The Franchise 1993 (Part 1)

1993 Minnesota Twins

Manager: Tom Kelly 8th Season (8th with Minnesota 598-559)
71 W 91 L 693 RS 830 RA 5th AL West 23 GB (Chicago White Sox 94-68)
4.28 RPG (AL = 4.71) 4.71 ERA (AL = 4.32)
.679 DER (14th AL)

All Stars (2) Rick Aguilera, Kirby Puckett

Franchise (1901-1993) 6878-7475-110; 27-29 Post Season; 19-21 WS
Washington (1901-1960) 4214-4864-104; 8-11 WS
Minnesota (1961-1993) 2660-2611-6; 19-18 Post Season; 11-10 WS

The Sporting News ran mid-season report on the Twins in July:

What went wrong? The Twins played poorly in all phases of the game during the horrific first half. They set a major league record by going 85 games into a season without a complete game and had the worst ERA in the AL from late April to the All-Star Break…

Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani, the two starters the Twins were counting on, were 8-20…

Though the fielding has been statistically solid, there has been numerous miscommunications among rookies who have filled in because of so many injuries. Even veterans have made basic mistakes in the field.

In retrospect 1993 signaled the beginning of the dark ages at Metrodome. While the Twins expected to contend based on past performance of their main players, age was catching up to many of the stars who had helped the team win two World Series in the previous seven seasons. The rookies who came in to replace them, however, were not quite up to the task.

C Brian Harper .304/.347/.425 12 HR 107 OPS+ 2.3 WAR
1993 Proved to be Harper’s last season in a Twins uniform. The Twins, in what was described by Andy MacPhail as a financial decision as opposed to a baseball decision, decided not to pick up Harper’s option year. He landed in Milwaukee as a part time option in 1994, and returned for two appearances with the A’s after the strike. In six years with the Twins, Harper batted .306/.342/.431 with a 110 OPS+, not to mention a World Series ring.

1B Kent Hrbek .242/.357/.467 25 HR 120 OPS+ 1.8 WAR
OF-1B Dave McCarty .214/.257/.286 2 HR 46 OPS+ -3.2 WAR
Hrbek’s numbers were up a bit from 1992, but his body suffered through another injury-plagued season. Though the signs of physical breakdown were evident, there did not seem to be a clear successor for Hrbek in the organization. The Twins had hoped that McCarty could step in, but the numbers from his first season weren’t promising.

2B Chuck Knoblauch .277/.354/.346 2 HR 90 OPS+ 2.8 WAR
Knoblauch’s numbers in 1993 looked almost identical to his Rookie-of-the-Year numbers from two years prior, but expectations had been adjusted and it was considered a disappointing season.

SS Pat Meares .251/.266/.309 2 HR 55 OPS+ -0.7 WAR
The Twins initially let Greg Gagne go thinking that Scott Leuis would take over, but a torn rotator-cuff suffered by Leuis in May meant that rookie Pat Meares would be the very day shortstop by default. Meares got off to a good start, but appeared over matched in his first major league season.

3B Mike Pagliarulo .292/.350/.423 3 HR 108 OPS+ 1.4 WAR
The Twins unloaded Pagliarulo in August for a player to be named later. Pagliarulo got to finish the season with a team that was in contention, and the Twins ended up getting Erik Schullstrom who would hang around in the bullpen for the Twins in 1994 and 1995. Pagliarulo finished his career in 1995 with the Texas Rangers.

LF Shane Mack .276/.335/.412 10 HR 100 OPS+ 1.1 WAR
Mack’s production was down a but due in part to injuries. Though there was a lot of speculation that the Twins might want to unload him in the offseason for financial reasons. Mack ended up signing a one-year deal to play in 1994, with an extra quarter-million promised by the Twins if he was traded mid-season in 1994.

CF Kirby Puckett .296/.349/.474 22 HR 120 OPS+ 0.5 WAR
With all of the contract speculation out of the way, the new discussion surrounding Minnesota institution Kirby Puckett was how long he would remain in center field. The WAR numbers tell the story: according to B-R, Puckett was worth 3.5 wins with his bat, but worth -3.0 in the field. He played 47 games in right field in 1993, but by 1994 Puckett was a full time right fielder.

RF Pedro Munoz .233/.294/.393 13 HR 83 OPS+ -2.3 WAR
Munoz was one of the many Twins  plagued by injury throughout the 1993 season. He would rebound in 1994.

DH Dave Winfield .271/.325/.442 21 HR 105 OPS+ -0.2 WAR
The Twins acquired 41-year-old Minnesota native Dave Winfield in an attempt to replace Chili Davis as the team’s power-hitting designated hitter. Winfield had an very good season considering his age, and his pursuit of 3,000 hits was probably the highlight of the season.

UT Jeff Reboulet .258/.356/.304 1 HR 80 OPS+ 1.8 WAR
IF Chip Hale .333/.408/.425 3 HR 125 OPS+ 1.5 WAR
UT Gene Larkin .264/.357/.347 1 HR 91 OPS+ 0.0 WAR

1982: RD

Ed: I originally wrote this in 2007, but have reposted it several times. I don’t get a large amount of comments here, but I have to excerpt this one from a 2009 version of this same post from a commenter named “hurt for life”:

Oh God, do I remember RD. RD is an icon. Any given ineffectual relief pitcher the Twins now bring in is to be referred to as RD. The year is 1984….

…I’ll omit the details about 1984 blown saves….

I made an oath at this time: I will not listen to the Twins until RD is GONE. It took one entire year plus, until I could listen again.

April 10, 1982

The Twins traded veteran infielder Roy Smalley to the New York Yankees for relief pitcher Ron Davis and minor leaguers Greg Gagne (SS) and Paul Boris (P).

Ever since the mid-1960’s, the Twins have had a revolving door for players to fill the role of “bullpen ace”. The most recent was Doug Corbett, who filled the role pretty admirably in 1980 and 1981 (220 and 154 ERA+, respectively).

In early 1982, the Twins went into full cost-cutting mode (or “build for the future” mode, depending on your point of view), and unloaded a lot of veteran players. Roy Smalley was the first to go.

Smalley came into the league with Texas in 1975. He came to the Twins in 1976 as a part of the deal that sent Bert Blyleven to Texas. The second-generation ballplayer put up solid if unspectacular numbers in his first stint with the Twins (’76-’82); his best season being 1978 when he went .273/.362/.433 and had a 122 OPS+ and 10.4 WARP3.

In exchange for Smalley, the Twins got something they really didn’t seem to need and a couple of minor leaguers. With Corbett pitching so well in previous years, it seemed odd that Davis was the player the Twins went after. About a month later, a struggling Corbett was traded to California in exchange for a couple of young players (including Tom Brunansky) and cash.

Though Corbett had been good for the Twins, Davis had been even more impressive for the Yankees. As a rookie in 1979, he compiled a 14-2 record with 2.85 ERA (144 ERA+). In 1981, he was able to strike out 13 of 15 batters he faced in one three-game stretch of appearances. Davis did it all as a middle reliever, however. The role of closer in New York belonged to Goose Gossage.

The trade represented a chance for Davis to be a closer. This is what he had been waiting for. Instead, the trade in 1982 marked the beginning of the most miserable seasons of his career.

It wasn’t so much that his numbers were bad in his tenure with the Twins. They were actually pretty good until his final season with the team:

Year-Record-ERA-ERA+-WARP3
1982 3-9 4.42 96 3.8
1983 5-8 3.34 128 5.8
1984 7-11 4.55 92 3.5
1985 2-6 3.48 126 4.0
1986 2-6 9.08 47 -1.2

The numbers weren’t Davis’ problem. His difficulties seem to come from the fact that he tended to blow saves in memorable ways. He quickly earned a reputation for blowing leads in big games, a legend that seems to have been fanned by the local media. One of RD’s critics during his Twins years, Patrick Reusse, still seemed bitter years later when he recalled some of the memorable blown saves on the 20th Anniversary of the trade that sent Davis out of town to the Cubs.

RON DAVIS‘ TOP FIVE BLOWN SAVES

Two words: Jamie Quirk

Sept. 27, 1984: Davis relieved Mike Smithson with two runners on in the bottom of the eighth and the Twins leading 3-1 at Cleveland. Both runners scored and, with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Davis gave up a two-out home run to Jamie Quirk, who was making his only plate appearance in a one-week stint with the Indians. The game basically eliminated the Twins from the AL West race.

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Saturday the 13th

April 13, 1985: The Twins led the Mariners 7-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Davis came in with a runner on and no outs, struck out two and walked two, then gave up a game-winning grand slam to Phil Bradley.

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Monday the 13th

May 13, 1985: The Twins led 8-6 in the bottom of the ninth at Yankee Stadium. With two outs and a runner on, Ken Griffey walked and Don Mattingly hit a three-run home run for a 9-8 victory.

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Roof collapses, then Twins collapse

April 26, 1986: The roof collapsed at the Metrodome, causing a delay in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, with a 6-1 lead, Frank Viola gave up a two-run homer to the Angels’ George Hendrick. Davis relieved. Rob Wilfong singled and Ruppert Jones homered. Davis walked Reggie Jackson and, with two outs, Wally Joyner homered. The Angels won 7-6.

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Ifs, ands and butts

May 19, 1986: The Twins led the Red Sox 7-6 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth at Fenway Park when Marty Barrett walked and Wade Boggs doubled. Bill Buckner was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Davis walked Jim Rice, forcing in the tying run, then hit Marc Sullivan in the butt, bringing in the winning run.

The fact that Reusse and the editors at the Star Tribune felt the need, 20 years later, to mark the Anniversary of the Davis trade by remembering his top blown saves is indicative of the strong feelings that still exist in this town towards Davis.

It is surprising, then, to learn that Davis was 106 for 134 in save opportunities during his Twins career, a 79% rate of success. Take away his miserable 1986 season, when he was successful in only two of eight save situations, and Davis converted 83% of his save opportunities. Not a great number, but it certainly seems high for a guy who, based on reputation, couldn’t save a game if his life depended on it (in 1987, Jeff Reardon was called the team MVP by many with only 77% of his save opportunities converted).

Whether he deserved it or not, most of the negative feelings of Twins fans over the course of some losing seasons fell squarely on the shoulder of Ron Davis. It was a relief to him when he was traded to the Cubs late in the 1986 season.

As for the other players involved in the 1982 trade the brought Davis to Minnesota: Roy Smalley ended up back with the Twins for the 1985 season. Paul Boris pitched in 23 games for the Twins, all in 1982, and that was the extent of his career. Greg Gagne became the everyday shortstop by 1985 and had a long and productive career with the Twins, including a big role on the two World Series teams in 1987 and 1991.

Minnesota Twins Opening Day History

The Twins have now lost three straight opening days, but have won the division two of those three years. The moral of the story: opening day only matters until the start of game two of the season. So here is the meaningless list of opening day results and starters for the Twins.

To further press the meaningless: the Twins have only faced Baltimore twice before on opening day, in 1967 and in 2007. They are 1-1 against the Orioles on opening day, so do with that information what you will.

Date – Result – Starting Pitcher

4/11/1961 W @ NYY 6-0 Pedro Ramos
4/10/1962 L @ KCA 2-4 Jack Kralick
4/9/1963 L vs CLE 4-5 Mudcat Grant
4/14/1964 W @ CLE 7-6 Camilo Pascual
4/12/1965 W vs NYY 5-4 (11 innings) Jim Kaat
4/12/1966 W vs KCA 2-1 Mudcat Grant (2)
4/11/1967 L @ BAL 3-6 Jim Kaat (2)
4/10/1968 W @ WAS 2-0 Dean Chance
4/8/1969 L @ KCR 3-4 (12 innings) Tom Hall
4/7/1970 W @ CHW 12-0 Jim Perry
4/6/1971 L vs MIL 2-7 Jim Perry (2)
4/15/1972 L @ OAK 3-4 (11 innings) Bert Blyleven
4/6/1973 W @ OAK 8-3 Bert Blyleven
4/5/1974 W @ KCR 6-4 (11 innings) Bert Blyleven
4/8/1975 W @ TEX 11-4 Bert Blyleven (2)
4/9/1976 L @ TEX 1-2 (11 innings) Bert Blyleven (3)
4/9/1977 L @ OAK 4-7 Dave Goltz
4/5/1978 L @ SEA 2-3 Dave Goltz (2)
4/6/1979 W @ OAK 5-3 Dave Goltz (3)
4/10/1980 W @ OAK 9-7 (12 innings) Jerry Koosman
4/9/1981 L vs OAK 1-5 Jerry Koosman (2)
4/6/1982 L vs SEA 7-11 Pete Redfern
4/5/1983 L vs DET 3-11 Brad Havens
4/3/1984 L vs DET 1-8 Albert Williams
4/9/1985 W @ CAL 6-2 Frank Viola
4/8/1986 W @ OAK 3-2 Frank Viola (2)
4/7/1987 W vs OAK 5-4 (10 innings) Bert Blyleven (4)
4/5/1988 L @ NYY 0-8 Frank Viola (3)
4/4/1989 L vs NYY 2-4 Frank Viola (4)
4/9/1990 L @ OAK 3-8 Allan Anderson
4/9/1991 L @ OAK 2-7 Jack Morris
4/6/1992 W @ MIL 4-2 Scott Erickson
4/6/1993 W vs CHW 10-5 Kevin Tapani
4/5/1994 L vs CAL 2-8 Kevin Tapani (2)
4/26/1995 L @ BOS 0-9 Scott Erickson (2)
4/1/1996 W vs DET 8-6 Brad Radke
4/1/1997 W vs DET 7-5 Brad Radke (2)
4/1/1998 L @ TOR 2-3 Bob Tewksbury
4/6/1999 W vs TOR 6-1 Brad Radke (3)
4/3/2000 L vs TB 0-7 Brad Radke (4)
4/3/2001 W @ DET 3-2 Brad Radke (5)
4/1/2002 W @ KC 8-6 Brad Radke (6)
3/31/2003 W @ DET 3-1 Brad Radke (7)
4/5/2004 W vs CLE 7-4 (11 innings) Brad Radke (8)
4/4/2005 L @ SEA 1-5 Brad Radke (9)
4/4/2006 L @ TOR 3-6 Johan Santana
4/2/2007 W vs BAL 7-4 Johan Santana (2)
3/31/2008 W vs LAA 3-2 Livan Hernandez
4/6/2009 L vs SEA 1-6 Francisco Liriano
4/5/2010 L @ LAA 3-6 Scott Baker
4/1/2011 L @ TOR 3-13 Carl Pavano

Overall Record on Opening Day: 25-26

1974: A Royal Beating

April 6, 1974

After defeating the Royals a day earlier in the season opener, the Twins took one on the chin in game two of the 1974 season.

Bill Hands started the game on the mound for the Twins, but his day was over after just 2/3 of an inning. In that time he allowed seven runs on seven hits, including six singles and a double. Additionally, Hands hit first baseman Paul Schaal with a pitch, and allowed a stolen base to Freddie Patek. The only two outs Hands recorded both came on strikeouts.

Patek had a particularly good first inning. He singled twice, both off of Hands, knocked in two runs, and stole two bases (the second came with Ray Corbin on the mound). Corbin temporarily stopped the bleeding when he got Jim Wohlford to ground out for the third out of the inning.

After the Twins went down in order in the second inning, Corbin ran into some trouble of his own. The Royals added three more on Hal McRae’s home run. Though Corbin made it through the second, he would not return for the third with is team down 10-0.

Larry Hisle singled home a run in the top of the third. Danny Fife came in relief and finally held the Royals scoreless in the bottom of the third inning. A Steve Braun three run home run in the top of the fourth cut into the Kansas City lead, which was cut even further when Bobby Darwin hit a two run home run in the fifth. The score was 10-6 and the Twins looked as though they might make a game of it.

That all changed, however, when Danny Fife ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. Kansas City added six more runs to take a 16-6 lead. The Royals went on to score three more in the sixth, one in the seventh, and three again in the eighth. The final tally was a 23-6 Royals’ victory.

The 23 runs allowed was a record for the Twins that still stands today. There has been only one other occasion on which the Twins have allowed more than 20.

1996: An April Fool’s Joke on the Twins

April 2, 1996

The second game of the 1996 regular season provided one of the most unique stolen bases in major league history. The play itself was unspectacular. Up by 3 in the top of the 9th inning, the Tigers called for a hit-and-run with one out and Melvin Nieves at the plate. On a 3-2 delivery by Twins pitcher Dan Naulty, the runner at 1st base took off. Nieves offered at the pitch but failed to make contact. Catcher Greg Myers fired to second base, but the throw nicked the runner’s batting helmet and kicked off the heal of shortstop Pat Meares’ glove, allowing the runner to slide safely into second for a stolen base.

What was remarkable about the play, however, was that it ended the longest recorded streak of games played without a stolen base. The runner had been involved in 1,096 games prior, and was 0-for-5 in stolen base attempts. The runner was also listed anywhere between 230 and 250 pounds, though most observers thought he was closer to 300. After the game, Cecil Fielder suggested that maybe his manager would start moving him more often now that he had a stolen base under his wings. He may have been on to something, because later that season he successfully stole his second base, the last of his career.

1905: Washington Nationals

March 29, 1905

Prior to the introduction of the American League onto the sporting public in 1901, there was a National League franchise in Washington that from 1891-1899 went by the nickname “Senators.” Before settling on Senators, the team went by “Statesmen” and “Nationals” in previous incarnations, but neither of those names stuck longer than a few years. By the time the National League Washington Senators disappeared in 1899, the name “Washington Senators” was established as the name for the baseball team in the D.C. area.

When the Washington American League club was established, they were essentially without an official nickname. Newspapers didn’t really go for the name “Washington American League club” so, out of habit perhaps, they were stuck with the label “Senators.”

In 1905, the team’s owner Thomas C. Noyes made an effort to distance his team from the National League version of the Senators by allowing a committee of writers to vote for a new nickname. On March 29, 1905, just prior to the start of the team’s fifth season, the writers voted to call the team “Washington Nationals.”

For 50 years, the club’s official nickname was “Nationals.” They were rarely called that, however, in large part because the very writers who voted for the new nickname had such trouble applying it the actual team. Through the years the references to the Senators in the newspapers outnumbered the references to the official nickname. Finally, in 1955, Calvin Griffith made the name official, changing the team from the “Nationals” to the “Senators.”

For more on the history and a little of my personal venting, here is my original post on the matter.

1996: Puckett’s Last Game

Originally posted in March 2007

March 28, 1996

The concern over Kirby Puckett in the spring of 1996 was starting to change to optimism. Puckett took a Dennis Martinez pitch to the jaw at the end of the 1995 season, and there was some fear among Twins’ fans that Puckett may never be the same. Spring training 1996 was a chance for Puckett to show that he was the same hitter he had always been. The spring numbers seemed to foreshadow another great season for Puckett. That all changed one day before the team planned to break camp.

On Thursday morning, March 28, Puckett woke up with a strange spot in the middle of his vision on the right side, and everything seemed just a bit blurry. From Jim Souhan’s story a few days later in the Star Tribune:

Puckett sounded doubtful that he will be able to play on Monday, when the Twins will open the season at the Metrodome against the Detroit Tigers.

“My right eye is my dominant eye,” he said. “If it was my left eye, then I think I’d be able to hit. But I need my right eye. I can’t hit right now. I’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Puckett was placed on the 15-day disabled list, and all indication suggested that he would return when that time was up, April 12. As the date approached, it became more clear that Puckett’s vision problem was not going away as soon as expected.

The saga played out through the first half of the Twins’ 1996 season. Puckett was eventually diagnosed with glaucoma, and the severity was such that he ultimately retired from baseball in July.

Sources:

Baseball Library

Souhan, Jim. “Vision problems might keep Puckett from Twins’ opener” Star Tribune 3/29/1996.