Sunday July 14, 1991
The final game against the Red Sox had a little added importance for the Twins organization. From Gregg Wong’s story in Sunday’s Pioneer Press:
Harmon Killebrew ended his career in Kansas City. Rod Carew’s playing days ended with the California Angels.
Of the Twins’ three greatest players ever, only Pedro Oliva Jr. – “Tony O” to most of us – never wore another team’s uniform during his major league career.
Today in the Metrodome, his Twins jersey with the No. 6 on the front and back will be retired on Tony Oliva Day. He will join his old teammates and friends, Killebrew and Carew, as the only Twins so honored in the club’s 31 years.
“It’s nice to be honored, but it is even more special because my jersey will be hanging there next to Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew,” Oliva said the other day. “I played with both of them for a long time. They were great players and they are great people. They are in the Hall of Fame.”
The ceremony begins at 12:35 p.m., a half-hour before the Twins play the Red Sox. Several of Oliva’s old teammates will be on hand to honor Oliva, including Carew, Zoilo Versalles, Sandy Valdespino, Jim Perry and Frank Quilici. The first 25,000 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative Tony Oliva baseball card and pin.
Oliva seemed to enjoy the ceremony, as reported by Jeff Lenihan in the Star Tribune:
Tony Oliva said Sunday might have been the best day of his life. And he certainly didn’t want to mess it up by crying.
Oliva, who had his No. 6 retired in a pregame ceremony, said he was overwhelmed by the support he received from former teammates, Twins officials and a crowd of 38,066.
“Inside I wanted to cry,” said Oliva, who played for the Twins a record 15 seasons and is in his last season as a coach. “But I knew I couldn’t do that because I wouldn’t be able to talk. That’s happened to me before. I couldn’t let it happen (yesterday). This day is on the top of my list.”
The Twins players and coaches presented Oliva with a big-screen television. Owner Carl Pohlad presented Oliva with a key ring. Big deal? The key belonged to a black 1991 Chevy Lumina. The seven-passenger mini-van is decorated on each side by large white baseballs that enclose the No. 6. The license plate reads “Tony O.”
Unfortunately, the Twins could not cap off the day by completing the sweep of the Red Sox. David West struggled, and the Twins’ offense followed suit.
A crowd of 38,066 saw Joe Hesketh (3-1) and relievers Jeff Gray and Jeff Reardon (22nd save) shut down the Twins’ offense. But according to manager Tom Kelly, West could be blamed for the Twins’ lack of hitting in addition to Boston’s success at the plate.
“When the first three innings take more than an hour, that’s not a good sign,” Kelly said. “How long were we in the field? There just wasn’t much continuity. He (West) had too many men on base.
When there’s no continuity to a game, it’s hard to hit. I’m not using it as an excuse. That’s just the way it is. This was a bad game. It’s a shame. We had a good crowd on Tony O. day, and it turned into a bummer of a game.”
Kelly, by the way, did not blame West for the fact that the Twins have three players on the disabled list or must spend almost all of the next month on the road.
Kelly was so frustrated with the Sunday performance that he lost track of the team’s upcoming schedule, including a big return the following night:
The Twins will send Scott Erickson to the mound tonight in Milwaukee but are beginning a stretch in which they play 20 of 25 games on the road.
“With the young guys we have up here, maybe that’s better,” Kelly said. “We’ve been pretty successful on the road. I didn’t even realize we had that coming up, to tell you the truth. I didn’t pay attention.”
Yesterday, he had plenty on his mind with David West on the mound.
Team Name G W L T PCT GB RS RA Minnesota Twins 87 50 37 0 .575 - 376 333 Texas Rangers 81 45 36 0 .556 2.0 412 375 Chicago White Sox 84 45 39 0 .536 3.5 355 362 Oakland Athletics 86 46 40 0 .535 3.5 415 423 California Angels 85 45 40 0 .529 4.0 380 355 Seattle Mariners 86 43 43 0 .500 6.5 354 339 Kansas City Royals 84 38 46 0 .452 10.5 400 394
Coffeyville Whirlwind 
[…] According to the terrific ongoing review of the 1991 season, Coffeyville Whirlwind informs us that David West had a bad start on the day that Tony Oliva’s number was retired by the Twins. […]