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter. View full article

April 9 Happy Birthday, Luis Arráez Happy birthday to 2022 American League and 2023 National League Batting Champion Luis Arráez. The legend of Luis Arráez began back in 2019, when the rookie entered for the injured Jonathan Schoop down 0-2 in the count to Edwin Diaz—who was throwing 98–100 miles per hour. Arráez fouled off four pitches and took four for balls to work an electrifying walk. (If you don’t get how a walk could be epic, look up the video and I think you’ll understand.) April 9 Happy Birthday, Joe Brinkman Happy 80 birthday to 1962 Holdingford graduate and 35-year AL umpire Joe Brinkman. He was the crew chief for the 1987 ALCS, and at third base for Laudner and Gaetti‘s famous pickoff of Darrell Evans. He worked three World Series: 1978, 1986, and 1995. He famously ejected Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove and pitcher Doc Gooden in the top of the first inning in Game 2 of the 1998 ALCS. Playing football for St. Cloud State, he kicked the game-winning field goal for a 15-14 Huskies win over Bemidji State on October 20, 1962. April 9, 1962 “Rocky” Johnson’s Big Opening Day President John F. Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first pitch in front of 44,383 fans assembled in the nation’s capital for the first major league game at D.C. Stadium on this date in 1962. Playing for the Senators, Edina-Morningside graduate Bob “Rocky” Johnson went 3-for-4 with the first homer in the new stadium’s history in a 4-1 win over the Tigers. Later in life, that home run ball was the most prized memento he had in the lower-level family room of his home on the east side of St. Paul. April 9, 1995 Allison Passes Away Bob Allison passed away on this date in 1995 from the effects of ataxia—a rare, incurable disease that affects nerve cells in the brain. He was just 60 years old. Read Gregory H. Wolf‘s SABR BioProject biography of Allison, which first appeared in the 2015 book, A Pennant for the Twin Cities: The 1965 Minnesota Twins. April 9, 2000 Twins and Royals Go Back-to-Back-to-Back After Corey Koskie singled to lead off the top of the sixth, Ron Coomer, Jacque Jones, and Matt LeCroy hit three consecutive home runs on a total of four pitches, extending the Twins lead to 10-0. Coomer homered again in the seventh inning, again with Koskie on base. Eric Milton retired the first 20 batters in order and had a two-hit shutout going into the eighth. With two out and two on in the eighth, however, TK relieved Milton and before the end of the inning the Twins bullpen had surrendered three-straight home runs to Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Mike Sweeney. It was the first time in MLB history that both teams hit three consecutive home runs. The Twins are one of seven teams to have hit four consecutive home runs, with Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, and Harmon Killebrew doing so to start the top of the 11th in Kansas City on May 2, 1964. The Twins set an American League record by hitting five home runs in a single inning on June 9, 1966, also against Kansas City, but this time at home in Bloomington, with Rich Rollins, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher, and Harmon Killebrew homering off three different Athletics pitchers. Four National League teams have hit five home runs in an inning between 1939 and 2006, all four against the Cincinnati Reds. April 9, 2010 Drew Butera Makes MLB Debut Catcher Drew Butera made his major league debut in Chicago on this date in 2010, making him and his dad Sal the first father-son duo in Twins history.

And here is the Twins Almanac for April 8th, featuring: • Paul Molitor • Will Clark • Dan Gladden • Kirby Puckett • Byron Buxton April 8, 1978 Molitor’s Career Off to a Hot Start The day after hitting an RBI-single in his major league debut, St. Paul native Paul Molitor went 3-for-6 with a three run homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in his second major league game. Guess he was Cooperstown-bound right out of the gate. April 8, 1986 Bonus Fun Fact This one isn’t Minnesota-related, but Will Clark homered off Nolan Ryan on his very first major league swing on this date in 1986. April 8, 1988 Gladden Has Hot Home Opener Gotta imagine the home opener the season after a team wins a championship would be a pretty festive environment, right? Well, in the Twins case, the left fielder led off the home half of the first inning with a home run—Dan Gladden in 1988 and Shane Mack in 1992. That’s right, the Twins’ very first at-bats back at the Metrodome after winning both the 1987 and 1991 World Series were home runs. Can you imagine the pandemonium inside the Dome? What’s more, both Gladden and Mack went 4-for-5. Gladden had two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored including a straight steal of home in a 6-3 win over Toronto in the ’88 home opener. The straight steal of home came off David Wells with Kent Hrbek batting in the seventh inning. It was the first of three straight steals of home in his career. Gladden had also gone 4-for-5 in the Twins’ previous game two days earlier at Yankee Stadium. April 8, 1994 Puckett Collects 2,000th Hit After striking out in his first at-bat, Twins right fielder Kirby Puckett connected for five-straight hits, including his 2,000th hit with an opposite-field single driving in Pat Meares in the bottom of the third. Trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the eighth and Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley on the mound, Chuck Knoblauch hit a two-run double followed by a Puckett two-run single to tie the game, giving Eckersley his first blown save of the season. After Oakland took a 10-8 lead in the top of the tenth, Puckett drove in Knoblauch with a double, but the Athletics held on for a 10-9 win. Altogether, Puckett was 5-for-6 with a double, four RBI, and a run scored in the game. 1980 New Ulm graduate and Golden Gophers all-time great Terry Steinbach homered in the game for Oakland. April 8, 2021 Buxton Comes Into Home Opener on a Roll Byron Buxton homered and doubled in the 2021 home opening, setting a new Twins record with an extra-base hit in six-straight games to start the season. The previous team record for consecutive games with an extra-base hit to start the season was five by Doug Mientkiewicz in 1999 and José Offerman in 2004. (In Offerman’s case, it was his first five games in a Twins uniform.) The MLB record for consecutive games with an extra-base hit to start the season is eight by Alex Rodriguez and Sandy Alomar Jr. Buxton’s four home runs through the team’s first seven games were second-most behind Kirby Puckett in 1987. (It was a good year.)

Here is the Twins Almanac for April 7th, featuring: • Harmon Killebrew • Brant Alyea • Jack Morris • Dwight Evans • Kent Hrbek • David Ortiz • Tsuyoshi Nishioka April 7–13, 1962 Killebrew on Cover of TV Times If you were wondering what was on channels 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11 the week of April 7–13, 1962, you could look it up in this issue of TV Times with Harmon Killebrew, Ray Scott, Frank Beutel, and Halsey Hall on the cover. April 7, 1970 Alyea Ties Team Record in Twins Debut In his first game as a Twin, outfielder Brant Alyea tied the team record with seven RBI, powering Jim Perry to a 12-0 shutout on Opening Day in Chicago. Alyea went on to drive in 20 runs in the Twins’ first 12 games of the season. But here’s the crazy thing: 19 of those 20 RBI came in Jim Perry’s first four starts. Incidentally, Perry won the AL Cy Young Award in 1970, perhaps thanks in part to Alyea’s run support. Heckuva start to Alyea’s Twins career. His major league career got off to a hot start, too, homering on the first MLB pitch he saw with the Senators on September 12, 1965. (Worth noting that the manager he was playing for at the time was none other than the Splendid Splinter himself, Ted Williams.) Alyea equaled the team single-game RBI record again on September 7, 1970, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and driving in all seven Twins runs in a 7-6 win over the Brewers at Met Stadium. It was the beginning of a team record nine-game RBI streak for Alyea. Glenn Adams established a new team record with eight RBI on June 26, 1977. Rod Carew also made Twins history that day, going 4-for-5 with a walk and a team record (since tied) five runs scored, raising his season average to .403. Randy Bush tied Adams’ team record with eight RBI on May 20, 1989. April 7, 1984 Morris Pitches No-Hitter St. Paul native Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter for the Tigers in Chicago on NBC’s nationally televised Game of the Week on this date in 1984. Some members of the Minnesota sports media, including Jeff Passolt, were actually at the game, being in town for the North Stars versus Blackhawks playoff series. “I remember it being colder than you know what,” Passolt said in 2018. “Hitters didn’t have a chance against Jack’s fireball!” Morris did get into a jam in the fourth, walking the first three batters before inducing a P-C-1B double play from DH Greg Luzinski, playing in his final major league season. Morris then struck out Ron Kittle to end the inning. He walked six White Sox batters altogether in the 4-0 Tigers win. Twins lefty Francisco Liriano also issued six walks in his no-hitter on a chilly 42° night in Chicago on May 3, 2011. In addition to the no-hitter, Morris also pitched three one-hitters in his career, including against the Twins on August 21, 1980. Perhaps even more impressive than Morris’s no-hitter was a one-hitter he threw against the Royals at Tiger Stadium on July 6, 1990, when he did not issue a walk and faced the minimum. (After surrendering a single to Kurt Stillwell in the top of the first, he promptly induced a 4-6-3 double play from George Brett and was perfect the rest of the way.) April 7, 1986 Morris Gives Up HR on First Pitch of Season Dwight Evans hit Jack Morris’s first pitch of the season 400 feet on Opening Day 1986. Sidenote: Kirby Puckett homered on Morris’s very first pitch of the game on May 2, 1986, and did the same thing to Walt Terrell the next night! Morris’s 14 consecutive Opening Day starts (including with the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins) are the most by a pitcher in MLB history. April 7, 1987 Hrbek Hits Walk-Off in Opener After tying the game with his second RBI groundout in the eighth, Kent Hrbek hit a walk-off single in the tenth to give the Twins a 5-4 Opening Day win over Oakland at home in the Dome. Kirby Puckett homered and doubled, and in the top of the 10th, he robbed Mickey Tettleton of a go-ahead home run. April 7, 2002 Ortiz Season-Starting RBI Streak David Ortiz homered in a 10-6 win in Toronto on this date in 2002, giving him an RBI in each of the Twins’ first six games of the season—the second-longest RBI streak to start a season in Twins history. Tony Oliva had an RBI in each of the Twins’ first eight games to start the 1970 season. April 7, 2011 Nishioka Breaks Leg Twins second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka broke his leg attempting to turn a double play on this date in 2011. On the Twins telecast (below), Blyleven immediately rejected any notion of Nick Swisher’s slide being dirty. “That’s the way you play the game,” Blyleven said, “That’s one thing that Nishioka should have known . . . he’s gotta try to get out of the way.” “He was just breaking up the double play; no issues there,” Ron Gardenhire said after the game. “[Nishioka] just got caught a little flat-footed. Swisher’s a clean player. That’s just a good baseball slide, trying to break up a double play. There’s no intent there.”

My pleasure. If you're on the social media, find the Twins Almanac on Facebook and Twitter. I like doing these longer articles, but I also like having a life and paying attention to my kids, so maybe I'll make these full-length Almanac write-ups a weekend thing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Happy Birthday, Bert Blyleven and Joe Barbeln • Twins Trade Stigman • Oliva Hits First HR by DH • First Regular Season Game at Dome • Puckett and Winfield Thrill the Home Fans • Offerman's Memorable Twins Debut April 6 Happy Birthday, Bert Blyleven It’s the birthday of two-time World Series Champion and noted flatulence enthusiast Rik Aalbert “Bert” Blyleven, born in Zeist, Holland in 1951. He grew up in Garden Grove, CA, and was drafted by the Twins out of high school in the third round in 1969. Bert recorded 3,701 strikeouts during his 22-year Hall of Fame career, which ranked third-most in MLB history at the time he retired, and is still good for fifth all-time behind Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens*, and 1987 teammate Steve Carlton. A FEW FUN FACTS: Bert earned both the 1,000th and 2,000th wins in Twins history—in 1972 and 1985, in between which he played for Texas, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, and won a World Series with the Pirates in 1979. In 1973, Bert set teams records that will likely never be broken with 25 complete games, nine shutouts, and 325 innings pitched. His 258 strikeouts that season stood as the team record for 31 years until Johan Santana K’ed 265 in 2004. (For a little perspective, Nolan Ryan led the majors with 383 strikeouts in 1973 . . . 125 more than Bert’s longtime team record.) He pitched a two-hit shutout at Met Stadium in his very first start against the Twins after being traded to the Rangers prior to the 1976 season. He was in spring training with the Twins in 1993, attempting to come back for a third stint with the team, but was beat out for a spot in the rotation by Willie Banks and Pat Mahomes. (Mike Trombley made the team out of the bullpen.) April 6 Happy Birthday, Joe Barbeln Happy birthday to 1988 St. Michael-Albertville graduate Joe Barbeln. He pitched 4.1 innings of pro ball with single-A Yakima in the Dodgers organization in 1992. Nice 21-year townball career with the St. Michael Saints. Who can share some interesting stories or fun facts about the North Star League Hall of Famer? Tell me what you know in the comments below. April 6, 1966 Twins Trade Stigman The Twins traded Nimrod, MN native Dick Stigman to the Red Sox for Russ Nixon and Chuck Schilling on this date in 1966. Fun Fact: Schilling (along with teammate Carl Yastrzemski) starred for the Minneapolis Millers in 1960—the Millers final season at Met Stadium before the Twins came to town and took over. On May 7 the following year, Schilling was back at Met Stadium with the Red Sox, and hit a grand slam off Camilo Pascual for his first major league home run. Schilling never played at Met Stadium as a member of the Twins, though. After the trade, the Twins wanted to assign him to the minors, but he opted to retire and put his college degree to use instead. April 6, 1973 Oliva Hits First HR by DH With Rod Carew aboard in the top of the first on Opening Day in Oakland, Tony Oliva hit the first regular season home run by a designated hitter in major league history off Catfish Hunter. Coincidentally, it was Oakland owner Charlie Finley who spearheaded the movement for the AL to adopt the DH. Bert Blyleven pitched the first of his team record 25 complete games of the season as the Twins beat the A’s 8-3. April 6, 1982 First Regular Season Game at Dome St. Cloud legend Jim Eisenreich was batting leadoff and playing center field when the Twins hosted the Mariners for the first regular season game in the Metrodome on Opening Day 1982. Right fielder Dave Engle hit the first home run that counted* in the new ballpark in the first inning. *Kent Hrbek hit two homers in an exhibition game against the Phillies three days earlier. Gary Gaetti was thrown out at home trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run in his first at-bat, but then homered the old-fashioned way in each of his next two at-bats, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored in an 11-7 Twins win. Gaetti’s performance in his first regular season game at the Dome reminds me of his first postseason game at the Dome, when he homered in his first two at-bats off Detroit’s Doyle Alexander. April 6, 1993 Winfield and Puckett Thrill the Home Fans After stressing everyone in Minnesota out by testing the free-agent market the previous winter, Kirby Puckett electrified the Metrodome fans by homering on his very first swing of the 1993 season off White Sox ace Jack McDowell, who went on to win 22 games and the AL Cy Young Award that season. Kirby homered in three of the first four games of the season. In addition to Kirby being back, Opening Day 1993 was also the Twins debut of St. Paul native Dave Winfield (age 41). Winny hit a go-ahead home run of McDowell in the third, driving in fellow Minnesota native Kent Hrbek. The Winfield signing was exciting for Twins fans. In addition to being a local legend destined for Cooperstown, he was coming off a very good season in Toronto in which he came in fifth in AL MVP balloting and had several highlight hits in the ALCS and World Series. Kirby Puckett finished runner-up to Dennis Eckersley for the MVP in 1993, so between him and Winfield there was certainly cause for enthusiasm in Minnesota. April 6, 2004 Offerman’s Memorable Twins Debut José Offerman made his Twins debut on this date in 2004, entering as a pinch runner for Matthew LeCroy in the bottom of the 12th inning. (He was stranded on third.) Then, in the bottom of the 14th, he came to the plate for his first Twins at-bat and doubled, moving Jacque Jones over to third with nobody out . . . but Cleveland again escaped the jam. Offerman came up again in the 15th inning with two out and the bases loaded and hit a ground-ball single to center, bringing home Doug Mientkiewicz with the walk-off run. Offerman had an extra-base hit in each of his first five games to start the season, tying Mientkiewicz’s team record established in 1999. Byron Buxton broke their record with extra-base hits in his first six games of the 2021 season.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Longest HR to CF in Metrodome History • Molitor’s Three-Year SB Streak Snapped • Big Comeback in 2000 • Two Minnesotans Make MLB Debuts • Manager Wins 1,000th Game • Eleventh Cycle in Team History April 5, 1994 Muñoz Hits Epic Blast Pedro Muñoz hit a 473-foot bomb to center field at the Metrodome on this date in 1994. It was the longest homer ever hit to center at the Dome. The longest homer at the Dome overall was 481 feet to right field by Milwaukee’s Ben Oglivie in 1983. Kent Hrbek crushed a Charlie Hough knuckleball 480 feet to right the following season. As imprecise of a science as home run measurements are, they couldn’t find an extra foot or two for the hometown kid?! Mark McGwire hit a 475-foot homer to left field in 1996. April 5, 1996 Molitor’s Stolen Base Streak Snapped 39-year-old DH Paul Molitor was caught attempting to swipe third in his first stolen base attempt with the Twins, snapping a streak of 36-straight successful attempts dating back to 1993. The Twins were trailing the Orioles 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth when Molitor connected for his second double of the game (third hit overall). With one out and Roberto Kelly at the plate, Molly was nabbed attempting to swipe third. It may seem ill-advised to risk being caught stealing when you’re already in scoring position representing the tying run, but Molly had previously scored the Twins’ only run of the game on a Roberto Kelly sac fly. Molly began his first season in Minnesota with an eight-game hitting streak, over which he went 14-for-33 (.424). He had 39 hits in the team’s first 25 games, ending the month of April with a .386 average. He only went 0-fer three times all month. He finished the season batting .341. He had 22 games with 3+ hits and SEVENTY-TWO games with 2+ hits. April 5, 2000 Come-From-Behind Win The Twins trailed the Devil Rays 7-1 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth before tying it up with a six-run rally. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Matt Lawton hit a three-run walk-off homer for a 10-7 Twins win. Remarkably, nine of the last 11 Twins to come to the plate scored. The only out in the last 11 batters was a David Ortiz strikeout pinch hitting for nine-batter Torii Hunter to end the eighth. It was the Twins’ second-straight walk-off. They blew a ninth-inning lead the next afternoon to split the four-game series to start the season. April 5, 2004 Wuertz and Mauer Make MLB Debuts 1997 Austin High School graduate Michael Wuertz struck out the first two batters he faced in his major league debut, pitching a 1-2-3 sixth in a 7-4 Cubs win on Opening Day in Cincinnati. 2001 Cretin-Derham Hall graduate Joe Mauer also made his major league debut on this date in 2004, going 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored, including on Shannon Stewart‘s walk-off home run in the 11th inning giving the Twins a 7-4 Opening Day win over Cleveland. Mauer also tagged out Cleveland’s Matt Lawton trying to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th. Jacque Jones made the throw from right field, hitting the relay man, second baseman Michael Cuddyer. April 5, 2014 Gardenhire Wins 1,000th Brian Dozier homeed on the second pitch of the game, leading the Twins to a 7-3 victory in Cleveland for Ron Gardenhire’s 1,000th managerial win. The milestone victory didn’t come without a few new gray hairs, however, as 2001 Stillwater grad Glen Perkins gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth before securing the Kyle Gibson win. April 5, 2019 Polanco Hits for Cycle Using Eddie Rosario‘s bat, Jorge Polanco went 5-for-5, hitting for the 11th cycle in Twins history in Philadelphia on this date in 2019. He finished a double shy of the cycle just four days later. Fun Fact: Ehire Adrianza used Rosario’s bat to hit a big pinch-hit double when both were playing for Atlanta in the 2021 NLCS.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: • Birthdate of a Clubhouse Cancer • Tommy John Pitches in 26th Season • Twins Trade Pomeranz • Ortiz Walk-Off April 4, 1956 Birthdate of Tommy Herr Clubhouse cancer Tommy frickin’ Herr was born on this date in 1956. Screw that guy, am I right? April 4, 1989 Tommy John Pitches in 26th Season 45-year-old Tommy John was the Yankees Opening Day starter at the Metrodome on this date in 1989, outdueling reigning Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola for a 4-2 Yankees win. 1989 was John’s 26th season in the majors, setting a modern record (since 1900). Not bad for a guy whose name is synonymous with injuries. The record didn’t last long, as Nolan Ryan pitched in his 27th season in 1993. Twins fans may remember Tommy John as Dick Bremer‘s broadcast partner from 1994 to 1996, succeeding 25-year major league veteran Jim Kaat and preceding 22-year veteran Bert Blyleven. Bremer worked with some pretty long-tenured pitchers. In addition to Kaat, John, and Blyleven, he partnered with 21-year MLB veteran LaTroy Hawkins, and Jack Morris, who pitched a mere 18 seasons in the majors. John’s son, Tommy John III, was the Gatorade Minnesota State Player of the Year in 1996 at Orono High School in Long Lake, Minnesota. April 4, 1990 Twins Trade Pomeranz for Ortiz The Twins traded future-KARE 11 anchor Mike Pomeranz to the Pirates for Junior Oritz and minor league pitcher Orlando Lind on this date in 1990. Oritz—who wore number 0—hit .335 (57-for-170) in 71 games (47 starts) in 1990. He is perhaps best remembered at Scott Erickson‘s personal catcher during the Twins’ 1991 World Series Championship season. Of course the primary catcher on that team was Brian Harper, who Ortiz had previous been teammates with in Pittsburgh. Fun Fact: Ortiz got his first major league hit off Jim Kaat. Mike Pomeranz never made it to the majors. Many Minnesotans will remember him as an anchor on channel 11 from 2006 to 2012. These days, he lives in San Diego and can be seen on Padres pre- and post-game broadcasts. April 4, 2000 David Ortiz Walk-Off The day after losing on Opening Day, the Twins trailed the Devil Rays 5-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Cristian Guzmán tied it up with a double to left, driving in Todd Walker, and David Ortiz connected for a two-out walk-off single for a 6-5 Twins win. The Twins walked off the Rays again the next night after trailing 7-1 going into the eighth. In Game 4, the Twins blew a ninth-inning lead to split the series.