This Month in Twins History

With September in full swing, we at Twinkie Town took a trip down memory lane to recap historical happenings from Septembers of yesteryear.

Here’s hoping the Twins finish this final month strong and head into the playoffs with serious momentum. Something tells me we’re gonna need it.

Without further ado, here goes nothing:

September 1, 2019—In hopes of bolstering their battered bullpen, the Twins call up highly touted flamethrower Brusdar Graterol. Graterol makes his Major League debut and brings the heat, dialing it up to 100 MPH.

September 2, 1958—In a move to land the Washington Senators, the city of Minneapolis announces they’ll expand Metropolitan Stadium by some 41,000 seats.

September 3, 2006—Believing he was taping a pregame segment, Twins TV color commentator Bert Blyleven stumbles over his words and drops the F-bomb out of frustration. But he wasn’t taping a pregame segment. He was live. On air. His exact words? “We gotta do this fuckin’ thing over again, ’cause I just fucked it up.”

September 4, 2010—Greg Gagne, a fixture at shortstop from 1983 to 1992, is inducted as the 22nd member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.

September 5, 2016—Brian Dozier sends three balls into the outfield seats for homers 36, 37, and 38. Dozier becomes just the sixth Twin to homer three times in one game.

September 6, 2002—Brad Radke blanks the Oakland Athletics, putting an end to the A’s historic 20-game winning streak. The Twins go on to beat the A’s three games to two in the American League Division Series. But none of that matters because the Anaheim Angels made quick work of the Twins in the American League Championship Series.

September 7, 1984—Carl Pohlad takes over the reins after successfully purchasing the Twins from Calvin Griffith earlier in ’84.

September 8, 2012—Tom Kelly, the Twins all-time leader in managerial wins, has his number 10 retired. Kelly is the seventh Twin to have his number retired by the ball club.

September 9, 1984—Kent Hrbek abuses a Charlie Hough knuckleball, crushing it 480 feet. The blast is the longest homer ever hit by a Twin in the Metrodome.

September 10, 2000—The Twins land a fan favorite in Lew Ford for right-hander Hector Carrasco. (The same Lew Ford who may—or may not—have burned himself when attempting to iron a shirt while wearing it.)

September 11, 1974—Harmon Killebrew hits his last homer as a Twin. It’s a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Oakland Athletics. 475 of Harmon’s 573 home runs came while suited up with the Twinkies.

September 12, 1986—Tom Kelly is named manager after management tells Ray Miller to take a hike. Kelly, the winningest manager in Twins history, goes on to 1,140 games for our beloved ball club.

September 13, 1994—Terry Ryan is named general manager, replacing Andy MacPhail who skipped town for Chicago.

September 14, 2018—Joe Mauer smacks—or slaps—a double for his 598th career extra-base hit, besting Tony Oliva for 4th on the Twins all-time list.

September 15, 2002—The Twins clinch the AL Central Division title, ensuring their first playoff appearance since 1991. Not bad for a team that faced contraction talks before the start of the season.

September 16, 1993—Dave Winfield, a St. Paul native, cracks his 3,000th hit as a Minnesota Twin.

September 17, 2002—The Twins announce that their AAA affiliate in Edmonton, Alberta will relocate to Rochester, New York for the start of the 2003 season.

September 18, 1975—Harmon Killebrew—now a member of the Kansas City Royals—hits his 573rd career homer against the Twins at Met Stadium. It’s his 14th on the season and the final home run of his storied career.

September 19, 1972—César Tovar goes 4 for 5 and becomes the first Twin to hit for the cycle.

September 20, 1981—Gary Gaetti makes his Major League debut and takes a Charlie Hough knuckleball deep in his first career at-bat.

September 21, 1963—Harmon Killebrew sends three balls into the outfield seats for homers 41, 42, and 43. Killebrew becomes just the second Twin to homer three times in one game.

September 22, 1977—Bert Blyleven hurls a gem, no-hitting the California Angels. The Twins top the Halos 9-0.

September 23, 1990—Gary Gaetti hits a grand slam off, you guessed it, Charlie Hough. The long ball is the 200th of Gaetti’s career.

September 24, 2004—Johan Santana holds the Cleveland Indians to two runs, becoming the Venezuelan pitcher to rack up 20 or more wins in a season. Santana takes home the CY Young award later that year, the second of his career.

September 25, 1985—The Twins bring home career win number 2,000 behind a solid outing courtesy of Bert Blyleven.

September 26, 1965—Minnesota picks up its first AL pennant, defeating the Washington 2-1. The Twins would go all the way to the World Series, only to be beaten by Sandy Koufax and the LA Dodgers.

September 27, 2015—Max Kepler makes his debut. He’s brought in as a pinch-hitter and strikes out in his lone at-bat.

September 28, 1987—The Twins beat the Texas Rangers 5-3. In doing so, they clinch the division title—their first since 1970. The Twins later go on to win the franchise’s first World Series.

September 29, 1986—20-year-old rookie Jay Bell makes history by taking Bert Blyleven deep. The home run is the 46th allowed by Blyleven on the season, a new Major League record. Blyleven would go on to serve up a total of 50 homers in 1986.

September 30, 1981—The Twins play their final game at Metropolitan Stadium in front of just under 16,000 fans. Kansas City spoils the day, beating the Twins 5-2.