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The newest addition to the Twins roster is an inspiring story of an undrafted pitcher’s rapid rise from the team’s farm system to the majors. It’s also the story of there being a young professional athlete named “Randy Dobnak” in 2019. In an exclusive Twins Daily investigation, we explore the type of person more likely to have this name. Mechanic who lets you know that this is going to be pretty expensive and it’s going to take a while.Your dad’s best friend from high school who your mom Does. Not. Like. He has a Grand Am and a girlfriend 20 years his junior named Ashlynne. Keeps Tommy Bahama in business. Wears cologne to funerals.Bass player for ‘70s rock band that opened for Grand Funk Railroad at the Met Center.Farmer. Corn, soybeans, got out of dairy a couple years back.Shop teacher. Called kids “jackasses” until the school board cracked down on him.A frequent letter writer to the Star-Tribune’s op-ed page. His main concerns are “liberty” and “freedom.”The food scientist for Frito-Lay who helped develop Funyuns. License plate said SNAK MAN. Divorced.Every seventh male born in North Dakota between 1961-67.Guy who takes co-rec softball too seriously. Banned from the Woodbury Buffalo Wild Wings for yelling at an umpire and his family while they ate boneless garlic parmesan wings.Sitcom dad.A Minnesota Twins pitcher in 1979. Gene Mauch hates him because he keeps his hair too long.Perham man who has been to 22 consecutive WE Fests. Has a hard opinion about Kenny Chesney.Guy who has cornered the inner tube rental market in a resort town.Your insurance agent. Crushes Nicorette like it’s a contest.Frequent third-party candidate for all local offices.Image license here. Click here to view the article

It was a sunshiny, spring day like today in Minnesota in 1978 when the California Angels hitter and second baseman Bobby Grich bullrushed Twins pitcher Roger Erickson. What better time for grown men to engage in fisticuffs and flying sucker punches than when Mr. Blue Sky is shining on their labors? I definitely remembered doing this post lately, like after Miguel Sano was brushed back by the Tigers, and when Bryce Harper and his flowing locks charged Hunter Strickland. I think Bobby Grich saw a young, defenseless fawn in the person of young Roger Erickson, who always looked as if he was 12 years old. His mother never should have allowed him out of the house to play ball with those big, bad grownups. In retrospect, I'm certain Grich felt that Twins manager Gene Mauch had ordered the brushback, and felt it was time to send him and the Twins a message. The same Mauch, that is, who would be his manager in a couple of years after resigning as Twins manager! Whatever was the case, please go to my blog and take a look at the most popular trending post of the week.

In 1970, for the second straight year, the Twins won their division but were swept out of the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn't obvious at the time, but the team would not make another postseason appearance for 17 years. That doesn't mean they were bad.The Twins remained marginally competitive over the next decade or so, but injuries and age chipped away enough to lower them from elite to mediocre. Killebrew turned 35 in 1971 and would never again hit even 30 home runs in a season. Oliva hurt his knee on a shoestring catch in June 1971 and would never again garner MVP votes, which he had done for eight straight years. Killebrew departed the Twins after the 1974 season and retired a year later. A year after that, Oliva played his last major league game. Part 5 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks.You can find more here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |Part 4 Rod Carew, however, bounced back from his 1970 injury and resumed his Hall of Fame career. He won batting titles every season from 1972 through 1978, except for 1976, when he missed it by two hits. He was an All-Star every year from his rookie year in 1967 through 1984. The clubhouse was handed to manager Frank Quilici who guided the team to nearly a .500 record from 1972 through 1975, but they never finished higher than third in the division, and never fewer than eight games back. The results took their toll on attendance. The Twins did not break the 1,000,000 attendance mark for the first time in 1971, but it wouldn’t be the last. The Twins didn’t reach that mark again until 1977, thanks to Carew’s stellar season, a new manager, and a “Lumber Company.” The manager was Gene Mauch, a veteran manager from the National League who also happened to be a former member of the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers. He took over the Twins in 1976, and, despite the midseason trade of Bert Blyleven, the Twins posted a winning record for the first time since 1970. The next year was even more exciting, and over 1,100,000 Twins fans watched it live. The Twins offense, known as the “Lumber Company,” scored 867 runs and featured career years from Larry Hisle (119 RBI) and Lyman Bostock (.336 batting average). That level of run support helped make a 20-game winner out of Dave Goltz, who posted a 3.36 ERA. On August 23, the Twins were 18 games above .500 and a game back of the Royals. A late season fade to fourth place and 84 wins didn’t diminish the return of interest to the franchise. That interest was further fueled by Carew’s remarkable 1977 season. He entered June hitting .365 but proceeded to gather hits in every June game save the one on the 18th. On July 1st he was hitting .411 and would keep his average above that level through July 10th, about the same time he was on the cover of Time magazine. He would not reach .400 again, but finished the year with a .388 average, eight hits shy of the magical mark. It would be the zenith of Carew’s career with the Twins. But things turned sharply downhill that offseason. Next up: Bottoming Out Click here to view the article