Forgotten Twins reliever and college Hall of Famer just passed away

Tragic news hit the Minnesota Twins community this past weekend. Former reliever Greg Thayer passed away on December 12 in his hometown of St. Cloud.

Thayer was born in Iowa, but he was a Minnesotan through and through. He graduated from St. Cloud Tech and went on to to play football and baseball at St. Cloud State, where he was inducted in the college's Hall of Fame in 1994. He won three conference baseball championships with the Huskies, and one with the football program.

Former Twins reliever Greg Thayer passes away at 76 years old in Minnesota

Thayer, who lived in Sauk Rapids, pitched for the Twins in 1978 as a reliever before going on to coach baseball in his town.

In 1978, Thayer appeared in 20 games out of the bullpen, recording a 3.80 ERA. He struck out 30 batters in 40 innings, registering a 1-1 record. The lone win of his career came on May 6 in Baltimore. Thayer tossed 5.2 relief innings, amassing a career-high six strikeouts without allowing a run.

Thayer was teammates with all-time Twins greats like Rod Carew, Roy Smalley, Mike Marshall, and Geoff Zahn. In his one MLB season with the Twins, Minnesota went 73-89 in the standings, finishing fourth in the AL West. The Twins had 27 comeback victories that season with Thayer on the roster.

More information on his memorial services in Sauk Rapids can be found here.