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Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com [ATTACH=CONFIG]3635[/ATTACH] The long cold winter still has a hold on the area as most of the grassy areas are still covered with snow, you can still walk across most of the lakes in Minnesota because ice still covers the shimmering blue waters, there is still snow and ice on the roof of our home and the wind blowing from Canada can still take your breath away but according to the calendar, spring arrived a week or so ago. We heard a robin the other day and until the recent cold spell the snow was starting to give way to the grass that is showing signs of turning green while puddles were forming in the yard and I had hopes of the ice actually leaving our backyard pond later in the week. All signs of spring but there is no better sign of spring than baseball. The Minnesota Twins arrived at Target field yesterday and an umpire will officially announce that spring has arrived when he yells out "Play Ball" this afternoon about 3:10 P.M. at Target Field with Joe Mauer behind the plate and Vance Worley on the mound. Everyone is off to a fresh start, the memories of lost games and bad seasons have faded in our minds as we all look forward to the promises a new season of baseball can bring. You don't believe that? You better check todays sports page and the baseball box scores because even the Houston Astros won last night. We are all excited to see players like Aaron Hicks begin what we all hope are All-Star careers in a Twins uniform and a sparkling new starting pitching staff that hopefully leads the Twins to more wins than they were able to muster last year or the year before for that matter. Some Minnesota Twins may be participating in their last Twins opening day while others that missed making the team look forward to having the opportunity to participate in a Target Field opening day. I won't be at today's opening day but I have attended a number of opening days over the years and no matter how many times you have witnessed it, it is always something special. Even though I don't expect the Twins to make the playoffs, heck, I don't even think they can play .500 ball, but I am hoping that the team is competitive, fun to watch and keeps improving as the season progresses. Twins fans are a hardy bunch and they have supported the team when it good and when it was bad and so it begins one more time. Enjoy the good days and file the bad days away as learning experiences and cheer for your Minnesota Twins. April 1st has arrived and the cold weather is a cruel April Fool's joke with the game time temperature expected to be about 33 degrees and the cold beer may be replaced with a hot cup of chocolate or coffee but it is time for the Minnesota Twins to play ball. I will finish with a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, the Field of Dreams. "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. "

Originally posted at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3619[/ATTACH] The Minnesota Twins are playing their final spring training game today and I am sure they are hoping for a quick non extra inning game so they can grab a quick shower and board the plane for their flight to Minneapolis where they look to get settled in before they open the season against the Detroit Tigers on Monday, April 1. It seems that the baseball gods are having a good laugh and are playing an April Fool's joke on both the Twins and the Tigers by making them play ball on day that the weather prognosticators say will be a windy 31 degrees at game time with wind chills in the 20's. When the Twins first moved here from Washington they played outdoors in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 through the 1981 season. In-door baseball was just at the starting gate about this time as Roy Hofheinz was in the process of building the "Eighth Wonder of the World" in Houston in what would open in April 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium but was later called simply as the Astrodome. Let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about the Twins home openers. The Twins called the "Met" home for 21 years and their record in their Met Stadium home openers was 21-9 including winning 10 out of 11 between 1964-1974. The first Twins pitcher to get credited with a win in a Twins home opener was Bill Pleis in 1964. Of those 21 Met home openers, only 5 of the games were actual season openers as the Twins started their season on the road most of the time. The Twins were 2-3 in season openers at the Met. During the Met Stadium years the Twins opened the season 6 times against the A's, five times as Oakland and once as Kansas City and they won four and lost two. Between 1961 and 1981 they opened the home season as early as April 6 (1971) and as late as April 23 (1972). The average temperature at the start of a Twins home opener at Met Stadium was 56.48 degrees. The coldest start to a Twins home opener occurred on April 14, 1962 when it was 33 degrees at game time and the Twins ended up losing to the Los Angeles Angels 12-5 in front of 8,363 hardcore Twins fans. The coldest start ever to a game at Met Stadium took place against the New York Yankees in May 2, 1967 when the temperature stood at 32 degrees and the Twins trounced the Yankees 13-4. The warmest start to a Twins home opener took place on April 22, 1980 when the California Angels and Rod Carew were in town to take a 8-1 pasting at the hands of the Twins who were as hot as the 89 degree temperature that day. Geoff Zahn pitched a complete game and Hosken Powell, Ron Jackson and Roy Smalley all hit home runs. The Twins moved indoors in 1982 and played in the HHH Metrodome through the 2009 season so the out-door temperatures mattered little as it was always between about 66-72 degrees inside. Of the 28 seasons that the Twins played dome ball, they opened the season at home 15 times and their record in these season opening games was 7-8. The Twins were 9-4 when their first game of the season at the Dome was not a season opener. Many of the Twins openers at the Dome were night games, something not done at any out-door venue in Minnesota. Between 1982 and 2009 they opened the home season as early as March 31 (2008) and as late as April 27 (1995). Since the Twins have called Target Field home in 2010 they have never played a season opening game there until this year. The earliest game they have played there was April 8, 2011. The Twins are 2-1 in Target Field home openers. The average temperature at a Target field home opener so far has been 57.67 degrees but even if the temperature is only 31 degrees on Monday, the average temperature for a Target field home opener will still be about 51 degrees. Here is a chart showing the Twins outdoor home openers. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]YEAR [/TH] [TH=align: center]Date [/TH] [TH=align: center]Temperature [/TH] [TH=align: center]Result [/TH] [TH=align: center]Season opener [/TH] [TD=align: center]1961 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/21 [/TD] [TD=align: center]63 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 5-3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1962 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]33 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 12-5 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1963 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/9 [/TD] [TD=align: center]49 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 5-4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [TD=align: center]1964 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/22 [/TD] [TD=align: center]56 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 7-6 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1965 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/12 [/TD] [TD=align: center]44 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 5-4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [TD=align: center]1966 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/12 [/TD] [TD=align: center]52 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 2-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [TD=align: center]1967 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]51 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 5-3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1968 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/17 [/TD] [TD=align: center]62 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 13-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1969 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/18 [/TD] [TD=align: center]59 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 6-0 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1970 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/11 [/TD] [TD=align: center]49 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 8-2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1971 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/6 [/TD] [TD=align: center]53 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 7-2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [TD=align: center]1972 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/23 [/TD] [TD=align: center]44 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 8-4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1973 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/13 [/TD] [TD=align: center]51 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 8-4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1974 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/9 [/TD] [TD=align: center]53 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 3-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1975 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/15 [/TD] [TD=align: center]48 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 7-3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1976 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/13 [/TD] [TD=align: center]75 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 4-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1977 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/15 [/TD] [TD=align: center]77 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 3-2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1978 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]50 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 14-5 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1979 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/17 [/TD] [TD=align: center]63 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 6-0 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1980 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/22 [/TD] [TD=align: center]89 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 8-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]1981 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/9 [/TD] [TD=align: center]65 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 5-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center]2010 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/12 [/TD] [TD=align: center]65 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 5-2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]2011 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/8 [/TD] [TD=align: center]63 [/TD] [TD=align: center]won 2-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]2012 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/9 [/TD] [TD=align: center]45 [/TD] [TD=align: center]lost 5-1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]no [/TD] [TD=align: center]2013 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4/1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]? [/TD] [TD=align: center]? [/TD] [TD=align: center]yes [/TD] [/TABLE]

Originally posted at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history.. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3617[/ATTACH] One of the Minnesota Twins top prospects, Max Kepler hurt his elbow during pre-game warm-ups on March 16th in Sarasota and was shut down for a week to allow the swelling to recede. An MRI performed a week after the injury fortunately only showed a muscle strain. Kepler has been rehabbing since and faced live pitching yesterday for the first time since the injury but again experienced pain and has been shut down for 3 additional weeks. The injury and rehab is a huge disappointment and frustration to Kepler who had participted in an intense workout program this past off-season in San Francisco and was in great shape. Max was expected to be assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels "A" ball team and play in his first full season league this year. Instead, Max will stay in Ft. Myers for the next 3 weeks and rehab. The Twins aren't going to let Kepler go anywhere until they are sure that Kepler is 100% again. Kepler is one of my favorite Twins prospects and I hope that Max is able to recover quickly and resume his climb up the big league ladder.

Posted earlier today at www.twinstrivia.com [ATTACH=CONFIG]3573[/ATTACH] The 2013 season is just around the corner so it is time to make my annual predictions on who will finish where and who the 2013 World Series champion will be. AL East Toronto Blue Jays Tampa Bay Rays (wild card) Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees AL Central Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals (wild card) Cleveland Indians Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins AL West Los Angeles Angels Oakland A's Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Houston Astros NL East Washington Nationals Atlanta Braves (wild card) Philadelphia Phillies New York Mets Miami Marlins NL Central Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates (wild card) St. Louis Cardinals Milwaukee Brewers Chicago Cubs NL West Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies San Diego Padres The Detroit Tigers and the Washington Nationals play in the World Series with the Washington Nationals winning it all in 6 games. .......................................... The Minnesota Twins 2013 season opener at Target Field against the Detroit Tigers is just over a week away so after watching and listening to Twins in spring training and consulting with some of the worlds foremost baseball experts, here is what I see happening in 2013. http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Einstein-2013.jpg Josh Willingham will be traded and Oswaldo Arcia will be called up to take over a starting outfield position. Arcia will fill the role nicely. Trevor Plouffe will not be able to hang on to the starting job due to injuries and inconsistent hitting and fielding and third base will be a black hole all season with Jamey Carroll, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Sobolewski all getting a shot to win the job and none of these guys turns out to be the answer. The Twins will make a deal to fill the 3B hole but it will just be a stop-gap as they wait for Miguel Sano to finally fill the hole late in 2014. Anthony Swarzak and Tyler Robertson will lose their bullpen jobs and will be replaced by PJ Walters and Ryan Pressly. Jeff Clement will win a roster spot and be the Twins third catcher leaving Drew Butera out in the cold but not for long because the Twins will do him right by trading him to a team that will give him the back-up catching job. Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier give the Twins their first decent infield combo in some time playing well in the field and hitting better than expected. The Twins will open the season with a starting staff of Vance Worley, Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Correia, Cole De Vries, with Scott Diamond joining the staff in early April. Kyle Gibson will be called up by June 1 and will replace..... Mike Pelfrey in the rotation. Manager Ron Gardenhire not only makes it through the season but gets a new two-year deal. Justin Morneau will be resigned to a multi-year deal before the All-Star game and will continue to call Minnesota home. Tickets to watch the Twins will be easy to get as attendance at Target Field plummets by about 20% and the Twins will be lucky to hit 2.2 million in attendance with attendance dropping by over a half million.

Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com with additional photo's. Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto [ATTACH=CONFIG]3442[/ATTACH] Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was born December 1, 1912 in Oakland, California and died in his sleep on August 10, 1990 in Orinda, California at the age of 77. He acquired his nickname from his Oakland Oaks teammates, who called him "Cookie's boy," because he had been hired by Oaks' president Victor "Cookie" Devincenzi. Lavagetto played 3B and 2B in the major leagues for 10 seasons and played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1934-1936 and was a four-time All-Star while with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937 -1947. Cookie did not play ball in the majors from 1942-1945 due to serving his country in the military during World War II. Cookie enlisted in the US Navy in February 1942 even though he was classified 3-A and was sworn in as Aviation Machinist Mate 1st class. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning ruined Bill Bevens' bid for the first World Series no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New York Yankees, a game known as The Cookie Game. You can listen to a broadcast clip of that play here. The Dodgers went on to lose the 1947 World Series to the New York Yankees 4 games to 3. After being released by the Dodgers following the 1947 Series, Lavagetto returned to Oakland to finish his playing career with the Oaks (1948–50). When Oakland manager Chuck Dressen was named leader of the Dodgers in 1951, Lavagetto accompanied him as one of his coaches. He was a loyal aide to Dressen with Brooklyn (1951–53) and the PCL Oaks (1954) and followed him to the Washington Senators when Dressen became their manager in 1955. But on May 7, 1957, with the Senators languishing in last place, Dressen was fired and Lavagetto was named his successor. Little changed under Lavagetto's reign and the Senators finished last in 1957, 1958 and 1959. Finally, in 1960, Lavagetto's Senators rose to fifth place in the eight-team American League, but the Senators' promising 1960 season was too little and too late to keep the franchise in Washington; owner Calvin Griffith moved the club to Minnesota where it became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. Lavagetto was the first manager in Twins' history, but he did not finish the 1961 season. With the Twins mired in ninth place having lost 11 in a row and 16 out of their last 17 games in the new ten-team AL, owner Calvin Griffith asked Lavagetto to take a vacation and go fishing to get away from the everyday pressure of major league baseball. Cookie took a seven-game leave of absence starting on June 6th while coach Sam Mele took over as the Twins skipper and then returned to the helm on June 13th but he was fired June 23 with the club still in ninth place. He was replaced by Sam Mele, under whom the Twins became pennant contenders the following season. Lavagetto's major league managing record was 271 wins and 384 defeats (.414) and he was 25-41 as the Twins first skipper. Cookie Lavagetto then returned to the coaching ranks with the New York Mets form 1962-1963 and then back home in the Bay area with the San Francisco Giants from 1964-1967 before stepping away from baseball. There are a couple of nice stories about Cookie Lavagetto in the Baseball in Wartime Blog and you can read the stories by clicking here and here. There are some nice photo's of Lavagetto at this New York Mets blog called Centerfield Maz. Tom Verducci wrote a piece called A Game for Unlikely Heroes for Sports Illustrated back on November 29, 1999 that you might enjoy reading. Lavagetto made the cover of Sports Illustrated as the Twins skipper on May 15, 1961 and Walter Bingham did a nice article about Cookie in that issue he called "Not Such a Tough Cookie."

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com [ATTACH=CONFIG]3386[/ATTACH] There is still plenty of snow on the ground here in Minnesota and the temperatures are below freezing but Spring Training is underway and the Twins are playing exhibition games down in Ft. Myers where it is nice and warm. The home season opener at Target field against the Detroit Tigers is less than a month away and a few days ago I saw a video clip of the Twins grounds crew removing the snow from Target Field as they prepare for baseball to be played in Minnesota once again. The Twins spring training games are broadcast on KTWN and todays game has just started so as you listen to the game you might want to try your hand at this crossword puzzle that I put together to test your knowledge about the Twins pitchers of today and years past. Once you have brough the puzzle up and are ready to print the puzzle, do a right-click with your mouse and you might want to do a print preview first to get the puzzle the right size to fit on a single page. The clues for the puzzle will print on page 2. Know your Twins pitchers puzzle Answers? You want answers? Probably just to double-check your work because if you are checking out this site you are probably a big Twins fan and will not need any research to complete the puzzle. If you do need help answering some, the answer might be found else where on this site. If you must see the answers, you can find them on the link below but only do so as a last resort. Thanks, I hope you enjoy it. Know your Twins pitchers puzzle answers

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier. I watched Clubhouse Confidential on MLB TV yesterday and in one of the show segments host Brian Kenny talked about the climbing rate of the strikeout per 9 innings ratio (K/9) over the years. It was a very interesting piece and Kenny pointed out how last year the leader was Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel who had an amazing 16.66 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched, that is a truly crazy number and he accomplished that while throwing 14.9 pitches per inning. The top starter K/9 ratio belonged to Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg who had a mark of 11.13 and he was followed closely by Detroit Tiger starter Max Scherzer who posted a 11.08 mark. The best K/9 ratio for a Twins pitcher in 2012? That honor goes to closer Glen Perkins at 9.98. The Twins top ten career K/9 leaders with a minimum of 500 innings pitched are: http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Santana-Johan1.jpgJohan Santana pitched for Minnesota from 2000 -2007. Santana is tied for third most wins in Dome history (46) and second-most strikeouts (754). Johan was a three-time All-Star and won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. Won 17 consecutive games in the Dome from 2005-2007. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]Rank [/TH] [TH=align: center]Name [/TH] [TH=align: center]W/L [/TH] [TH=align: center]Innings [/TH] [TH=align: center]K/9 [/TH] [TD=align: center]1. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Johan Santana [/TD] [TD=align: center]93-44 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1,308.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9.50 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano [/TD] [TD=align: center]50-52 [/TD] [TD=align: center]783.1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9.05 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Eddie Guardado [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-48 [/TD] [TD=align: center]704.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.79 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Rick Aguilera [/TD] [TD=align: center]40-47 [/TD] [TD=align: center]694 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.60 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dick Stigman [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-37 [/TD] [TD=align: center]643.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.52 [/TD] [TD=align: center]6. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell [/TD] [TD=align: center]67-54 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1,036.1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.51 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Mike Trombley [/TD] [TD=align: center]30-34 [/TD] [TD=align: center]645.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.36 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Scott Baker [/TD] [TD=align: center]63-48 [/TD] [TD=align: center]958 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.23 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven [/TD] [TD=align: center]149-138 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2,566.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]10. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Jim Merritt [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-41 [/TD] [TD=align: center]686.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]6.91 [/TD] [/TABLE] The players on the above list that were originally drafted or signed by Minnesota are Guardado, Boswell, Trombley, Baker and Blyleven, the remainder were acquired in some fashion.

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier. I watched Clubhouse Confidential on MLB TV yesterday and in one of the show segments host Brian Kenny talked about the climbing rate of the strikeout per 9 innings ratio (K/9) over the years. It was a very interesting piece and Kenny pointed out how last year the leader was Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel who had an amazing 16.66 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched, that is a truly crazy number and he accomplished that while throwing 14.9 pitches per inning. The top starter K/9 ratio belonged to Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg who had a mark of 11.13 and he was followed closely by Detroit Tiger starter Max Scherzer who posted a 11.08 mark. The best K/9 ratio for a Twins pitcher in 2012? That honor goes to closer Glen Perkins at 9.98. The Twins top ten career K/9 leaders with a minimum of 500 innings pitched are: http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Santana-Johan1.jpgJohan Santana pitched for Minnesota from 2000 -2007. Santana is tied for third most wins in Dome history (46) and second-most strikeouts (754). Johan was a three-time All-Star and won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. Won 17 consecutive games in the Dome from 2005-2007. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]Rank [/TH] [TH=align: center]Name [/TH] [TH=align: center]W/L [/TH] [TH=align: center]Innings [/TH] [TH=align: center]K/9 [/TH] [TD=align: center]1. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Johan Santana [/TD] [TD=align: center]93-44 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1,308.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9.50 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano [/TD] [TD=align: center]50-52 [/TD] [TD=align: center]783.1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9.05 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Eddie Guardado [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-48 [/TD] [TD=align: center]704.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.79 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Rick Aguilera [/TD] [TD=align: center]40-47 [/TD] [TD=align: center]694 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.60 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dick Stigman [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-37 [/TD] [TD=align: center]643.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.52 [/TD] [TD=align: center]6. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell [/TD] [TD=align: center]67-54 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1,036.1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.51 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Mike Trombley [/TD] [TD=align: center]30-34 [/TD] [TD=align: center]645.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.36 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Scott Baker [/TD] [TD=align: center]63-48 [/TD] [TD=align: center]958 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.23 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven [/TD] [TD=align: center]149-138 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2,566.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7.14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]10. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Jim Merritt [/TD] [TD=align: center]37-41 [/TD] [TD=align: center]686.2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]6.91 [/TD] [/TABLE] The players on the above list that were originally drafted or signed by Minnesota are Guardado, Boswell, Trombley, Baker and Blyleven, the remainder were acquired in some fashion.

Originally posted on www.twinstrivia.com [ATTACH=CONFIG]3308[/ATTACH] On August 23, 1965 the Twins were in their fifth season in Minnesota ready to take on the New York Yankees in a 3:10 start at Met Stadium in front of 37,787 fans that wanted another Twins win over the hated Yankees. The Twins had a 7.5 game lead and were well on their way to their first World Series. That same day Tony Oliva became the first Twins player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. I would urge you to take a few minutes and read a story about the Twins in that SI issue called "Everybody Pick up a Drum" by William Leggett. It is a nice piece of writing about the Minnesota Twins and it mentions a huge trade that owner Calvin Griffith had cooked up with the New York Mets that was all but signed sealed and delivered prior to the 1965 season but the Mets backed out at the last-minute. The rest is history, as they say. Had that trade gone through, you can bet your bippy that the Twins history would show the Minnesota Twins appearing in only two World Series (1987 and 1991) versus three. It just goes to show that some of the best trades are the ones that you don't make. I can attest to that with my experiences with trades in fantasy baseball over the years. If you care at all about Twins history you will check out this story.

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3267[/ATTACH] Target Field still has a layer of snow and the temperature will reach only 17 degrees today here in Minnesota but in Ft. Myers the Twins pitchers and catchers have already started daily workouts and the position players will be reporting soon. On Saturday, February 16th the Twins will begin selling single-game tickets. The last couple of years when the Twins opened single-game ticket sales the phone lines and web site got over-run and there were sometimes long delays in getting your tickets purchased. Based on the Twins poor showing the last two seasons and low expectations for 2013 I would not expect long waits to purchase your tickets this year. To me, the question is should you buy your single-game tickets when they go on sale on Saturday or do you wait? The current quoted price for single-game tickets is only good from February 16 through February 22 because on February 23 demand-based pricing kicks in. Haven't heard about demand-based pricing? The Twins actually started that policy in 2012 and here is how it plays out in 2013. Beginning February 23, single game ticket prices in all seating sections will be determined on a daily basis according to current market demand. Prices may fluctuate upward or downward based on real-time market conditions. So the question is, will I get better value by purchasing my tickets now or will I be able to get a better price once the season begins. I guess it all depends on how well the Twins play and what the weather is like. Personally; I just find it irritating that the published single-game ticket price is only good for 1 week before the first spring training game is even played. I guess I am old school. On the other side of the coin you can certainly argue that it is better to sell more tickets even if you have to sell them at a discount than to not sell them at all at full price. The customer benefits because he gets to see the baseball game and the team benefits because they get the fan in the ballpark where it is likely he will spend additional dollars on food and possibly merchandise. Where the rub comes in is that going to a baseball game is getting to be like buying an airline ticket, each person on that flight is going to go to the same destination on that particular flight but each of them may have paid a different fare to get there. I have a problem with that. The other issue I see is that in order to keep the season ticket holder base happy the team has to sell the demand-based tickets at a higher price than what the season ticket holders pay or that becomes a huge issue in itself. Thus the demand-based tickets can only be lowered to a certain price base level but on the other side if all is going great, the team can jack up the price of the ticket to whatever the market will pay. I see little risk and high reward for the team with demand-base pricing and to me it is another gimmick that costs the fans. The Minnesota Twins have been here since 1961 and over 81 million fans (through 2012)have come through the turnstiles at the Met, the Metrodome and now Target Field to watch the Twins play ball and most of them have bought tickets. I thought it would be fun to take a look at Twins ticket prices going back to 1961 when the ballclub played their first game at Metropolitan Stadium. I did a lot of research on Twins ticket prices and here are some interesting nuggets that I found. In 1961 the Twins had 3 price categories, a box seat went for $3, reserved grandstand went for $2.50 and general admission was $1.50. In spite of owner Calvin Griffith's miserly reputation he did not raise ticket prices until 1968, his eighth season here and he only increased box seats by 50 cents and reserved grandstand by a quarter. Keep in mind that the Twins played in the 1965 World Series during this period and still did not raise ticket prices. Think that would happen in todays world? Not a chance. By the time the Twins were getting ready to move into the brand new Metrodome in 1982 they had completed 21 years at Met Stadium and the team had implemented ticket price increases just 8 times with the cheapest ticket going from $1.50 to $3.00 and the highest priced ticket jumped from $3 to $7. In the 23 full seasons that Griffith owned the Twins from 1961 to 1983 (1984 does not count as the team was sold mid-season) he raised ticket prices 9 times (39%) and kept ticket prices at the previous rate on 14 (61%) occasions. During Griffith's reign the average ticket price went from $2.33 to $6.00, an increase of 157.51%. The Twins were sold to the Pohlad family in mid-season in 1984. Pohlad's first full year as team owner was 1985 and his teams played in the Metrodome for 25 years from 1985 through 2009. During the Pohlad era in the Metrodome the Twins raised ticket prices 18 times or 72% of the time. They made no change to the ticket price 4 times, 16% of the time and they lowered ticket prices on 3 occasions or 12% of the time. The first drop took place in 1987 when the ticket price dropped 4% as the average ticket price went from $6.25 to $6.00 based on a $1.00 drop in lower left field seats. The second average ticket price drop occurred as the team entered the 1996 season when the average ticket went from $10.86 to $8.67 but this is kind of deceiving because the Twins added one new ticket category and dropped two high-priced categories and sold them as season tickets only and these category changes dropped the average ticket price when the ticket prices never actually changed. The third drop in average ticket price occurred as the Twins went into the 2002 season fresh off the "contraction" fiasco. The contraction business may have played a role in the ticket price reduction but what about the outrageous 53.58% average ticket price increase that took place prior to the 2001 season? Maybe the Twins realized that they over did it the year before, who knows? Bottom line, from 1985 through the 2009 season in the Metrodome under the Pohlad umbrella the average Twins ticket price went from $5.50 in 1985 to $30.25 which is an increase of 450%. Between 1961 and 2005 the Twins had anywhere from 2 to 7 different pricing categories each season. Dynamic/variable pricing showed up in 2006 and the price categories jumped to 16, in 2009 it jumped to 24, in 2010 with the move to Target Field it more than doubled to 57 , in 2011 it crept up to 60 and in 2013 it jumps to 95. I set up a new page on my site called Twins Ticket Price History so if you want to see a year by year look at Twins ticket prices, some charts and tables showing ticketing information, and some ticket images including some interesting "phantom" tickets, stop by and check it out.

Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier today. Do you have plans to get away from the cold and snow and feel the sand between your toes, the sun on your back and hopefully catch some Twins spring training baseball in Florida? What better way to forget your problems and get away from it all. For the first time in many years I will not be attending spring training in Ft. Myers but that is a whole different story. Well, if you are going, you might want to raise your credit card limit and keep a tight grip on your wallet or purse because MLB and the Twins are looking to help themselves to your money. The Detroit Tigers apparently have found a new way to gouge a few additional dollars from their fans. The Tigers normally open the gates to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida 2 hours prior to home games but by that time the Tigers have already completed their batting practice. Baseball fans enjoy watching the home team take batting practice so the Tigers have decided to allow fans to get in early for home batting practice but the fans will be limited to the left-field berm and will need to scratch up an extra $5 for the privilege. Tigers management take on it is that the fans requested it since they could not watch batting practice and now they will be able to do so, if they come up with the bucks. Way to push it on the fans Detroit Tigers management, if the Tigers were really just doing a good deed they would not charge for the privilege or if they did, any money they collect should go to charity or to the old-time baseball players with little or no pensions that baseball has neglected so badly. But it is not just the Tigers, other teams are also looking to take more money from the wallets of their fans. It seems to me that a fan should not be punished if he/she decides to go to a baseball on short notice but that is not the case if you want to take in an Atlanta Braves game in Lake Buena Vista as their web site states that "A $5 Walk-Up fee will apply to Day-Of-Game purchases", what idiot came up with that idea? Punish walk-up ticket sales? Calvin Griffith is rolling over in his grave this very moment. Other teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates (who have not played .500 ball for 20 years) for example have come up with this plan "Prior to the individual ticket on-sale, fans will have the opportunity to take part in an "Early Bird" online only pre-sale from January 23-25. "Early Bird" pricing is different than regular single game pricing and is an alternative purchase opportunity for fans who want to be guaranteed seats to high-demand games." This means that for 3 days the Pirates allow you to pay more for a spring training ticket that you normally would. Where the heck do these idiots come up with these ideas and why is the general public falling for these shenanigans? I see this as just another way that baseball is looking at additional fees to take in more money from their fans. I sure hope this is not something that spreads like wildfire through out baseball as spring training is one of the few places where fans get a chance to get close to their team and now it just seems like baseball is going to make them pay. Fans that attend spring training are the true fan base of any team, they spend their hard earned money to travel to a destination to observe their favorite teams and they should be rewarded by their teams and not punished with extra fees. The Minnesota Twins have made it tougher to get close to some of the fields in spring training themselves and that is a trend that I see getting worse over the years. Probably won't be long before they start charging fans for watching the minor leaguers play their games on the back fields. Baseball should be looking for ways to encourage fans to go to spring training by making it affordable but that apparently is not the case. Look at the Twins spring training ticket prices for example, this is year 2 of "Value" and "Premium" pricing and the tickets range from $13 for a "value" lawn ticket to $43 for a "premium" Dugout Box seat. Last year 3 of the 16 (18.8%) home games were designated as "premium", this year 6 of the 18 (33.3%) of the home games are classified as "premium" games. 2013 is the first time in a number of years that the Twins have not raised their spring training ticket prices at Hammond Stadium from the previous season but they doubled the number of their "premium" games so yes, they will make more money off ticket sales. YES, $43. How in the world can the Twins who are coming off of back-to-back 90+ loss seasons, dropping payroll, charge $43 to watch a team that will not even have big leaguers playing most of the time? The Twins average spring trainng attendance in 2012 was 7,344 which was a drop of a little over 9% from 8,091 in 2011. If you are going to have variable pricing why not come up with a plan that is more fair to the fans, charge less for these early spring training exhibition games than you do for games played later in March because for most of March it is mostly minor league players playing most of the game with major league players making cameo appearances. Let's take a look at the Twins spring training ticket prices since 2008. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]Ticket type[/TH] [TH=align: center]2008[/TH] [TH=align: center]2009[/TH] [TH=align: center]2010[/TH] [TH=align: center]2011[/TH] [TH=align: center]2012*[/TH] [TH=align: center]2013**[/TH] [TD=align: center]Dugout Box[/TD] [TD=align: center]$38[/TD] [TD=align: center]n/a[/TD] [TD=align: center]$39[/TD] [TD=align: center]$39[/TD] [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD] [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD] [TD=align: center]Box[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$23[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24[/TD] [TD=align: center]$25[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]Reserved[/TD] [TD=align: center]$20[/TD] [TD=align: center]$21[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$23[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD] [TD=align: center]Drink Rail[/TD] [TD=align: center]$20[/TD] [TD=align: center]$21[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$25[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]Lawn[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD] [/TABLE] * - 3 premium games ** - 6 premium games

Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier today. Do you have plans to get away from the cold and snow and feel the sand between your toes, the sun on your back and hopefully catch some Twins spring training baseball in Florida? What better way to forget your problems and get away from it all. For the first time in many years I will not be attending spring training in Ft. Myers but that is a whole different story. Well, if you are going, you might want to raise your credit card limit and keep a tight grip on your wallet or purse because MLB and the Twins are looking to help themselves to your money. The Detroit Tigers apparently have found a new way to gouge a few additional dollars from their fans. The Tigers normally open the gates to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida 2 hours prior to home games but by that time the Tigers have already completed their batting practice. Baseball fans enjoy watching the home team take batting practice so the Tigers have decided to allow fans to get in early for home batting practice but the fans will be limited to the left-field berm and will need to scratch up an extra $5 for the privilege. Tigers management take on it is that the fans requested it since they could not watch batting practice and now they will be able to do so, if they come up with the bucks. Way to push it on the fans Detroit Tigers management, if the Tigers were really just doing a good deed they would not charge for the privilege or if they did, any money they collect should go to charity or to the old-time baseball players with little or no pensions that baseball has neglected so badly. But it is not just the Tigers, other teams are also looking to take more money from the wallets of their fans. It seems to me that a fan should not be punished if he/she decides to go to a baseball on short notice but that is not the case if you want to take in an Atlanta Braves game in Lake Buena Vista as their web site states that "A $5 Walk-Up fee will apply to Day-Of-Game purchases", what idiot came up with that idea? Punish walk-up ticket sales? Calvin Griffith is rolling over in his grave this very moment. Other teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates (who have not played .500 ball for 20 years) for example have come up with this plan "Prior to the individual ticket on-sale, fans will have the opportunity to take part in an "Early Bird" online only pre-sale from January 23-25. "Early Bird" pricing is different than regular single game pricing and is an alternative purchase opportunity for fans who want to be guaranteed seats to high-demand games." This means that for 3 days the Pirates allow you to pay more for a spring training ticket that you normally would. Where the heck do these idiots come up with these ideas and why is the general public falling for these shenanigans? I see this as just another way that baseball is looking at additional fees to take in more money from their fans. I sure hope this is not something that spreads like wildfire through out baseball as spring training is one of the few places where fans get a chance to get close to their team and now it just seems like baseball is going to make them pay. Fans that attend spring training are the true fan base of any team, they spend their hard earned money to travel to a destination to observe their favorite teams and they should be rewarded by their teams and not punished with extra fees. The Minnesota Twins have made it tougher to get close to some of the fields in spring training themselves and that is a trend that I see getting worse over the years. Probably won't be long before they start charging fans for watching the minor leaguers play their games on the back fields. Baseball should be looking for ways to encourage fans to go to spring training by making it affordable but that apparently is not the case. Look at the Twins spring training ticket prices for example, this is year 2 of "Value" and "Premium" pricing and the tickets range from $13 for a "value" lawn ticket to $43 for a "premium" Dugout Box seat. Last year 3 of the 16 (18.8%) home games were designated as "premium", this year 6 of the 18 (33.3%) of the home games are classified as "premium" games. 2013 is the first time in a number of years that the Twins have not raised their spring training ticket prices at Hammond Stadium from the previous season but they doubled the number of their "premium" games so yes, they will make more money off ticket sales. YES, $43. How in the world can the Twins who are coming off of back-to-back 90+ loss seasons, dropping payroll, charge $43 to watch a team that will not even have big leaguers playing most of the time? The Twins average spring trainng attendance in 2012 was 7,344 which was a drop of a little over 9% from 8,091 in 2011. If you are going to have variable pricing why not come up with a plan that is more fair to the fans, charge less for these early spring training exhibition games than you do for games played later in March because for most of March it is mostly minor league players playing most of the game with major league players making cameo appearances. Let's take a look at the Twins spring training ticket prices since 2008. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]Ticket type[/TH] [TH=align: center]2008[/TH] [TH=align: center]2009[/TH] [TH=align: center]2010[/TH] [TH=align: center]2011[/TH] [TH=align: center]2012*[/TH] [TH=align: center]2013**[/TH] [TD=align: center]Dugout Box[/TD] [TD=align: center]$38[/TD] [TD=align: center]n/a[/TD] [TD=align: center]$39[/TD] [TD=align: center]$39[/TD] [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD] [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD] [TD=align: center]Box[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$23[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24[/TD] [TD=align: center]$25[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]Reserved[/TD] [TD=align: center]$20[/TD] [TD=align: center]$21[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$23[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD] [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD] [TD=align: center]Drink Rail[/TD] [TD=align: center]$20[/TD] [TD=align: center]$21[/TD] [TD=align: center]$22[/TD] [TD=align: center]$25[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD] [TD=align: center]Lawn[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$12[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD] [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD] [/TABLE] * - 3 premium games ** - 6 premium games

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com on Sunday January 13, 2013 The major league baseball season is a real grind, you are scheduled to play 162 games in about 185 days give or take and that includes travel time. I am not even going to mention spring training and the post season. Many of us go to work Monday through Friday but we usually have week-ends off and a few holiday scattered in to re-charge our batteries. Once the baseball season starts the player's life is totally baseball, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that playing baseball is tougher than a normal job that we all do, I am just saying that it is not as easy as many of us would like to think. I know, I know, we would all still gladly trade places with any player out there. Baseball is a marathon, you need to keep chugging along, working through illness and injury while you strive for peak performance and you do this in front of the general public and all the writers and reporters that are out there every day looking for something they can put on TV or in the paper. Ability is critical but if your team doesn't also have durability you are probably headed for a long season. The Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. holds the major league record for consecutive games played with 2,632 in a streak that started on May 30, 1982 and ended on September 19, 1998. Think about that, every game from 1982 to 1998, an amazing streak and a record I am sure will never be broken. http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Morneau-Justin-3-206x300.jpgSo that takes me to why I am writing this post, what is the Minnesota Twins record for most consecutive games played and who holds the record? The Twins have played in Minnesota for 52 years and yet the Twins record for consecutive games played stands at 319, a far cry from 2,632. I think many of you will be surprised to learn that the Minnesota Twins consecutive games played record holder is still playing for the Twins today and is none other than Justin Morneau, yes the same guy that has not played more than 135 games since 2008. Let's take a look at the Twins six longest consecutive games played streaks and see who owns them. Some of the "gamers" on this list will probably surprise you. 319 games - Justin Morneau (1B/DH) - Streak started on June 29, 2007 and ended on June 20, 2009. 249 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B, and OF) - Streak started on September 21, 1965 and ended on July 4, 1967. 245 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B) - Streak started on September 23, 1968 and ended on July 7, 1970. 230 games - Gary Gaetti (3B/OF) - Streak started on September 29, 1983 and ended on June 22, 1985. 210 games - Roy Smalley (Shortstop) - Streak started on April 6, 1979 and ended on June 2, 1980. Smalley's streak would actually have stood at 254 and in second place on this list had he not chose to sit out the last day of the 1978 season. 203 games - Cesar Tovar (played all over) - Streak started on September 4, 1966 and ended on May 4, 1968. In the Twins 52 year history only 5 players have appeared in every game that the Twins played that particular season so it is a fairly rare occurrence with only one player accomplishing this feat twice. The most recent occurrence was Justin Morneau appearing in all 163 games in 2008 and that was 24 years after Gary Gaetti appeared in all 162 games in 1984. In 1979 Roy Smalley played in all 162 games, Harmon Killebrew did it twice playing in 162 games in 1966 and again in 1969 and Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games in 1967. The list of players that have led the Twins in games played over the years is an interesting list indeed. Who has led the Twins in games played the most frequently? That would be Kirby Puckett who did it eight times including five years in a row. 2012 - Joe Mauer played in 147 of a possible 162 games. 2011 - Danny Valencia played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2010 - Michael Cuddyer played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 2009 - Michael Cuddyer played in 153 of a possible 163 games. 2008 - Justin Morneau played in all 163 games. 2007 - Torii Hunter played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 2006 - Justin Morneau played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 2005 - Lew Ford played in 147 of a possible 162 games. 2004 - Lew Ford played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2003 - Torii Hunter played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2002 - Jacque Jones played in 149 of a possible 161 games. 2001 - Luis Rivas & Corey Koskie played in 153 of a possible 162 games. 2000 - Cristian Guzman & Matt Lawton played in 156 o fa possible 162 games. 1999 - Todd Walker played in 143 of a possible 161 games. 1998 - Matt Lawton played in 152 of a possible 162 games. 1997 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1996 - Paul Molitor played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1995 - Karby Puckett & Marty Cordova played in 137 of a possible 144 games. 1994 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 109 of a possible 113 games. 1993 - Kirby Puckett played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1992 - Kirby Puckett played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 1991 - Chili Davis played in 153 of a possible 162 games. 1990 - Gary Gaetti played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 1989 - Kirby Puckett played in 159 of a possible 162 games. 1988 - Kirby Puckett played in 158 of a possible 162 games. 1987 - Kirby Puckett played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 1986 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1985 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1984 - Gary Gaetti played in all 162 games. 1983 - Gary Gaettti and Gary Ward played in 157 of a possible 1962 games. 1982 - Gary Ward played in 152 of a possible 162 games. 1981 - John Castino played in 101 of a possible 110 games. 1980 - John Castino played in 150 of a possible 161 games. 1979 - Roy Smalley played in all 162 games. 1978 - Roy Smalley played in 158 of a possible 162 games. 1977 - Rod Carew played in 155 of a possible 161 games. 1976 - Rod Carew played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1975 - Rod Carew played in 143 of a possible 159 games. 1974 - Rod Carew played in 153 of a possible 163 games. 1973 - Rod Carew played in 149 of a possible 162 games. 1972 - Bobby Darwin played in 145 of a possible 154 games. 1971 - Cesar Tovar played in 157 of a possible 160 games. 1970 - Cesar Tovar played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1969 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games. 1968 - Cesar Tovar played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1967 - Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games. 1966 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games. 1965 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 1964 - Tony Oliva played in 161 of a possible 163 games. 1963 - Zoilo Versalles played in 159 of a possible 161 games. 1962 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 163 games. 1961 - Bob Allison played in 156 of a possible 162 games. When I looked back over the entire franchise history going back to 1901 for the Washington Senators I found that there was a true "iron man" who currently stands number 9 on the MLB all-time consecutive games played list with 829 games. Senators 3B Eddie Yost started his streak on August 30, 1949 and he played in every game through May 11, 1955. That is a lot of games. The current active MLB consecutive game streak is in the firm grasp of Detroit Tiger 1B Prince Fielder who stands at 343 and counting. Actually Fielder has missed just 1 game (September 13, 2010) since September 3, 2008 and if he had not skipped that game due to a stomach virus his streak would be at 669 today. The man has been in the big leagues since 2005 and full time since 2006. Since 2006 he has played in 157, 158, 159, 162, 161, 162, and 162 games. An amazing streak for a man his size.

Posted at www.twinstrivia.com on Sunday January 13, 2013 The major league baseball season is a real grind, you are scheduled to play 162 games in about 185 days give or take and that includes travel time. I am not even going to mention spring training and the post season. Many of us go to work Monday through Friday but we usually have week-ends off and a few holiday scattered in to re-charge our batteries. Once the baseball season starts the player's life is totally baseball, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that playing baseball is tougher than a normal job that we all do, I am just saying that it is not as easy as many of us would like to think. I know, I know, we would all still gladly trade places with any player out there. Baseball is a marathon, you need to keep chugging along, working through illness and injury while you strive for peak performance and you do this in front of the general public and all the writers and reporters that are out there every day looking for something they can put on TV or in the paper. Ability is critical but if your team doesn't also have durability you are probably headed for a long season. The Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. holds the major league record for consecutive games played with 2,632 in a streak that started on May 30, 1982 and ended on September 19, 1998. Think about that, every game from 1982 to 1998, an amazing streak and a record I am sure will never be broken. http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Morneau-Justin-3-206x300.jpgSo that takes me to why I am writing this post, what is the Minnesota Twins record for most consecutive games played and who holds the record? The Twins have played in Minnesota for 52 years and yet the Twins record for consecutive games played stands at 319, a far cry from 2,632. I think many of you will be surprised to learn that the Minnesota Twins consecutive games played record holder is still playing for the Twins today and is none other than Justin Morneau, yes the same guy that has not played more than 135 games since 2008. Let's take a look at the Twins six longest consecutive games played streaks and see who owns them. Some of the "gamers" on this list will probably surprise you. 319 games - Justin Morneau (1B/DH) - Streak started on June 29, 2007 and ended on June 20, 2009. 249 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B, and OF) - Streak started on September 21, 1965 and ended on July 4, 1967. 245 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B) - Streak started on September 23, 1968 and ended on July 7, 1970. 230 games - Gary Gaetti (3B/OF) - Streak started on September 29, 1983 and ended on June 22, 1985. 210 games - Roy Smalley (Shortstop) - Streak started on April 6, 1979 and ended on June 2, 1980. Smalley's streak would actually have stood at 254 and in second place on this list had he not chose to sit out the last day of the 1978 season. 203 games - Cesar Tovar (played all over) - Streak started on September 4, 1966 and ended on May 4, 1968. In the Twins 52 year history only 5 players have appeared in every game that the Twins played that particular season so it is a fairly rare occurrence with only one player accomplishing this feat twice. The most recent occurrence was Justin Morneau appearing in all 163 games in 2008 and that was 24 years after Gary Gaetti appeared in all 162 games in 1984. In 1979 Roy Smalley played in all 162 games, Harmon Killebrew did it twice playing in 162 games in 1966 and again in 1969 and Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games in 1967. The list of players that have led the Twins in games played over the years is an interesting list indeed. Who has led the Twins in games played the most frequently? That would be Kirby Puckett who did it eight times including five years in a row. 2012 - Joe Mauer played in 147 of a possible 162 games. 2011 - Danny Valencia played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2010 - Michael Cuddyer played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 2009 - Michael Cuddyer played in 153 of a possible 163 games. 2008 - Justin Morneau played in all 163 games. 2007 - Torii Hunter played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 2006 - Justin Morneau played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 2005 - Lew Ford played in 147 of a possible 162 games. 2004 - Lew Ford played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2003 - Torii Hunter played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 2002 - Jacque Jones played in 149 of a possible 161 games. 2001 - Luis Rivas & Corey Koskie played in 153 of a possible 162 games. 2000 - Cristian Guzman & Matt Lawton played in 156 o fa possible 162 games. 1999 - Todd Walker played in 143 of a possible 161 games. 1998 - Matt Lawton played in 152 of a possible 162 games. 1997 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1996 - Paul Molitor played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1995 - Karby Puckett & Marty Cordova played in 137 of a possible 144 games. 1994 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 109 of a possible 113 games. 1993 - Kirby Puckett played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1992 - Kirby Puckett played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 1991 - Chili Davis played in 153 of a possible 162 games. 1990 - Gary Gaetti played in 154 of a possible 162 games. 1989 - Kirby Puckett played in 159 of a possible 162 games. 1988 - Kirby Puckett played in 158 of a possible 162 games. 1987 - Kirby Puckett played in 157 of a possible 162 games. 1986 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1985 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1984 - Gary Gaetti played in all 162 games. 1983 - Gary Gaettti and Gary Ward played in 157 of a possible 1962 games. 1982 - Gary Ward played in 152 of a possible 162 games. 1981 - John Castino played in 101 of a possible 110 games. 1980 - John Castino played in 150 of a possible 161 games. 1979 - Roy Smalley played in all 162 games. 1978 - Roy Smalley played in 158 of a possible 162 games. 1977 - Rod Carew played in 155 of a possible 161 games. 1976 - Rod Carew played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1975 - Rod Carew played in 143 of a possible 159 games. 1974 - Rod Carew played in 153 of a possible 163 games. 1973 - Rod Carew played in 149 of a possible 162 games. 1972 - Bobby Darwin played in 145 of a possible 154 games. 1971 - Cesar Tovar played in 157 of a possible 160 games. 1970 - Cesar Tovar played in 161 of a possible 162 games. 1969 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games. 1968 - Cesar Tovar played in 156 of a possible 162 games. 1967 - Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games. 1966 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games. 1965 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 162 games. 1964 - Tony Oliva played in 161 of a possible 163 games. 1963 - Zoilo Versalles played in 159 of a possible 161 games. 1962 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 163 games. 1961 - Bob Allison played in 156 of a possible 162 games. When I looked back over the entire franchise history going back to 1901 for the Washington Senators I found that there was a true "iron man" who currently stands number 9 on the MLB all-time consecutive games played list with 829 games. Senators 3B Eddie Yost started his streak on August 30, 1949 and he played in every game through May 11, 1955. That is a lot of games. The current active MLB consecutive game streak is in the firm grasp of Detroit Tiger 1B Prince Fielder who stands at 343 and counting. Actually Fielder has missed just 1 game (September 13, 2010) since September 3, 2008 and if he had not skipped that game due to a stomach virus his streak would be at 669 today. The man has been in the big leagues since 2005 and full time since 2006. Since 2006 he has played in 157, 158, 159, 162, 161, 162, and 162 games. An amazing streak for a man his size.

I originally posted this on www.twinstrivia.com on 1/10/2013 The Twins and Terry Ryan have put in a lot of time this off-season to try to round up some pitchers that they can put in the starting rotation so that manager Gardenhire can hopefully call on each of them to start 30-35 games each. That will be no easy task as last season the team leader in pitching starts was Scott Diamond with 27 and he didn't even join the starting rotation until May 8th. If you look back through franchise history you will find that the great Hall of Fame pitcher Walter (The Big Train) Johnson pitched for the Wasinhton Senators for 21 seasons from 1907-1927 and he started 666 games, that is an average of 31.71 starts each year for 21 years. He set the the franchise games started in a season record with 42 in 1910. Twins lefty Jim Kaat equalled that mark of 42 starts in the Twins 1965 AL Championship season and followed that up with 41 starts in 1966 making him the only pitcher in franchise history to have back-to-back 40+ starts seasons. I thought it would be interesting to review the Gardenhire era from 2002 through 2012 to see how many pitchers he has had that have started 30 or more games in a season for the Twins. 2002 - Rick Reed and Kyle Lohse 2003 - Brad Radke, Kyle Lohse, Kenny Rogers, Joe Mays (and Rick Reed chipped in 27 starts) 2004 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse 2005 - Johan Santana and Brad Radke 2006 - Johan Santana and Carlos Silva 2007 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, and Boof Bonser 2008 - Nick Blackburn 2009 - Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker 2010 - Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano 2011 - Carl Pavano 2012 - None, Scott Diamond led the pack with 27 In this 11 year time frame the Twins have had 12 different pitchers provide 30 or more starts in a single season and only three of them were actually drafted by the Twins, the rest were acquired in another manner. Radke was an 8th round pick in 1991, Blackburn was a 29th round pick in 2001, and Scott Baker was a 2nd round pick in 2003. Chart showing numbers of pitchers with 30 or more starts (Central Division champs marked with an *)[TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [TH=align: center]YEAR [/TH] [TH=align: center]Twins [/TH] [TH=align: center]Tigers [/TH] [TH=align: center]Indians [/TH] [TH=align: center]WSox [/TH] [TH=align: center]Royals [/TH] [TH=align: center]Totals [/TH] [TD=align: center]2002 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]10 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2003 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]12 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2004 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4* [/TD] [TD=align: center]4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2005 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]16 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2006 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2* [/TD] [TD=align: center]4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center]14 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2007 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3* [/TD] [TD=align: center]4 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]13 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2008 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4* [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2009 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2* [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2010 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]10 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2011 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2012 [/TD] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=align: center]3* [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8 [/TD] [TD=align: center]Totals [/TD] [TD=align: center]23 [/TD] [TD=align: center]31 [/TD] [TD=align: center]22 [/TD] [TD=align: center]35 [/TD] [TD=align: center]17 [/TD] [TD=align: center]128 [/TD] [/TABLE] How big a deal is it to get 30 or more starts out of your starting pitchers? I will let you be the judge of that but the chart seems to indicate that the numbers of pitchers you have starting on a consistent basis will determine where you finish in the standings. The Twins seem to buck the trend a bit as they are the only team to win the Central Division title with fewer than 3 starters taking the mound 30 or more times and they did it 3 times with just 2 starters taking the mound 30 or more times. http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Kaat-Jim-2-235x300.jpg All this research made me curious as to who the Twins pitchers were over the years with the most starts in a Minnesota Twins uniform and here is what I dug up. There have only been 14 Twins pitchers that have toed the pitching rubber in the first inning in a Twins uniform 150 or more times. Some of these pitchers may have started a number of games in different uniforms including the Washington Senators prior to becoming the Twins but I am only looking for starts while wearing "Minnesota" on their chest. Of these 14 pitchers, only six (Blyleven, Viola, Goltz, Baker, Erickson, and Boswell) were actually drafted by the Minnesota Twins. The only pitcher on the list to spend his entire career as a Minnesota Twin? Brad Radke. [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%] [/TH][TH=align: center]Pitcher [TH=align: center]# of starts [/TH] [TH=align: center]Years Pitched [/TH] [TH=align: center]Avg. # of starts per season [/TH] [TD=align: center]1. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Jim Kaat [/TD] [TD=align: center]422 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1961-1973 [/TD] [TD=align: center]32.46 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Brad Radke [/TD] [TD=align: center]377 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1995-2006 [/TD] [TD=align: center]31.42 [/TD] [TD=align: center]3. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven [/TD] [TD=align: center]345 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1970-1976 & 1985-1988 [/TD] [TD=align: center]31.36 [/TD] [TD=align: center]4. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Frank Viola [/TD] [TD=align: center]259 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1982-1989 [/TD] [TD=align: center]32.38 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Jim Perry [/TD] [TD=align: center]249 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1963-1972 [/TD] [TD=align: center]24.90 [/TD] [TD=align: center]6. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dave Goltz [/TD] [TD=align: center]215 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1972-1979 [/TD] [TD=align: center]26.88 [/TD] [TD=align: center]7. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Kevin Tapani [/TD] [TD=align: center]180 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1989-1995 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25.71 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Camilo Pascual [/TD] [TD=align: center]179 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1961-1966 [/TD] [TD=align: center]29.83 [/TD] [TD=align: center]9. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Johan Santana [/TD] [TD=align: center]175 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2000-2007 [/TD] [TD=align: center]21.88 [/TD] [TD=align: center]10. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Eric Milton [/TD] [TD=align: center]165 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1998-2003 [/TD] [TD=align: center]27.50 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Scot Baker [/TD] [TD=align: center]159 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2005-2011 [/TD] [TD=align: center]22.71 [/TD] [TD=align: center]12. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Scott Erickson [/TD] [TD=align: center]153 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1990-1995 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25.50 [/TD] [TD=align: center]13. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Kyle Lohse [/TD] [TD=align: center]152 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2001-2006 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25.33 [/TD] [TD=align: center]14. [/TD] [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell [/TD] [TD=align: center]150 [/TD] [TD=align: center]1964-1970 [/TD] [TD=align: center]21.43 [/TD] [/TABLE]