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After an incredibly memorable May, in which the Twins went 21–8, we at Twinkie Town took a trip down memory lane to recap historical happenings from Junes of yesteryear.
June 1, 1976—Bert Blyleven is shipped to Texas in return for a Roy Smalley, a handful of no-namers, and $250,000. Blyleven goes 9–11 with a 2.76 ERA in 24 starts for the Rangers.
June 2, 1986—Rod Carew announces his retirement after failing to sign a contract for what would have been his 20th season. The 18-time all-star is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, his first year of eligibility.
June 3, 2018—Eddie Rosario takes Cleveland pitchers deep three times, becoming the first Twin with multiple three-homer games.
June 4, 1976—Larry Hisle becomes the third Twin in franchise history to hit for the cycle.
June 5, 1969—With the 55th overall pick in the June Amateur Draft, the Twins select right-handed hurler Bert Blyleven.
June 6, 1987—The Twins ship Mark Salas to New York in exchange for Joe Niekro. Niekro is the first knuckleballer to ever pitch for the Twins. His career in Minnesota is short lived, but this moment lives on:
June 7, 2018—The Twins sock the White Sox 7–2. José Berríos fans 10 batters and logs the second complete game of his career.
June 8, 2006—The fourth-place Twins sink the Mariners, starting a stretch of 21 wins over their next 23 games. The Twins finish the year going 71–33 to take the AL Central with a record of 96–66.
June 9, 1966—Rich Rollins, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher, and Harmon Killebrew all homer in the same inning. The Twins top the A’s 9–4.
June 10, 1961—The Twins make their first appearance on national television. But they screw the whole thing up by losing 4–3 against the Baltimore Orioles.
June 11, 2011—Cy Young Award Winner Jim Perry is elected to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.
June 12, 2017—The Twins select Royce Lewis in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, marking the third time they’ve had the first overall pick. Their other number ones include Joe Mauer (2001) and Tim Belcher (1983).
June 13, 1997—The Twins are victorious in their first interleague game, toppling the Houston Astros 8–1.
June 14, 2018—Slugger Miguel Sanó is sent down to Fort Myers after hitting a couple ticks above the Mendoza Line and racking up 66 strikeouts in fewer than 150 at-bats.
June 15, 1964—The Twins acquire Jim “Mudcat” Grant from Cleveland for pitcher Lee Strange and IF/OF George Banks. Mudcat goes 11–9 with a 2.82 ERA in 23 starts for Minnesota.
June 16, 1982—Twins rookie Frank Viola picks up his first career win. Viola spends eight seasons in Minnesota, taking home the World Series MVP in 1987 and the AL Cy Young Award in 1988.
June 17, 2017—Royce Lewis, the Twins number one pick, inks a $6.725 million contract, the largest signed by a high school player.
June 18, 2013—The Twins’ Elizabethton team bus is involved in a fatal crash.
June 19, 1988—Bert Blyleven, in his second stint with the Twins, picks up his 250th career win.
June 20, 1986—The Twins acquire Neal Heaton and Kevin Trudeau in return for John Butcher. I’m no expert, but this has got to be one of the least exciting trades in MLB history.
June 21, 1967—The Tigers and Twins tie after four rain delays push the game past midnight.
June 22, 1984—Carl Pohlad becomes CEO of the Minnesota Twins and holds that position until his death in 2009.
June 23, 1954—A 17-year-old Harmon Killebrew makes his MLB debut as a pinch-runner of all things.
June 24, 1955—An 18-year-old Harmon Killebrew hits his first career home run. Killebrew goes on to hit 573 long balls in his 22-year career.
June 25, 1964—Rod Carew signs with the Twins as an amateur free agent. Carew reaches the majors three seasons later and takes home the Rookie of the Year Award.
June 26, 1977—Glenn Adams knocks in a team record eight runs as the Twins defeat the White Sox 19–12.
June 27, 1988—Outfielder Dan Gladden pitches a 1-2-3 8th inning as the California Angels thump the Twins 16–7.
June 28, 2007—Carlos Silva coughs up a homer to Frank Thomas, marking The Big Hurt’s 500th career home run.
June 29, 1929—Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew is born in Payette, Idaho.
June 30, 2018—The Twins get scorched in more ways than one as the temperature on the field at Wrigley reaches 123º and the Cubbies plate 14 runs.