Puckett's Pond » Retired Numbers

Retire 36 for Jim Kaat!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:08:22 +0000

The Twins made a praiseworthy move when they announced Thursday night that they would retire Tom Kelly’s number 10 jersey. The only way it could have been better is if they had announced the retirement of Jim Kaat’s number 36 at the same time. The lefty came within two votes of being elected to the Hall of Fame this offseason, but there appears to be no indication that the Twins plan to retire his number.

I’ve already made the case for Kaat, but I think this is a great opportunity to make it again.

Kaat is 31^st on baseball’s all time list with 283 career wins. That’s right – out of the nearly 20,000 men who have played Major League baseball, only 30 have won more games than Jim Kaat. In the 51 year history of the Minnesota Twins, Kaat is number one. No Twin has topped his 189 wins. The next closest is Bert Blyleven, who deservedly had his number retired next year. Blyleven is a whopping 41 victories behind Kaat on the team list. (more…)

Twins honor Camilo Pascual, Tom Kelly, and Kent Hrbek

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:08:46 +0000

With the offseason drawing to a close, the Twins are looking to the past and honoring three men who have contributed to the team’s legacy. Over the past few days the team announced that Camilo Pascual, Tom Kelly, and Kent Hrbek will all receive their deserved days in the sun this year. The Twins will immortalize them with a team Hall of Fame induction, a retired jersey, and a statue respectively.

The three tributes allow us to reflect on a very wide swath of team’s half century long history. The trio includes a pitcher, a hitter, and a manager, and they represent the 1960s, the 1980s, and the 1990s.

Pascual was one of the original Twins. He started his career with the Washington Senators, then moved with the team to the upper Midwest in 1961. He stayed until the end of the 1966 season, when the Twins traded him back to the nation’s capital. In the meantime, Pascual won 88 games, good for eighth in Twins history (if you include his days in Washington, he won 145 total). He led the American League in strikeouts three times, from 1961-1963, with 221, 206, and 202 respectively, then added 213 more in 1964 to finish second in the league. His 994 strikeouts in a Twins uniform ranks as the seventh highest total ever. (more…)

Retire Number 36

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:30:08 +0000

Now that Joe Nathan has departed to sunnier climates, it’s time for the Twins to retire number 36…

…in honor of Jim Kaat.

The Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame is going to take a look at Kaat this winter, so he may be a Hall of Famer soon. But whether the Veterans grant Kaat baseball’s ultimate honor or not, the Twins should do their part to recognize the lefthander who pitched for them for 13 seasons. Until the Twins retire this number, you can count on seeing regular diatribes from me about it!

I have no idea why the team did not retire Kaat’s number years ago. They managed not to give it to any other players for three seasons, but then in 1977 rookie Sam Perlozzo wore it. After him, Jeff Holly, Jerry Koosman, Jeff Little, Curt Wardle, Mark Portugal, Eric Bullock, Joe Niekro, Steve Shields, Kevin Tapani, Terry Steinbach, Rick Reed, Warren Morris, and Nathan have all had their turn with #36. Other than Nathan, and perhaps Tapani, none of them has come close to the level of success that Kaat enjoyed for more than a decade. (more…)