Matt Johnson

February 26, 1933 Johnny Blanchard Born in Minneapolis It’s the birthdate of probably the most famous backup catcher in baseball history, Johnny Blanchard, born 85 years ago in the Mini Apple. Blanchard attended Minneapolis’s De LaSalle and Central High Schools, playing football, basketball, and baseball. He played one game for the New York Yankees late in the 1955 season, and would not play in the majors again until 1958, making a career of backing up Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. He would appear in five World Series as a Yankee. The highlight of his career came in the 1961 World Series when he hit .400 with 2 HRs as the Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games. Blanchard would earn his second ring in 1962. Blanchard tied a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats in 1961. Of course in true “Suber Sub” fashion, those four consecutive at-bats came over a six-day span. Blanchard hit a game-winning two-out pinch-hit grand slam at Fenway Park on July 21, 1961. He hit another pinch-hit homer the next day, and then sat out the next three games. He made a rare start on July 26 vs. the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium, homering in his first two at-bats and flying out to the wall in his third. Johnny Blanchard died of a heart attack at North Memorial in Robbinsdale on March 25, 2009. He was 76 years old. Read George Rekela’s SABR BioProject entry on Johnny Blanchard: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/92bd6f31 A version of Rekela’s essay appears in the Halsey Hall SABR chapter’s book Minnesotans in Baseball, edited by the inexhaustible Stew Thornley. February 26 Happy 59th Birthday to Bob Hegman It’s the birthday of 1976 Sauk Rapids-Rice graduate Bob Hegman, born in Springfield, Minnesota in 1958. Hegman was drafted by Kansas City in the 15th round of the 1980 amateur draft. He played half an inning for the 1985 World Series Champion Royals, entering as a defensive replacement in the top of the ninth of a 10-3 win at home vs. Chicago on August 8, 1985. 1956 NL All-Star Rip Repulski also attended Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. February 27 Happy 33rd Birthday to Denard Span It’s the birthday of 2002 Twins first-round draft choice Denard Span, born in Tampa, FL in 1984. Span went 4-for-4 with a walk, tying a modern (since 1900) major league record with three triples at Target Field on June 29, 2010. Span drove in five and scored two runs in the 11-4 win over Detroit. March 1, 2014 Miguel Sano to Undergo Tommy John Surgery Acting GM Rob Antony announces that Twins top prospect Miguel Sano will undergo Tommy John surgery. Sano would miss the entire 2014 season, but would be back in 2015, making the jump from Double-A Chattanooga to the majors on July 2. Sano would hit 18 HRs in just 80 major league games during his rookie season. March 2 Happy 66th Birthday to Mike Johnson It’s the birthday of 1969 Faribault High School graduate and former San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Johnson, born in Slayton, Minnesota in 1951. Johnson was signed by Cincinnati Reds scout Bill Clark out of his annual tryout camp at Bell Field in Faribault. Johnson lost his major league debut with the San Diego Padres on July 25, 1974. He walked Atlanta’s Darrell Evans to lead off the bottom of the tenth. Evans was bunted over (thoughts, Parker Hageman?) and scored on Rowland Office’s walk-off single. Tom House (throwing guru to the stars, including Nolan Ryan and Tom Brady) earned the win for Atlanta. Walks were an issue for Johnson during his brief major league career. He pitched 21.1 innings over 18 relief appearances, issuing 15 walks and striking out 15. He also allowed 29 hits in those 21.1 innings. He finished with an 0-2 record and 4.64 ERA. Johnson returned to Faribault following his pro career, playing for the Lakers townball team. March 3 Happy 55th Birthday to Terry Steinbach It’s the birthday of 1980 New Ulm High School graduate, former Golden Gopher and 3x American League All-Star Terry Steinbach. Here’s a fun story: the Gophers moved hotshot Edina third baseman Greg Olson to catcher to make room for up-and-coming New Ulm third baseman Terry Steinbach. Steinbach was later converted to catcher by the Oakland A’s to make room for third baseman Mark McGwire. McGwire, of course, ultimately wound up at first base while Olson and Steinbach each developed into All-Star major league catchers. Steinbach homered in his first major league at-bat on September 12, 1986. He would also homer in his first All-Star at-bat. After being maligned by the press as an unworthy All-Star starter in ‘88, Steinbach hit a solo home run and a sacrifice fly to lead the American League to a 2–1 victory and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The AL only used two catchers in the game, the other being Park Center graduate Tim Laudner. Steinbach was also an All-Star in ‘89 and ‘93. Steinbach hit an Opening Day grand slam when I was in fourth grade (1994). I know this because Mel Allen told me so on This Week in Baseball. Altogether Steinbach would play 14 seasons in the majors, including his final three in Minnesota (1997-’99). Steinbach coached the Wayzata High School baseball team from 2008-2012. The Twins hired him as bench coach for the 2013 season, succeeding Steve Liddle. He was not retained when Paul Molitor took over as manager in 2015. March 2 Happy 34th Birthday to Glen Perkins It’s the birthday of 2001 Stillwater Area High School graduate, University of Minnesota alumnus and current Minnesota Twin Glen Perkins. born in St. Paul in 1983. After redshirting in 2002, Perkins played for the Gophers in 2003 and 2004, going 19-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 13 complete games, two shutouts and 230 strikeouts in 216.1 innings. Perkins set a new Gophers single-season strikeout record in ‘03 with 117 in 105.1 innings. He gave his own record a run for it’s money in 2004 with 113 strikeouts in 111.1 innings. Those innings pitched, incidentally, were the second and fifth most in school history. Perkins was named the 2004 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. The Twins drafted Perkins in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2004 draft. He made his major league debut in September 2006, the same season as fellow-Gopher Jack Hannahan. He made the American League All-Star team in 2013, ‘14 and ‘15, saving 30+ games each of those three seasons. Perkins currently ranks third on the Twins’ all-time saves list, a position in which he’ll likely remain. His 120 saves are 134 shy of second-place Rick Aguilera. Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado is actually only 4 saves behind Perkins, but at this early juncture it remains unclear whether or not the Twins will have to resort to calling Everyday Eddie up to active duty this season. March 4 Happy 81st Birthday to Bob “Rocky” Johnson It’s the birthday of 1954 Edina-Morningside grad and 11-year major league middle infielder Bob “Rocky” Johnson, born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1936. Johnson’s father had grown up in the Twin Cities and the family returned to Minneapolis in December of 1947. Johnson, who signed with Detroit out of high school, was a career .272 hitting over 874 games with eight major league teams over his 11-year major league career. Johnson made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Athletics in 1960, and went on to play for the Senators, Orioles, Mets, Reds, Braves, Cardinals and back to the Athletics, now in Oakland. He played 71 regular season games for the eventual 1966 World Series Champion Orioles. Over his career Johnson earned a reputation as a proficient pinch-hitter. He strung together six consecutive pinch-hits in 1964, an American League record that he owned for 17 years until Bill Stein bested it in 1981. Johnson, who lives in St. Paul these days, was inducted into the Edina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. Read the prolific Stew Thornley’s SABR BioProject essay on Bob “Rocky” Johnson: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5b8d84d0 A version of Thornley’s essay appears in the Halsey Hall SABR chapter’s book Minnesotans in Baseball. (There's no connection between "Rocky" Johnson and Blaine High School grad Dan Johnson, by the way. That's just the picture I had handy.) March 4 Happy 37th Birthday to Gopher Great Jack Hannahan It’s the birthday of Cretin-Derham Hall grad, Gopher great and eight-year major leaguer Jack Hannahan, born in Minneapolis in 1980. Hannahan was the 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the conference in hits, runs scored, home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage. The Tigers snatched him up in the 3rd round of the ‘01 draft. He made it to the Show in 2006, going 0-for-9 in three games. Hannahan stuck around in the majors until 2014, playing 614 games for the Tigers, Athletics, Mariners, the Cleveland ballclub, and the Reds. He played in South Korea in 2015 where he got a good up-close look at Byung-ho Park. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Here is the Twins Almanac for the week of February 19-25. Four Minnesotan major leaguers were born in this week in history: "Home Run" Joe Marshall, Charley Walters, Dave Maurer and Dana Kiecker. Dick Siebert, one of the most important figures in the history of baseball in our great state, was born in Fall River, Massachusetts this week in 1912. And the Twins traded for two members of their first World Series Championship team this week in 1985 and '87. February 19, 1876 “Home Run” Joe Marshall Born in Audubon, MN It’s the birthdate of “Home Run” Joe Marshall, born in Audubon, MN in 1876. Marshall broke into professional baseball in the Red River Valley League in 1897. Despite his 5’8”, 170 lb. frame, Marshall was one of the preeminent minor league sluggers of the Deadball Era. He led all of organized baseball with 25 (officially) or 26 home runs for the San Francisco Pirates in 1903. The Boston Americans’ Buck Freeman, by comparison, led the major leagues that season with just eight round-trippers. Despite his success at lower levels, Marshall performed poorly in two brief major league stints, first with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903, and again with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906. Read Terry Bohn’s SABR BioProject biography of “Home Run” Joe Marshall: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/fe32283a And some interesting blog posts by Jeff Bozovsky, author of Divorcees, Barmaids, and Cranks: The 1897 Red River Valley League: http://historicbaseballfargo.blogspot.com/search/label/Home%20Run%20Joe%20Marshall February 19, 1912 Dick Siebert Born in Fall River, MA It’s the birthdate of Richard “Dick” Siebert, born in Fall River, MA in 1912. In the summer of 1923 the Sieberts moved to Cass Lake, Minnesota where Dick’s dad pastored Immanuel Lutheran Church. In 1926 the family moved to St. Paul where the elder Siebert had accepted a teaching position at Concordia College. Dick graduated from Concordia Academy High School in 1928. Dick Siebert played in six games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932, and two games in 1936. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 1936 Rule 5 Draft and purchased by the Cardinals prior to the ‘37 season. In May 1938 he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics where he finally saw regular playing time from ‘38-’45. He was an American League All-Star in 1943. Siebert is best known in Minnesota, of course, for coaching the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1948-’78, winning three NCAA championships (1956, ‘60 & ‘64), and 12 Big Ten titles with only three sub-.500 seasons. Dick Siebert passed away on December 9, 1978. He was just 66 years old. The U of M renamed its ballpark “Siebert Field” on April 21, 1979. Read Rich Arpi’s SABR BioProject biography of Dick Siebert: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/9aee41e7 February 19, 1985 Twins Acquire Roy Smalley, Again The Twins trade first baseman Randy Johnson and outfielder Ron Scheer to the White Sox for infielder Roy Smalley. Randy Johnson, who originally came up with Chicago in 1980, had last played in the majors with Minnesota in 1982. He would not make it back to the show. Ron Scheer would never make it past class Double-A. The Twins had originally acquired Roy Smalley in the 1976 trade that sent Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson to the Texas Rangers. (See the previous week’s Almanac for some douchey Calvin Griffith history involving his contract negotiations with Danny Thompson) Smalley’s first stint with the Twins was highlighted by his 1979 All-Star campaign. On April 10, 1982 he was traded along with St. Cloud State Alumnus and proprietor of Serum’s Good Time Emporium in Anoka, Gary Serum, to the New York Yankees for pitchers Ron Davis, and Paul Boris, and a minor league infielder named Greg Gagne. In July of ‘84, the Yankees offloaded Smalley to the White Sox in exchange for players to be named later, one of whom wound up being Doug Drabek, who after just one season the Yankees in turn shipped off to Pittsburgh where he would win the 1990 NL Cy Young Award. One of the highlights of Smalley’s second stint with the Twins -- other than winning the 1987 World Series, of course -- was becoming the first player in Twins history to homer from both sides of the plate on May 30, 1986. Three players have done so since Smalley: Chili Davis (October 2, 1992), Ryan Doumit (July 22, 2012), and Kennys Vargas (August 11, 2016). Here’s a fun story that Roy Smalley related to me on Twitter: “It just so happened that right after Doumit did it Chili was in town with the A's and I was there for FSN. We took a great picture together… We also each signed three baseballs with the dates we hit the HR's -- one for each of us -- which I'm proud to have. Only three Twins to have done it (at the time).” Smalley retired following the Twins’ 1987 World Series Championship season. February 20, 1987 Twins Acquire Al Newman The Twins trade minor league pitcher Mike Shade to the Montreal Expos for infielder Al Newman. Shade would never make it to the majors. Newmie, meanwhile, played an important role on the Twins’ 1987 and 1991 World Series Championship teams. Newman played in 110 games for the ‘87 Twins, starting 75, splitting time pretty evenly between second base and shortstop. It is interesting to note, though, that Al Newman started two games that season as the Twins’ designated hitter. Newman played in 118 games for the ‘91 Twins, starting 56, once again mostly splitting time between second and short, with four starts at third, one in left, and one as first baseman. Newman is one of eight players to play for both the ‘87 and ‘91 Twins, and one of seven to play in both World Series. Allan Anderson did not play in either Series. Unfortunately, Anderson -- who posted the lowest ERA in the American League in 1988 and won 33 games between ‘88 and ‘89 -- was just getting his feet wet in ‘86 and ‘87 and was on his way out in ‘91. The other six Twins to play in both World Series are Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Dan Gladden, Greg Gagne, Gene Larkin, and Randy Bush. Newman became a free agent following the 1991 season. He signed with the Reds, was released in April and ultimately wound up playing with the Texas Rangers in 1992, his final season. February 21 Happy 70th Birthday to Charley “Shooter” Walters It’s the birthday of 1965 Edison High School graduate Charley Walters, born in Minneapolis in 1947. The Twins signed Walters out of their annual open tryout at Met Stadium in 1965. He went 7-2 with a 1.94 ERA for the 1967 Northern League Champion St. Cloud Rox. Walters broke camp with the Twins in ‘69 and pitched 6.2 innings over six games between April 11-May 14. He did not allow a run in his first five outings. He allowed four, however, in his sixth and final major league appearance. Walters has been a sportswriter for the Pioneer Press since way before Al Gore invented the internet. If anyone knows the exact year he started writing for the Pioneer Press, shoot me a message through the system of tubes. Read the prolific Stew Thornley’s SABR BioProject biography of Charley Walters: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/f96b4aae February 23 Happy 42nd Birthday to Apple Valley Grad Dave Maurer It’s the birthday of Apple Valley graduate Dave Maurer, born in Minneapolis in 1975. The Padres drafted Maurer in the 11th round of the 1997 Amateur Draft. He made his major league debut in 2000, pitching 14.2 innings over 14 games and picking up his only big league win. He made only three appearances for the Padres in ‘01. After brief stints in the Reds’ and Athletics’ organizations, Maurer made it back to the majors with Cleveland late in the 2002 season, pitching in two games, both against the Minnesota Twins. At the Metrodome on September 25, he took his only major league loss, giving up a twelfth-inning walk-off home run to David Ortiz. Maurer made three appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004. They did not go well. If anyone knows what year Dave Maurer graduated from Apple Valley High School, please let me know. February 24 Happy 61st Birthday to Eddie Murray I spend a lot of time nerding out on BaseballReference.com researching the Twins Almanac. Interesting details jump out at me all the time. Like the fact, for instance, that Eddie Murray absolutely owned Bert Blyleven, hitting .419 with seven HRs in 62 at-bats. That’s a home run in a little over 11% of his at-bats vs. Blyleven. He also drew five walks and struck out ten times. And it’s hardly a small sample size. Murray only faced 12 pitchers more often during this 21-year major league career. He actually faced St. Paul’s Jack Morris most of all, hitting .304 with five HRs and 12 walks in 105 plate appearances. Murray was a career .287 hitter with 3,255 hits and 504 home runs. Actually, that brings up another story! Murray collected his 3,000th hit off of Mike Trombley on June 30, 1995 in the Metrodome while playing for the Cleveland ballclub. Cal Ripken Jr. collected his 3,000th hit at the Dome on April 15, 2000. The first man to congratulate him was none other than Orioles first base coach Eddie Murray. Mike Trombley, now an Oriole, earned the save. I hate to ramble on and on like this, but actually another Eddie Murray-related tidbit comes to mind. Hermantown High School graduate Jerry Ujdur only pitched in 53 major league games, but he sure had the number of a few Hall of Famers, including Eddie Murray who went 0-for-11 with two walks vs. Ujdur. Carlton Fisk went 0-for-10 with a walk, Paul Molitor 2-for-14 with a walk, and Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson each went 1-for-9 with 2 walks. February 25 Happy 56th Birthday to Dana Kiecker It’s the birthday of 1979 Fairfax High School and 1983 St. Cloud State graduate Dana Kiecker, born in Sleepy Eye in 1961. Kiecker pitched in 50 major league games for the Boston Red Sox between 1990 and ‘91, making 30 starts, compiling a 10-12 record with a 4.68 ERA. You can hear Kiecker on St. Paul Saints broadcasts this summer. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter and on Facebook.

Here is the Twins Almanac for the week of February 5-11. Former Twins closer Al Worthington, Mounds View grad Mark Hamburger, and current Twins outfielder Max Kepler are all celebrating birthdays this week. '27 Yankees third baseman Julie Wera was born in Winona this week in 1902. Also this week in Twins history was a big payday for Bloomington's Kent Hrbek (1985), the Chuck Knoblauch trade ('08), and Terry Ryan's cancer diagnosis ('14). http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Worthington.68T_zpshtvoxhjr.jpg February 5 Happy 88th Birthday to Al Worthington It’s the birthday of former Twins stopper Al Worthington, born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1929. The Twins purchased the 35-year-old pitcher from the Reds on June 26, 1964, the same day on which Twins pitcher Gerry Arrigo took a no-hitter against the White Sox into the ninth at Met Stadium. Arrigo would complete a 1-hit shutout of the Sox. Worthington, meanwhile, would appear in 41 of the Twins’ 81 remaining games, posting a 1.37 ERA. Worthington was the first Twin to save 20+ games, going 10-5 with 21 saves and a 2.13 ERA during the Twins’ 1965 American League Championship season. Worthington was the first Twin to lead the league in saves with 18 in 1968 at age 39. Ron Perranoski (‘69 and ‘70), Mike Marshall (‘79), and Eddie Guardado (‘02) are the only other Twins to do so. Worthington lives in Sterrett, AL these days, and, incidentally, would be happy to answer your letter. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/hamburger%201_zps8lukeqze.jpg February 5 Mark Hamburger Turns the Big 3-0 Happy 30th birthday to Mounds View High School and Mesabi Range Community and Technical College alumnus Mark Hamburger, born in St. Paul in 1987. Hamburger was signed by the Twins in 2007, and traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado in August, 2008. He pitched eight innings over five games for the Rangers late in the 2011 season, posting a 1-0 record during his only big league call-up. Hamburger subsequently spent time in the Padres’ and Astros’ organizations before being signed again by the Twins in September 2013. He never made it back to the majors, though. Hamburger pitched for the St. Paul Saints in 2016, going 12-6 in 21 appearances (20 starts), with a 3.29 ERA. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/knoblauch.Milton.Guzman_zpsrjiautqk.jpg February 6, 1998 Twins Trade Chuck Knoblauch The Twins trade All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees for minor leaguers Eric Milton, Cristian Guzman, Brian Buchanan, Danny Mota and three millions dollars of George Steinbrenner’s cold hard cash. There had been speculation for several years that the struggling Twins would deal hot commodity Knoblauch, and eventually he himself demanded to be traded to a contender. Knoblauch was coming off a stretch of four sensational seasons in which he made three all-star teams, hitting .318 and stealing 188 bases. His 127 OPS+ over that stretch was three points better than that of Roberto Alomar. The trade would ultimately go down as a win-win. Knoblauch was uneven as a Yankee. We all know about his struggles throwing the ball to first base. He continued to swing a solid stick, though, and the Yankees won the World Series in each of his first three seasons in New York. Cristian Guzman, meanwhile, was the Twins’ starting shortstop for six seasons, leading the league in triples three times. He never realized his full potential, but Twins fans sure saw some sparks from the exciting speedster. Milton jumped straight into the starting rotation, giving the Twins five solid seasons, highlighted by a no-hitter on September 11, 1999. Another highlight came on April 15, 2001 when Milton struck out eight of the first 10 White Sox he faced. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/wera_zpsgffok02p.jpg February 9, 1902 It’s the Birthday of Julie Wera Julie Wera, who played 38 games at third base for the vaunted ‘27 Yankees, was born in Winona, MN on this date in 1902. The 25-year-old Wera made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium on April 14, 1927, pinch-hitting for Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt against Hall of Famer Lefty Grove. He grounded out. Wera 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 did not play in the 1927 World Series in which the Yankees swept the Pirates. He did, however, receive the same $5,782 portion 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. Julie Wera died of a heart attack at his home in Rochester, MN on December 12, 1975. He was 73 years old. Read J.G. Preston’s SABR BioProject biography of Julie Wera: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/2dc33add http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Kepler.Mauer.8-1-16_zpskprrgr69.jpg February 10 Happy 24th Birthday to Max Kepler It's the birthday of Twins outfielder Max Kepler, born in Berlin, Germany in 1993. Playing Cleveland at Target Field on August 1, 2016, Kepler became the fifth player in Twins history to hit three home runs in a game. The previous four were Bob Allison ('63), Harmon Killebrew ('63), Tony Oliva ('73), and Justin Morneau ('07). Brian Dozier joined the club on September 5, 2016. Kepler's 3-HR game was the beginning of a historic offensive outburst for the team as a whole. Mired in one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the Twins hit a team record 19 extra-base hits over a two-game span. They set a milestone in the third game of the series, too, putting up 10 runs in three straight games against the same team for the first time. They had scored 10 runs in three straight games before, but not against the same team. They would lose the fourth game of the series 2-9. February 10, 2014 Terry Ryan Reveals Cancer Diagnosis The Twins release a statement on behalf of 60-year-old General Manager Terry Ryan revealing that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer in his neck. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/hrbek.85t_zpspasivh1t.jpg February 11, 1985 Kent Hrbek Cashes In 1978 Bloomington Kennedy High School grad Kent Hrbek signs a 5-year, 6 million dollar contract, meaning he would be the first player in Twins history to earn a million dollars for a single season’s work. Hrbek celebrated by going ice fishing outside his Lake Minnetonka home. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter and on Facebook.

Here is the Twins Almanac for the week of February 12-18. Former Twins pitchers Kevin Tapani and Cole De Vries celebrate birthdays this week, as well as a pair of big leaguers who played their high school ball in Minnesota, Don Arlich and Brian Denman. And it was this week in 1973 that the Twins revealed 27-year-old infielder Danny Thompson's leukemia diagnosis. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/denman_zpseevl08jd.jpg February 12 Happy 61st Birthday to Brian Denman It’s the birthday of 1974 Richfield High School graduate and University of Minnesota alumnus Brian Denman, born in Minneapolis in 1956. Denman was drafted by Boston in the first round of the 1978 January secondary phase. Denman was a hot prospect in the Red Sox organization, winning 30 games in his first two minor league seasons, and 51 between 1978 and ‘82. His numbers, however, were significantly stronger at Double-A than Triple-A. Denman made his major league debut on August 2, 1982. He would make nine starts for the Red Sox during his only big league season, going 3-4 with a 4.78 ERA. The highlight of his call-up was a complete game shutout vs. Dave Righetti at Yankee Stadium. In addition to being one heckuva baseball player at Richfield, Denman was a standout member of the Spartans’ 1972 state champion and '73 and '74 state runner-up basketball teams. These days Denman makes his home in Buffalo, NY. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/devries_zps6amzpj56.jpg February 12 Happy 32nd Birthday to Cole De Vries It’s the birthday of 2003 Eden Prairie graduate, University of Minnesota alumnus and former Twins pitcher Cole De Vries, born in St. Louis Park in 1985. De Vries played three seasons for the Gophers before signing with the Twins as an amateur free agent in 2006. He made his major league debut starting against the White Sox in Chicago on May 24, 2012, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk over five innings, earning the loss. It was a rude welcome to the show as A.J. Pierzynski, Paul Konerko and Alex Rios each took him deep. Mauer and Morneau homered for the Twins in the 11-8 loss. De Vries pitched in 17 games for the Twins in 2012, starting 16 of them, compiling a 5-5 record with a 4.11 ERA. He earned his first and second major league wins in his third and fourth starts, but would not win again until reeling off three consecutive victories in his final three starts of the season. De Vries struggled in four September appearances in 2013. He was granted free agency following the season and did not sign with another team. De Vries still lives in Eden Prairie. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Arlich_Don_zpsb9ehudvq.jpg February 15 Happy 74th Birthday to St. Paul North Grad Don Arlich It’s the birthday of 1961 St. Paul North High School graduate and former Houston Astros pitcher Don Arlich, born in Wayne, Michigan in 1943. Arlich went 15-0 for the State Champion North High Polars as a senior in 1961. One of his teammates at St. Paul North was Twins curator Clyde Doepner. Arlich signed with Houston out of high school. He made one start for the Astros on October 2, 1965, the second to last game of the season. He made seven relief appearances in 1966. He stuck it out in the minors until 1969, playing his final two and a half seasons in the Braves’ organization. Arlich had lived in Cottage Grove for quite a few years, but I believe he may now live in St. Paul. Perhaps you know? http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20170204_130339_zpsv9clndgk.jpg February 16, 1973 Twins Announce Danny Thompson’s Leukemia Diagnosis The Twins announce that 27-year-old infielder Danny Thompson has been diagnosed with chronic granulocytic leukemia. Doctors say that the disease is in an early stage, and should not affect Thompson for about five years. The Twins drafted Thompson out of Oklahoma State in 1968 in the first round of the June Secondary Phase. He made his MLB debut on June 25, 1970 and never went back down to the farm. Thompson was involved in contentious contract negotiations with old man Griffith in ‘76. Calvin Griffith refused to give the infielder a fair price, insisting that no other team would even offer someone with cancer a contract at all. So on June 1, 1976 he was packaged with Bert Blyleven and shipped to Texas in exchange for Roy Smalley, Mike Cubbage, and pitchers Bill Singer and Jim Gideon. Thompson struggled in Texas. He passed away at the Mayo Clinic on December 10, 1976, just 69 games after playing his final major league game. He was 29 years old. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/tapani.91t_zpsht4opcbb.jpg February 18 Happy 53rd Birthday to Kevin Tapani It’s the birthday of Kevin Tapani, born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1964. Tapani won 75 games for the Twins between 1989 and 1995. He had double digit wins of each of his five full seasons in Minnesota. To put that in perspective, Tyler Duffey led the 2016 Twins with 9 wins. Tapani had his best season in 1991, going 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA. He actually led the World Series Champion Twins in WAR with 6.8 (as calculated by Baseball Reference). May 15, 1991 was not one of his best games as the Brewers’ Paul Molitor went 5-for-5 off of Tapani at the Dome, hitting for the cycle. Tapani was involved in two July 31st trades. He originally came to the Twins on July 31, 1989 with Rick Aguilera, David West, Tim Drummond and Jack Savage in exchange for ‘87 World Series MVP Frank Viola. On July 31, 1995, Tapani and Mark Guthrie were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for four players including Ron Coomer. Kevin Tapani makes his home in Wayzata, MN. Wish him a happy birthday if you see him. 1991 WAR (as calculated by Baseball Reference) Kevin Tapani 6.8 Shane Mack 5.0 Scott Erickson 4.5 Jack Morris 4.3 Kirby Puckett 4.3 Chili Davis 3.3 Chuck Knoblauch 2.8 Kent Hrbek 2.7 Mike Pagliarulo 2.7 Greg Gagne 2.5 Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you. I think I'll be able to stay more on top of it this season. I can guarantee at least two consecutive installments, which is something.

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/TwinsAlmanac_zpscrd6a75x.jpg January 29 Twins Almanac’s First Birthday The Twins Almanac was born in a Bellingham, WA apartment with the creation of the @TwinsAlmanac Twitter account on January 29, 2016. In the intervening year Molly and I moved to Minnesota where our daughter was born earlier this month. The Twitter account was originally a way for me to feel like I was being productive, building an audience for the articles that were to follow. The articles on Twins Daily, however, became more and more sporadic over the course of the season, and I still haven’t gotten anywhere with TwinsAlmanac.com. The Twitter account, meanwhile, has attracted 6,600 followers in the first twelve months, and has been shared by Torii Hunter, Kent Hrbek, Frank Viola, LaTroy Hawkins, Eric Milton, Dave St. Peter, Patrick Reusse and others. It’s been fun for me, though also a distraction from writing the actual Almanac I’d originally envisioned. With a year’s worth of trivia in one messy spreadsheet, though, I’m looking forward to a strong second season. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/hunter.gordon.split_zpshifmbpkp.jpg January 29, 2016 Torii Hunter and John Gordon Elected to Twins Hall of Fame Twins President Dave St. Peter announces that Torii Hunter and John Gordon will be the 27th and 28th members of the Twins Hall of Fame. Gordon spent 25 years in the Twins’ radio broadcast booth, originally joining Herb Carneal in 1987 and retiring at the end of the 2011 season. Torii Hunter spent 12 of his 19 major league seasons with the Twins, originally coming up in August, 1997 at age 22. While in a Twins uniform Hunter won 7 of his 9 career Gold Gloves, made 2 of his 5 All-Star appearances, and hit 214 of his 353 home runs (6th most in Twins history). Hunter’s 3 grand slams in 2007 tied the team’s single season record (Bob Allison '61, Rod Carew '76, Kent Hrbek '85, Kirby Puckett '92). Hrbek and Hunter, incidentally, both hit their third on August 15. Don Mattingly set the MLB record with 6 grand slams in 1987. Please enjoy John Gordon’s iconic call of Kirby Puckett’s 11th-inning home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series: January 31 Happy 30th Birthday to Caleb Thielbar http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Caleb-Thielbar-Minnesota-Twins-vs-Seattle-Mariners-06-01-2013_zpse7rm1isb.jpg It’s the birthday of Randolph, Minnesota High School graduate Caleb Thielbar, born in Northfield, MN in 1987. Thielbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round in 2009, released in December 2010 and, eight months later, signed by the Minnesota Twins on August 18, 2011. Thielbar had a very successful rookie season in 2013, not allowing a run in his first 17 big league appearances. In total he pitched 46 innings over 48 appearances, compiling a 3-2 record and 1.76 ERA. He appeared in 54 ballgames in 2014 with a 3.40 ERA, and just 6 games in 2015. He was claimed off waivers by the Padres in August 2015 but did not pitch in the majors for them. He signed with the Marlins this past November. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Erickson.92T_zpsfukbqzce.jpg February 2 Happy 49th Birthday to Scott Erickson Scott Erickson was born in Long Beach, CA in 1968. The Twins drafted Erickson in the 4th round in 1989 out of Arizona State. It was the fourth time he had been drafted. Erickson made it to the majors midway through the 1990 season, finishing strong with a 5-0 record in September. He went 12-2 with a 1.39 ERA in the first half off the ‘91 season. He was named the starting pitcher of the 1991 All-Star game but could not pitch due to injury, so manager Tony LaRussa handed the ball to fellow Twin Jack Morris in his stead. Morris wore black socks and his pants low in the style of Scott Erickson. Erickson wound up going 20-8 for the ‘91 World Series Champion Twins, tying for the major league lead in wins and finishing second to Roger Clemens for the American League Cy Young Award. After a solid ‘92 season, Erickson lost a major league worst 19 games in 1993. ‘94 was arguably an even worse season for Erickson, though he did no-hit the Brewers at the Metrodome on April 27th. He rebounded after being traded to the Orioles during the ‘95 season, and would ultimately prove to be one of the more durable pitchers of the ‘90s, pitching an American League leading 251.1 innings in 1998, winning 73 games between 1995-’99. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Santana.Gomez_zpspvcf2lgn.jpg February 2, 2008 Twins Trade 2x Cy Young Winner Santana The Twins due the prudent thing and trade 2004 and ‘06 Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets for outfielder Carlos Gomez, and three pitchers, all of whom were duds. Gomez showed sparks but never lived up to his potential in Minnesota, though he did score one of the most exciting runs in team history on October 6, 2009. Less than a month later he was traded to Milwaukee for former and future All-Star J.J. Hardy. Gomez, for his part, would go on to consecutive All-Star seasons for Milwaukee in 2013 and ‘14. After three very good seasons in New York, Santana missed all of the 2011 season and has not pitched in the majors since 2012. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/carew.landreaux_zpsu7jbsp5v.jpg February 3, 1979 Twins Trade Rod Carew The Twins trade seven-time American League batting champ Rod Carew to the Angels for Ken Landreaux, Dave Engle, Brad Havens and Paul Hartzell. It had become increasingly clear that team owner Calvin Griffith had no intention of ponying up for the future Hall of Famer. And even if Griffith could have afforded him, it was unlikely that Carew would have played for Griffith again after the owner had gone full Trump at a Lion’s Club dinner in Waseca on September 28. Griffith was quoted in the Star Tribune as having said "I'll tell you why we came to Minnesota. It was when we found out you only had 15,000 blacks here... We came here because you've got good, hardworking white people here." Here is a Star Tribune article about the whole debacle from October 1, 1978: http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=95430139 February 3, 1987 Twins Acquire the Terminator http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20170126_123305_zpsbogdzpsd.jpg The Twins trade pitcher Neal Heaton, 1980 first round draft pick catcher Jeff Reed, 19-year-old future major league pitcher Yorkis Perez, and career minor league pitcher Afredo Cardwood to the Expos for backup catcher Tom Nieto and 1985 and ‘86 All-Star closer Jeff Reardon. Reardon would save 31 regular season games for the ‘87 Twins, plus three postseason games, including Game 7 of the World Series. Reardon surpassed Rollie Fingers as major league baseball’s all-time saves leader in 1992 with his 342nd save. His 367 career saves currently rank 10th all-time. Stupid Jonathan Papelbon passed him in 2016. Heaton, for his part, won a career-high 13 games for the Expos in 1987. Please enjoy this video of Reardon saving the fifth and final game of the 1987 ALCS: February 4 Happy 36th Birthday to Ben Hendrickson http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Hendrickson.01T_zpsvcneubcq.jpg It’s the birthday of Bloomington’s Thomas Jefferson High School graduate Ben Hendrickson, born in St. Cloud in 1981. Hendrickson pitched in 10 major league games for the Brewers in 2004, and another four games in 2006, compiling a 1-10 career record with a 7.41 ERA. With former Twin Todd Walker on base, Hendrickson gave up one of Sammy Sosa’s 609 career home runs on July 29, 2004. Hendrickson held slugger Adam Dunn 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts during his brief career. Fringe Hall of Fame candidate Larry Walker was 1-for-6 with a walk and a strikeout vs. Hendrickson. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Gaetti colluding with Holdingford High School grad and brief St. Cloud State Huskie Joe Brinkman. I like it.

Yeah, I posted from my Twins Almanac Twitter account that Dozier had tied the record, only to finally pick up on the fact that 2 came while DHing. Well, sure enough, that got more retweets BY FAR than anything I've ever posted before, even after subsequent tweets pointing out the error.

Here's my quick kitchen table roundup of all of the trivia surrounding Dozier's big day. Brian Dozier is the sixth player in Twins history to homer three times in a game, joining Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew (1963), Tony Oliva ('73), Justin Morneau ('07) and Max Kepler who homered three times on August 1st this season in Cleveland. Dozier's first homer came on the first pitch of the game. It was Dozier's 17th career leadoff home run. It was also his 36th home run of the season, giving him the highest Twins total since Killebrew's 41 in 1970. Dozier has now homered in 4 consecutive games, and in 6 of the last 7 games. Three home runs today gives him 9 on the season versus Kansas City, the highest total by any one player against KC ever. Dozier now has 38 home runs this season. The American League record for home runs by a second baseman is 39 by the Yankees' Alfonso Soriano in 2002. The major league record is 42, held by Rogers Hornsby (1922) and Davey Johnson ('73). Of course the Twins lost the game 11-5, making their record 51-87. That's the worst in the world. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter.

And here is the Labor Day weekend edition of the Twins Almanac. While you're reading this I'll be attending my first State Fair of the millennium. Expect the next Almanac to read like it was written by someone five pounds fatter. September 3, 1971 Eric Soderholm’s Eventful MLB Debut Making his major league debut versus Oakland at home at Met Stadium in Bloomington, Eric Soderholm homered off of Diego Segui in just his second big league at-bat. A closer look at the game, though, reveals that Soderholm’s debut was even more eventful that it appears at first-glance. He reached on a fielder’s choice ground-out in his very first major league at-bat. He moved up to second on a Phil Roof single. Pitcher Jim Perry then singled to right and Soderholm was thrown out at the plate by Reggie Jackson for the second out of the inning. With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Soderholm came up with runners on second and third and one out. In just his third major league at-bat, Soderholm was intentionally walked to load the bases. Oakland brought Mudcat Grant in from the bullpen to pitch to Phil Roof with the bases loaded. The Twins, however, called upon Harmon Killebrew who hit a pinch-hit grand slam driving in Steve Brye, Steve Braun and Soderholm. In his fourth and final at-bat, Soderholm was hit-by-pitch to load the bases, but George Mitterwald struck-out to end the threat. The Twins beat the first-place Athletics 9-4. Soderholm had been on base in each of his first four major league at-bats. In addition to homering in his first major league game, he was thrown out at home by one Hall of Famer and scored on another Hall of Famer’s grand slam. What a memorable debut. September 3, 1990 Mark Guthrie Complete Game Shutout In the first game of a doubleheader in Milwaukee, Mark Guthrie pitched a complete game 4-hit shutout. The Twins won 6-0. It was the major league debut of Brewers catcher Tim McIntosh, a Hopkins High School and University of Minnesota alumnus. He went 0-for-3. Fellow Golden Gopher Paul Molitor went 0-for-4 against Guthrie. Kirby Puckett went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and 2 runs scored. Pedro Munoz, who had made his major league debut two days earlier, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Check out the first six Brewers batters in game two, with a combined 31 All-Star selections between them: Paul Molitor (7), Robin Yount (3), Gary Sheffield (9), Dave Parker (7), B.J. Surhoff (1) and Greg Vaughn (4). The fact that Robin Yount was only selected to three All-Star teams is always a little startling. He wasn’t even an All-Star in 1989 when he was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. The only other American Leaguer to win MVP without being named an All-Star that season was Hank Greenberg in 1935. September 3, 2006 Bert Blyleven Said a Naughty Word on Television Bert Blyleven had a tough time with a pre-game segment that he thought was being taped. “We’re gonna do this f*cking thing over again,” Bert said, “‘cause I just f*cked it up,” to which Anthony LaPanta said “well we’re live.” Bert would enjoy a five-game vacation. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Gagne.Score91WS_zpsk4x8yotk.jpg September 4, 2010 Greg Gagne Inducted into Twins Hall of Fame The Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame inducted its 22nd member, Greg Gagne, who played shortstop for the Twins from 1983-’92 before spending his final five seasons with the Royals and Dodgers. Gagne originally came to the Twins from the Yankees in the Ron Davis/Roy Smalley trade. On October 4, 1986 Gagne hit two inside-the-park home runs against the White Sox at the Metrodome. As a personal aside, I think an error should have been charged on 99% of inside-the-park home runs. Gagne, never a power hitter, hit 4 postseason home runs between 1987 and ‘91. He hit two in the ‘87 ALCS vs. Detroit and one in each World Series. Probably his most memorable was a game-winning three-run home run in Game One of the 1991 World Series off of Charlie Liebrandt. It was Leibrandt who also gave up Kirby’s Game Six walk-off home run. After the induction ceremony, the first-place Twins hosted the first-place Rangers, with the Twins winning 12-4. Carl Pavano picked the the 16th of his 17 wins on the season. Matt Tolbert had 2 triples and drove in 5 runs. And Jim Thome hit a pair of home runs, passing Mark McGwire for ninth most all-time. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/discodan_zpsoiuveo4r.jpg September 5, 1978 "Disco" Dan Earns His Nickname In a 4-3 home loss to the Larry Doby-managed White Sox, "Disco" Dan Ford earned his nickname. Ask @RoySmalley5 how. And keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter.

And here is the Twins Almanac for Monday, August 29 to Friday, September 2, 2016. Mrs. Johnson broke the internet at my folks' place where we're staying, so I'm posting this from across the pasture at my sister's house. I kind of forgot about this whole humidity thing here in Minnesota. It's alright, though, I'm just pretending I'm on safari. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/killebrewallison_zpsq2qqq1gi.jpg August 29, 1963 Twins Hit 12 Home Runs The Twins hit a team record 8 home runs in the first game of a doubleheader in Washington, DC. Vic Power and Harmon Killebrew each hit a pair, with Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, Bernie Allen, and Rich Rollins connecting for the other four. First baseman Power went 4-for-6 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Killebrew, playing left field, was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs in the 14-2 Twins win. The Twins would hit another 4 home runs in the second game. August 29, 1987 Kirby Puckett Has Himself a Day Kirby Puckett goes 4-for-5 with 2 HRs in Milwaukee. The best is yet to come. August 29, 1990 Greg Gagne Has Himself a Day Greg Gagne went 2-for-4 with a HR and 3 stolen bases including home plate in a 6-1 Twins win over the White Sox at home in the Dome. Gagne only had 5 steals coming into the game. Gene Larkin, playing right field, went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Mark Guthrie, meanwhile, pitched the complete game allowing just the 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/ortiztimberrattlers_zpsb9rc0abc.jpg August 29, 1996 Twins Trade Dave Hollins for David Ortiz The Twins traded veteran third baseman Dave Hollins to the Mariners in exchange for hot prospect David Ortiz who was hitting .322 with 18 HR and 93 RBI in 129 games with the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at the time of the trade. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/koosman_zpstztj0och.jpg August 30, 1981 Twins Trade Jerry Koosman The Twins trade Appleton, MN-native Jerry Koosman to the White Sox for outfielder Randy Johnson and two others. August 30, 1987 Kirby’s 10-for-11 Weekend Kirby Puckett collects a team-record 6 hits in 6 at-bats including 2 HRs and 2 doubles in a 10-6 win in Milwaukee. Puckett had gone 4-for-5 with 2 HRs the day before, making him 10-for-11 with 6 RBI and 7 runs scored on the weekend. He had gone 0-for-4 on Friday in the first game of the series, a 1-0 Twins loss. 10 hits in two games tied a major league record. Kirby also had 6 hits in an extra-inning game in 1991. No other Twin has ever had a 6-hit game. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/baylor_zpsse3vlmci.jpg August 31, 1987 Pennant-Chasing Twins Acquire Big Bat The Twins acquired veteran slugger Don Baylor from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Enrique Rios. It was the Twins seventh trade of the season. They had acquired Tom Nieto, Jeff Reardon, Al Newman and Dan Gladden in pre-season trades, Joe Niekro and Dan Schatzeder in June, and Steve Carlton in July. August 31, 1993 Munoz HR Ends Record-Length Game The Twins trailed Cleveland 4-2 with two out in the bottom of the ninth when Terry Jorgenson hit a double, driving in David McCarty. Thirteen innings later, in the bottom of the 22nd, Pedro Munoz ended the longest game in Twins history with a walk-off home run. Munoz crossed the plate at 1:22 AM. The game lasted 6 hours and 17 minutes. Brian Harper went 4-for-8. August 31, 1994 Twins Deal Dave Winfield In the midst of the ‘94 strike the Twins sent future-Hall of Famer, St. Paul-native Dave Winfield to the Cleveland club for straight cash, homey. August 31, 2003 Twins Acquire 46-Year-Old Jesse Orosco The Twins acquired 46-year-old pitcher Jesse Orosco from the Yankees. He would pitch 4.2 over 8 games for the Twins, the ninth and final team he would pitch for in his 24-year career. Orosco made his major league debut in 1979, meaning he pitched in four decades. Nobody in major league history has pitched in more games than Jesse Orosco (1,252). August 31, 2005 Twins Get 13 Hits, Do Not Score The Twins collected 13 hits, 2 walks and a reached-on-error for a grand total of 16 base runners and still managed to lose to the Royals 1-0 at Kaufman Stadium. Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse pitched 7 innings of shutout ball, allowing only 3 hits. The game was still scoreless entering the bottom of the ninth when former Twin Denny Hocking hit a lead-off single off reliever Matt Guerrier. Facing Terry Mulholland, Emil Brown drove-in Hocking for a walk-off Royals win. August 31, 2007 Scott Baker Flirts with Perfect Game Scott Baker had a perfect game going against the Royals at home in the Dome when he walked catcher John Buck leading off the ninth. Two batters later he allowed a one-out single to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney. That was all the offense the Royals would muster, though, as Baker completed the 1-hit shutout for a 5-0 Twins win. September 1, 1972 Rod Carew Steals Home for the Win With the Twins and Cleveland tied 4-4 with two out in the bottom of the tenth, Rod Carew stole home for the walk-off (or run-off) win. Rod Carew would steal home 17 times in his career. Right fielder Bobby Darwin drove in the Twins’ first 4 runs. He was 4-for-4 with a HR and double when he struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the tenth. September 1, 1992 Rick Aguilera Becomes Twins All-Time Saves Leader Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve a 5-4 Twins win at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. It was Aggie’s 35th save of the season and 109th of his Twins career, surpassing Ron Davis as the Twins’ all-time leader. Aguilera would go on to save 254 games in a Twins uniform. He saved 42 games for the Twins’ 1991 World Series champion team. In total, Aguilera earned 318 major league saves. He saved 7 games for the ‘89 Mets, 20 during his brief stint with Boston in 1995, and 37 for the Chicago Cubs between 1999 and 2000, his final season. Joe Nathan surpassed Aguilera as the Twins’ all-time saves leader in 2011. Nathan finished his Twins career with 260 saves before signing with the Rangers following the 2011 season. He was an All-Star with Texas in 2012 and ‘13, saving a combined 80 games those two seasons and another 35 for Detroit in 2014. September 2, 1965 Bob Allison Strikes Out 5 Times in 5 At-Bats The Twins 5-hitter, left fielder Bob Allison, went 0-for-5 with 5 strikeouts in a 5-4 home loss to the Tigers. Tigers leadoff hitter, Bloomington High School and University of Minnesota alumnus George Thomas, went 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored. Thomas doubled off of Nimrod, MN-native Dick Stigman leading off the top of the ninth. The major league record for strikeouts in a game is six. Six players have done so. Only Alex Gonzalez (2009) did it in just 6 plate appearances. The most recent to do so, Geoff Jenkins in 2008, had 7 plate appearances. The other four came to the plate eight times in their respective games. Sammy Sosa had four 5-K games in his steroid-addled career. Ray Lankford had three such games, and Jim Thome had two. Ryan Howard is the all-time leader with 27 4-strikeout games, followed by Reggie Jackson (23) and Jim Thome (20).

And here is the Twins Almanac for the weekend of August 27-28, 2016. Mrs. Johnson and I have been busy getting settled here in Minnesota. It's good to be back after a decade out west. Look for a fresh batch of Twins trivia by open of business Monday. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160810_105324_zpsinrwxudh.jpg August 27 Happy 46th Birthday, Jim Thome It’s the birthday of Jim Thome, born in 1970 in Peoria, IL. He had already hit 564 home runs when he signed with the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2010 season. He hit a dramatic walk-off home run on August 17, 2010, the first Twins walk-off hit at Target Field. On August 15, 2011 Thome hit two opposite field home runs in Detroit, the 599th and 600th of his career. The Twins sold him to Cleveland 10 days later. In total he hit 40 home runs as a Twin. Thome, whose final season was 2012, officially retired on August 2, 2014 with 612 home runs. He hit 61 home runs against the Twins. The only team he more against was Detroit, 66. Jim Thome is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2018. August 27, 1975 Kusick Ties Record, Blyleven Hurls Gem Craig Kusick tied a major league record by being beaned three times in the Twins’ game versus the Brewers in Milwaukee. That record stands to this day. Bert Blyleven, meanwhile, pitched an 11-inning shutout as the Twins won 1-0. Don Baylor, incidentally, owns the American League record for times hit-by-pitch in a career. He was beaned 267 times in his career played entirely in the AL. He was beaned four times while played for the 1987 World Series-champion Twins. August 27, 2012 Mauer Passes Battey for Most Games Caught Joe Mauer caught his 832nd game, surpassing Earl Battey for most games caught in Twins history. Battey played for Minnesota from 1961-’67. The game versus Seattle at Target Field was a pitchers duel between Felix Hernandez and rookie Liam Hendricks who would go the distance allowing only 3 hits. The Twins could only muster 5 hits off of Herndandez, with Mauer hitting a two-out single to center in the fourth. With the game still scoreless, Justin Morneau led-off the bottom of the seventh with a triple but was stranded there as three straight Twins batters grounded out. With Hendricks pitching a 2-hit shutout into the eighth, Seattle’s Eric Thames hit a leadoff home run and Seattle went on to win 1-0, with both Hendricks and Hernandez pitching complete games. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/Laudner.82D.89DAS_zpsl4ir6evw.jpg August 28, 1981 Tim Laudner Homers in MLB Debut 1976 Park Center High School graduate Tim Laudner homered in his major league debut, a 6-0 Twins win versus the Tigers in Bloomington. Laudner singled in his first MLB at-bat leading off the third and worked a walk in his second at-bat. In the seventh inning, in his third big league at-bat, Laudner hit a home run driving in Gary Ward. He popped out to the catcher in his final at-bat. Minnesota-native Jerry Koosman entered the game in the seventh inning, earning a seven-out save. Laudner hit his second major league home run the following day against Tigers pitcher Dan Schatzeder who would later win game 6 of the 1987 World Series for the Twins. Laudner had hit a whopping 42 home runs at AA Orlando in ‘81. The 44 he hit in total between the minors and majors led all of professional baseball. Laudner was one of three Twins to homer in his major league debut in 1981. Just four days earlier Kent Hrbek -- who, like Laudner, had also played his high school ball in the Twin Cities area -- hit a twelfth-inning home run in his major league debut off of George Frazier at Yankee Stadium. Frazier, like Schatzeder, would also go on to pitch for the ‘87 Twins. On September 20th, Gary Gaetti homered in his first major league at-bat. Keep in touch with @@TwinsAlmanac on Twitter.