Twins Almanac: LaTroy Breaks A Streak, Harper's Grand Slam, Larry Hisle's Birthday

May 5, 1882
Lee Quillin was born in North Branch, Minnesota on this date in 1882. The infielder made it to the majors with the Chicago White Sox, getting a cup of coffee with the 1906 World Series Champions and spending the 1907 season as their backup third baseman. 

He passed away in 1965 at age 83, and is buried at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul.

May 5, 1884
Hall of Fame pitcher Charles Albert Bender was born in Crow Wing County (near Brainerd) on this date in 1884.

Bender made his debut with the Philadelphia Athletics at age 18, earning the win in relief over Boston’s Cy Young on April 20, 1903. He earned a complete-game win in his first start seven days later.

Bender won 212 games and three World Series over fifteen seasons (plus one novelty appearance with the White Sox at age 41).

He became the first Minnesotan inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1953. He was the only Minnesotan enshrined in Cooperstown for 48 years until 1969 St. Paul Central graduate Dave Winfield joined him in 2001, alongside Twins all-time great Kirby Puckett, and Negro Leagues legend Hilton Smith, who played for the townball Fulda Giants in 1949 (managed by Patrick Reusse’s dad, Dick). 

Happy 82nd birthday to the legendary Larry Hisle. The 14-year major leaguer played five seasons with the Twins, from 1973 to 1977.

Hisle made Twins history twice in June 1976, hitting for the third cycle in team history on June 4, and stealing a team record four bases on June 30. (Lyman Bostock, incidentally, hit for the cycle just 20 days later.)

In 1977, Hisle hit .302 with 28 home runs and an American League-leading 119 RBI.

Hisle was the hitting coach for the 1992 and ’93 World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays’ John Olerud, Paul Molitor, and Roberto Alomar had the first-, second-, and third-best batting averages in the American League in 1993.

In 2010, Fox Sports North included Hisle among their “50 Greatest Twins.” He is currently the Milwaukee Brewers’ Manager of Youth Outreach.

May 5, 1987
A little Minnesotan-on-Minnesotan note: Atwater High School graduate Mike Kingery hit a two-run homer and RBI sac fly off Highland Park graduate Jack Morris in a 7-5 Mariners win at Tiger Stadium on this date in 1987.

May 5, 1990
Brian Harper hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Dan Plesac for a 9-5 Twins win in Milwaukee on this date in 1990. 

Randy Bush homered off Chris Bosio earlier in the game.

May 5, 2001
On a Saturday night in Kansas City, the first place Twins (20-7) handed LaTroy Hawkins a 10-8 ninth-inning lead. Hawkins had successfully converted his first 23 career save opportunities, setting a major league record. After the Royals pulled within a run on a sacrifice fly, however, former Twin David McCarty tied the game with a two-out, line drive single to center, scoring Jermaine Dye, giving Hawkins his first blown save.

With McCarty aboard in the 12th, Royals outfielder Dee Brown hit a walk-off home run off Travis Miller.

The Twins drafted both David McCarty and LaTroy Hawkins in 1991: McCarty in the first round, and Hawkins in the seventh. 

May 5, 2017
Mrs. Almanac and I brought four-month-old baby Parker to her first Twins game and got to see World War II veteran and pro wrestling legend Stan “Krusher” Kowalski raise the American flag during the National Anthem.

The Twins jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead against the Red Sox on a Miguel Sanó triple driving in Joe Mauer, and a Robbie Grossman single bringing home Sanó. In the seventh inning, Mauer pulled a single to right, driving in Eddie Rosario for a 3-1 lead. But the Red Sox tied it up in the top of the ninth against Twins closer Brandon Kintzler. It was getting a little late for baby Parker, and we weren’t excited about extra innings. Fortunately, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Joe Mauer deposited Matt Barnes’ 1-2 pitch over the left-center field wall for his first career walk-off home run.

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