In Today’s Almanac:

Twins hit three grand slams in four days

Career wins leader pitches one-hitter

St. Cloud legend makes successful comeback

Twin sets AL reliever record, & more

Killebrew Starts Grand Slam Streak
Harmon Killebrew hit the first of three Twins grand slams over a four-day span in a 9-3 win in Kansas City on this date in 1961.

Bob Allison hit one two days later in a 7-6 home win over the White Sox, and Julio Becquer hit a pinch-hit walkoff grand slam for a 6-4 Twins win over the White Sox in the first game of a Fourth of July doubleheader. 

The Twins hit eight grand slams during their inaugural season. That’s still the team record. Bob Allison hit three of them, establishing a team record tied by Rod Carew (1976), Kent Hrbek (1985), Kirby Puckett (1992), and Torii Hunter (2007), and broken by Royce Lewis with four in 2023. Killebrew holds the Twins career grand slam record with 10.

Kaat Pitches One-Hitter
Jim Kaat one-hit the Angels for a 2-1 Twins win in Anaheim on this date in 1973. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson hit one of his 586 home runs leading off the bottom of the second for the Angels’ only hit.

The Angels’ Bill Singer also pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits—three to the Twins’ nine-hole batter, Jim Holt. Leadoff hitter Rod Carew had the Twins’ other hit, a third-inning single driving in the eight-hole hitter George Mitterwald and Jim Holt for the Twins’ only runs. The game was over in one hour and 40 minutes.

The Twins threw three-one-hitters that season, with Bert Blyleven pitching the other two.

Eisenreich’s Return
In just his sixth game back in the majors after a two-year absence, St. Cloud legend Jim Eisenreich hit a pinch-hit walkoff double to beat the Twins on this date in 1987. The Royals’ winning run reached on an uncharacteristic Gary Gaetti error. The next day, Eisenreich hit an RBI double off Joe Niekro and a three-run homer off George Frazier.

Crain Sets AL Reliever Record
On this date in 2005, Twins reliever Jesse Crain won his eighth straight decision of that season and set an American League reliever record by going 11-0 to begin his career. He’d been 3-0 as a rookie in 2004. The MLB record for winning decisions to kick off a career is 12, by the Cardinals’ Butch Metzger, who won one each in 1974 and ’75, and 10-straight in ’76. Crain had a 3.05 ERA in 532 games and 532 innings in a 10-year career. That, by the way, is a record: No one else who has exactly as many innings pitched as appearances is close to Crain. Second on this peculiar list is a contemporary of Crain, Takashi Saito, who had 338 games and 338 innings over his career. 

Also On This Date in Minnesota Baseball History:

1865: The North Star Base Ball Club of St. Paul beats the Hastings Vermillions 55-21 

1974: “Hit ‘Em Where They Ain’t”—Rod Carew appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated

1984: Playing for the Reds, Chaska graduate Brad Gulden hits his fifth and final major league home run off Expos closer Jeff Reardon

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