This Week in Twins History: July 5-July 11

Written by: Justin Murphy on 5th July 2009

This Week in Twins History: July 5-July 11 | read this item

In this week’s Twins history lesson, we go back to the dark ages of the mid-90s, a time most Twins fans actively try to forget. After all, from 1993-1999, Minnesota was 457-606, and didn’t manage a single winning season. Those seven seasons, plus 2000, are the longest the team has ever gone without winning half its games in a season.

In 1994, Kent Hrbek retired, and Kirby Puckett followed him unwillingly the following year. At that point, the team was in flux and lacking leadership. One good man was Chuck Knoblauch, the young second baseman. He turns 41 on July 7.

Knoblauch was named Rookie of the Year in 1991 after getting on base 35% of the time in 151 games. His 634 plate appearances were the most for a Twins rookie since Bernie Allen, in 1962. He continued to excel throughout his time in Minnesota, which lasted until 1997. His line with the Twins was .301/.391/.416.

Knoblauch holds several Twins records, including career steals (276), steals in a season (62 in 1997) and runs scored in a season (140 in 1996). This week 13 years ago, he was in the midst of a ten multi-hit game streak, the longest such run by a Twins player. Over those ten games, he was 22-42 with six doubles, four triples and four home runs, good for a 1.143 slugging percentage. He led the league that year in triples, with 14, and tallied a career high 197 hits.

Knoblauch’s partner in crime during that season, Marty Cordova, will be 40 years old on July 10. Selected in the 10th round of the Twins’ extremely successful 1989 draft, Cordova followed in Knoblauch’s steps as AL Rookie of the Year in 1995. He hit 24 home runs and recorded 12 outfield assists, both career highs. In 1996, he set the franchise record for doubles, with 46.

Despite two birthday parties in the locker room, there were much bigger new stories surrounding the Twins in early July of 1995. First, on the 7th, the team sent ace Scott Erickson to Baltimore in exchange for prospects Scott Klingenbeck and Kimera Bartee. While Erickson won 60 games for the Orioles over the next four seasons, Klingenbeck pitched only 77 ineffective innings for Minnesota, and Bartee never even suited up.

Then, before the ink was dry on the Erickson deal, the Twins made another splash by sending closer Rick Aguilera to Boston for highly touted pitcher Frankie Rodriguez. Though he did win 16 games the following season, Rodriguez never met expectations. As it turned out, though, there was little harm done, as Aguilera re-signed with the Twins that off-season.

On July 9, 1972, Minnesota’s Rich Reese pinch hit for pitcher Bob Gebhardt in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Yankees. The Twins were losing, 1-9, but the bases were loaded, and Reese proceeded to smack a grand slam off New York pitcher Lindy McDaniel. It was Reese’s third career pinch-hit grand slam, which tied a major league record. Only Willie McCovey and Ben Broussard have hit three pinch-hit grand slams. In his career, Reese was 42-176 as a pinch-hitter with five home runs and 34 RBIs.

Bob Allison, an overlooked Twins legend, was born July 11, 1934 in Raytown, Missouri. He began his career with the Senators in 1958 and continued in Minnesota until 1970. He’s on the franchise’s top ten lists in games played, runs, total bases, triples, home runs, RBIs and walks. In his best season, 1963, Allison lead the AL in runs scored with 99, and in OPS, with .911. He was also the 1959 Rookie of the Year. Allison died in 1995.

Last week, we mentioned the story of Twins pitcher Hal Haydel (65 on July 9), who hit a double and a home run in his first major league game on July 7, 1970. His six total bases in that game tie the Twins record for a pitcher. One of his teammates, Steve Luebber, shares his birthday, and will be 60 years old on Thursday. Michael Ryan, a part-time outfielder from 2002-2005, will be 32 on July 6.

Vic Wertz, the journeyman slugger best remembered for being robbed by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series, finished his long career with the Twins in 1963. He collected six hits in 44 at-bats, mostly as a pinch hitter. Wertz passed away on July 7, 1983 in Detroit after suffering a heart attack.

Until next week, Twins fans.

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Topics: Ben Broussard, Bernie Allen, Bob Allison, Bob Gebhardt, Chuck Knoblauch, Frank Rodriguez, Hal Hayden, Kent Hrbek, Kimera Bartee, kirby puckett, Lindy McDaniel, Marty Cordova, Michael Ryan, Minnesota Twins, Rich Reese, rick aguilera, Scott Erickson, Scott Klingenbeck, Steve Luebber, This Week in Twins History, Vic Wertz, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey

Catching Up Again « SethSpeaks.net says:

July 7, 2009 at 12:10 am

[...] At BaseballDigest.com, Justin Murphy took a look at the Week in Twins History. [...]