In Today’s Almanac:
Happy birthday to three Twins radio fan favorites
Former MVP suffers career-altering injury
St. Paul Saints slugger knocked unconscious
Twins staff authors three-straight complete-game shutouts
Aguilera earns save versus Twins day after being traded mid-game
Blyleven and Viola face off
Darrell Jackson pitches gem
Jim Brower makes sole MLB appearance at the Dome
Chaska graduate earns first MLB win
Minnesotan makes MLB debut replacing “Shoeless” Joe Jackson
Happy Birthday to John Gordon, Dan Gladden, and Cory Provus
How crazy of a coincidence is it that these three men, who all shared the Twins radio booth at one time, also share a birthday?!
Morneau Suffers Concussion
Justin Morneau suffered a season-ending (and career-altering) concussion breaking up a double play in Toronto on this date in 2010. He was hitting .345 with 25 doubles and 18 home runs at the time, and had already accumulated a career-high 4.7 WAR (Baseball Reference) through just 81 games.
He had 4.3 WAR when he played 153 games and was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2006.
Don Zimmer Knocked Unconscious
St. Paul Saints shortstop Don Zimmer was leading the league in home runs when he was knocked unconscious by a pitch that fractured his forehead on this date in 1953. He didn’t recognize teammates when they visited him in the hospital two days later. He missed the rest of the season, but remarkably made his major-league debut a year later.
Zimmer, of course, went on to become the ultimate baseball lifer, continuing to wear a major-league uniform as a coach into his 80s.
Radke, Santana, and Lohse Pitch Three-Straight Shutouts
Brad Radke, Johan Santana, and Kyle Lohse pitched back-to-back-to-back complete-game shutouts as the Twins beat the Royals 9-0, 4-0, and 12-0 at home in the Dome between July 5 and this date in 2004. The only other times in the franchise’s history that that’s happened were all long before the team moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. It wad done by the 1908, 1910 and 1913 Washington Senators—including, in the first of those instances, being done by Walter Johnson all by himself in a September stretch against the New York Highlanders.
Aggie Earns Save Versus Twins
The day after being traded mid-game to the visiting Red Sox, Rick Aguilera earned the save against the Twins on this date in 1995. The teams were tied 4-4 going into the ninth, but the Red Sox took a one-run lead off Eddie Guardado in the top of the inning. It’s worth noting that Aguilera struck out Kirby Puckett for the second out with Chuck Knoblauch on second base, representing the tying run.
Blyleven and Viola Square Off
Former teammates Bert Blyleven and Frank Viola dueled on this date in 1989, each going all nine innings in a 5-2 Angels win in Anaheim. The Twins’ only runs came on Tim Laudner‘s second-to-last home run, driving in Greg Gagne. Chili Davis scored two runs for the Angels.
Rookie Pitches Three-Hit Shutout
Making just his fourth major-league start, Darrell Jackson pitched a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 Twins win in Oakland on this date in 1978. Athletics pitcher Rick Langford went all nine, allowing just one unearned run. Talk about a tough-luck loss!
Fun Fact: Jackson pitched nine no-hit innings in his pro debut at Double-A Orlando on Apr. 14, 1978. (The Twins went on to win in 12 innings.)
Brower Makes Only Appearance at Metrodome
During his nine-year major-league career, Minnetonka graduate Jim Brower only played at the Metrodome once, allowing one run in 4 ⅓ innings of relief to take the loss for the Reds on this date in 2001. Denny Hocking went 2-for-2 off Brower and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth. LaTroy Hawkins locked down the save for a 7-6 Twins win. Brower struck out Torii Hunter twice.
At age 52, Brower currently pitches for the Tonka Bay Lakers in the 35-and-over Federal League and operates Brower Baseball facilities in Eden Prairie and Plymouth, which I highly recommend.
Hand Earns First Win
Chaska High School graduate Brad Hand (2008) earned his first major-league win on this date in 2011, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks in a 5-0 Marlins win over the Astros. It was Hand’s fifth MLB start. He wound up playing 13 seasons in the majors, retiring with the third-most pitching appearances of anyone from Minnesota (579). He made three-straight All-Star teams from 2017 to 2019. He pitched in 82 games in 2016, becoming just the second Minnesotan to lead the majors in pitching appearances. He also pitched in the World Series, with the Phillies in 2022.
Meixell Makes Major-League Debut
Lake Crystal graduate Moxie Meixell (1907) made his major-league debut with the Cleveland Naps as a late-inning defensive replacement for right fielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson on this date in 1912. He got one at-bat, singling for his only major-league hit.
He only got into three major-league games altogether, making an unsuccessful pinch-hitting appearance, and entering as a pinch-runner. Guess he could always say he had a .500 career average! His final two minor-league teams were the Newport News Shipbuilders and Fargo-Moorhead Graingrowers. What would today’s Minnesota team be called, if they had an occupational nickname? [Ed. suggestions: The Twin Cities Medtechs, I think. Which actually sounds kind of cool. Free idea, Saints. Do a whole old-fashioned thing, but with the name Medtechs.]
Are you interested in Twins history? Then check out the Minnesota Twins Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Twins uniform!