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With the Twins coming off one of their hottest Aprils in franchise history, we at Twinkie Town took a trip down memory lane to recap historical happenings all of which took place during the month of May. Let’s get started, shall we?
May 1, 2009—Joe Mauer, returning from injury, debuts by hitting a home run in his first at-bat. Mauer goes on to slash .365/.444/.587 and easily takes home AL MVP honors.
May 2, 2001—Twins fans shower Chuck Knoblauch with everything but the kitchen sink (like dollar hot dogs.) The game is delayed for 12 minutes. More than 40 fans are ejected. Chuck Knoblauch later had this to say: “It’s twisted. It made me bitter about Minnesota, definitely.”
May 3, 2011—Francisco Liriano no-hits the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first pitcher to throw a no-no at Cellular Field. It isn’t the sharpest no-hitter, as Liriano fans just two batters and hands out six free passes.
May 4, 1975—The franchise retires its first number. The recipient? Harmon Killebrew’s number 3.
May 5, 2005—On 05/05/05, the Twinkies plate 5 runs in the 5th inning.
May 6, 1965—Six tornadoes touch down and impact a handful of counties around the Twin Cities area. There are 13 fatalities and over 500 injured. Calvin Griffith’s home is damaged by one of the twisters.
May 7, 2000—Tom Kelly becomes the first Twins manager to win 1,000 games. But the 2000 Minnesota Twins bring up the rear in the AL Central with an unsightly record of 69-93.
May 8, 1984—Kirby Puckett debuts with four singles. Puckett racks up 165 hits in his inaugural season and places third in Rookie of the Year voting.
May 9, 1969—For the first time in franchise history, Twins pitchers cough up two grand slams in the same game.
May 10, 1982—Gary Ward hits the first grand slam at the Metrodome.
May 11, 1982—The Twins acquire Tom Brunansky in a trade with the California Angels. Brunansky goes on to hit .272 and club 20 homers for his new club.
May 12, 1972—The Twins lose to the Brewers in a 22-inning game. The game lasts for 5 hours and 47 minutes.
May 13, 1989—Kirby Puckett tallies four doubles in one game. Puckett goes on to lead the league in hits (215) and average (.339).
May 14, 2018—Former Twins player, coach and manager Frank Quilici passes away at the age of 79.
May 15, 2018—José Berríos spins a gem against the Cardinals, striking out 10 in 7.1 innings of work. Berríos goes on to average 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
May 16, 2010—Jason Kubel hits a grand slam off Mariano Rivera, effectively ending Rivera’s streak of 51 straight converted saves opportunities at home.
May 17, 2011—Harmon Killebrew passes away at the age of 74.
May 18, 1969—Rod Carew steals second base, third base and home all in one inning. Carew goes on to swipe 19 bags for the season.
May 19, 1961—Dan Dobbek belts the first grand slam at Metropolitan Stadium.
May 20, 1970—Rod Carew becomes the first Twins player to hit for the cycle.
May 21, 1961—The Twins host their first ever home double-header but get trounced by Cleveland in both games.
May 22, 1981—Billy Gardner replaces John Goryl as Twins manager.
May 23, 1997—The Twins, and all other MLB clubs, retire Jackie Robinson’s number 42.
May 24, 1972—Jim Kaat pitches an 11-inning shutout against the Kansas City Royals.
May 25, 1997—The Minnesota Twins retire uniform number 34 in honor of Kirby Puckett.
May 26, 2006—Then-governor Tim Pawlenty signs the Twins ballpark bill into law.
May 27, 2010—Jason Kubel becomes the first Twins player to hit two home runs in one game at Target Field.
May 28, 1968—The American League is split into two divisions. The Minnesota Twins join the West along with California, Chicago, Kansas City, Oakland, and Seattle.
May 29, 1982—Sal Butera sets a Twins record by throwing out a total of four baserunners in one game.
May 30, 1986—Roy Smalley becomes the first Twin to homer from both sides of the plate.
May 31, 1976—Twins fans heckle Bert Blyleven during his outing. In frustration, Bert flips the bird to the fans. Blyleven is shipped to Texas the following day.