On July 2, 2007, At Yankee Stadium With skipper Joe Torre watching from the New York Yankee dugout, Roger Clemens, throwing eight innings of a two-hit ball of a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, becomes the eighth pitcher to record 350 career victories. The New York manager was the catcher for Warren Spahn’s 350th…
Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run. He is the 21st member of the 500 home run club. He connects with a 3-run shot in the first against Carlos Silva, going 396 feet to left field. The hit is the difference in a 5 – 4 victory by the Jays.
Avoiding salary arbitration, AL’s reigning batting champ Joe Mauer (.347, 13, 84) and the Twins come to terms on a $33 million, four-year contract. The hometown 23 year-old All-Star backstop is the first catcher to lead the majors in batting average and the first to win the batting title in the American League.
On October 1, 2006, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first catcher to win the American League batting title and to lead the majers. Mauer bats .347, finishing just ahead of a pair of Yankees: Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter in the AL and outpaces Freddie Sanchez (.344) of the Pirates for the…
On October 1, 2006, on the final day of the regular season, the last-place Kansas City Royals erase a six-run deficit and defeat the Detroit Tigers, 10-8, in 12 innings. The loss drops the Tigers out of first place for the first time in more than four months, and allows the Minnesota Twins to win…
2006 – Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 45, a day after suffering a massive stroke. Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, hit .318 with 207 home runs and 1085 RBI over 12 seasons. A 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner, Puckett ended his career abruptly due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye.
The long-anticipated trade of Nomar Garciaparra is finally accomplished as the Red Sox shortstop is traded to the Cubs in a four-team deal which includes the Twins and Expos. Chicago first acquires shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Expos for shortstop Alex Gonzalez, relief pitcher Francis Beltran and minor leaguer Brendan Harris. They then pry 1B Doug Mientkiewicz from the Twins for minor league southpaw Justin Jones. Finally, Chicago flips its two new acquisitions to the Bosox for Garciaparra, prospect Matt Murton and cash.
On September 28, 2003, the Detroit Tigers defeat the Minnesota Twins, 9-4, to avoid tying the record for most losses in a season. The Tigers finish at 43-119, logging the most losses in AL history, but avoid matching the 1962 New York Mets with 120 defeats. The Tigers win five of their last six games…
The Twins release 1B David Ortiz. The unheralded player will soon be picked up by the Red Sox, for whom he will develop as one of the most accomplished sluggers in the game.
The Oakland Athletics’ 20-game winning streak is snapped as Brad Radke pitches the Minnesota Twins to a 6 – 0 victory at home. The Athletics fall short of matching the second-longest winning streak in history. The Chicago National League teams of 1880 and 1935 both won 21 straight.