Fansided
Puckett's Pond

The 2019 Hall of Fame class loved to terrorize the Minnesota Twins

By Chris Schad

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees sits in the dugout after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 26, 2013 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City.Rivera is retiring after this season.This is the last game he will play in Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees sits in the dugout after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 26, 2013 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City.Rivera is retiring after this season.This is the last game he will play in Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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BRONX, NY – MAY 7: Pitcher Mike Mussina #35 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the game at Yankee Stadium on May 7, 2005 in Bronx, New York. The Yankees won 5-0. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BRONX, NY – MAY 7: Pitcher Mike Mussina #35 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the game at Yankee Stadium on May 7, 2005 in Bronx, New York. The Yankees won 5-0. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Mike Mussina

Mike Mussina put together a career that nearly stretched over two decades between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees, but there was a possibility that the right-hander could have spent a large chunk of his career with the Twins. As a standout from Stanford, Mussina was a strong prospect coming into the 1990 MLB Draft and was still on the board when Minnesota was on the clock with the 12th overall pick.

Partially because the Twins feared the cost to sign Mussina, they opted to select Todd Ritchie, a right-hander out of Duncanville, Texas. Needless to say, the Twins may regret their decision considering the career that Mussina had against them.

Over his 18-year career, Mussina tormented the Twins for passing on him, posting a 22-6 record with a 3.09 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Those numbers were better in all areas than his career totals (3.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) and the best start of his career came when he threw a complete-game, one-hitter that included 15 strikeouts as a member of the Baltimore Orioles on August 1, 2000.

Mussina would get a chance to further drive the point home with a couple of postseason starts, but although he pitched well (14 IP, 5 ER, 14 H, 4 BB, 13 K), he would take the loss in a pair of ALDS starts in 2003 and 2004. Even then, the Twins wouldn’t even take advantage of those victories as the Yankees bounced them out of the playoffs in both seasons.

The dominance that Mussina displayed against the Twins definitely gave them buyers remorse as Ritchie wouldn’t make it to the major league level until 1997 and after two years, he was shipped off to the Pittsburgh Pirates and have stints with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays before retiring in 2004.

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