1989 Minnesota Twins season
Encyclopedia
The 1989
Minnesota Twins
finished 80-82, fifth in the AL
West. 2,277,438 fans attended Twins games, the seventh highest total in the American League
.
led the AL
in batting with a .339 average and hits with 215. Kirby hit 9 HR, drove in 85 runs, and scored 75. Kent Hrbek
hit .272 with 25 HR and 84 RBI. Gary Gaetti
hit 19 HR and 75 RBI. Al Newman
led the team with 25 stolen bases.
(17-10) and Roy Smith
(10-6).
Frank Viola
was 8-12.
Reliever Jeff Reardon
had 31 saves.
and center fielder Kirby Puckett
each won their fourth Gold Glove Award
.
All-Star Game
1989 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Oakland Athletics over San Francisco Giants ; Dave Stewart, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Rickey Henderson*National League Championship Series MVP: Will Clark...
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
finished 80-82, fifth in the AL
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
West. 2,277,438 fans attended Twins games, the seventh highest total in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
Offseason
- October 24, 1988: Eric BullockEric BullockEric Gerald Bullock is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos from 1985 to 1992.-External links:...
, Tom HerrTom HerrThomas Mitchell Herr is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1979 to 1991 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets...
and Tom NietoTom NietoThomas Andrew Nieto is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Nieto previously served as the New York Mets' bench coach and catching instructor. A native of Downey, California, Nieto attended Oral Roberts...
were traded by the Twins to the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for Shane RawleyShane RawleyShane William Rawley is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from 1978 through 1989, for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Minnesota Twins.Rawley was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1986 as...
and cash. - November 3, 1988: Bert BlylevenBert BlylevenBert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
and Kevin Trudeau (minors) were traded by the Twins to the California AngelsLos Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
for Mike Cook, Paul SorrentoPaul SorrentoPaul Anthony Sorrento is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1989 through 1999, Sorrento played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, and Rob Wassenaar (minors). - December 12, 1988: Randy BushRandy BushRobert Randall Bush , is a former professional baseball player and currently a front office member of the Chicago Cubs. With the hiring of Theo Epstein, Bush will continue as an assistant General Manager, and will be involved in the hiring process of the field and scouting staff.Bush played for...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - December 21, 1988: John ChristensenJohn Christensen (baseball)John Lawrence Christensen is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball between 1984 and 1988.- New York Mets :...
was released by the Twins. - February 13, 1989: Lee TunnellLee TunnellByron Lee Tunnell is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Tunnell pitched all or part of six seasons in the majors, between and , for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Minnesota Twins...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - March 26, 1989: Keith AthertonKeith AthertonKeith Rowe Atherton , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from -. Atherton played for the Oakland Athletics , Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians ....
was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Cleveland Indians for Carmelo CastilloCarmen CastilloMonte Carmelo Castillo is a former right-handed outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.-External links:...
.
Offense
Kirby PuckettKirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
led the AL
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in batting with a .339 average and hits with 215. Kirby hit 9 HR, drove in 85 runs, and scored 75. Kent Hrbek
Kent Hrbek
Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN...
hit .272 with 25 HR and 84 RBI. Gary Gaetti
Gary Gaetti
Gary Joseph Gaetti , nicknamed "G-Man", "Rat", or "Zorn" is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , California Angels , Kansas City Royals , St...
hit 19 HR and 75 RBI. Al Newman
Al Newman
Albert Dwayne Newman is a former infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos , Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers...
led the team with 25 stolen bases.
| Statistic Baseball statistics Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics... | Player | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
Kent Hrbek Kent Hrbek Frequently injured , Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter at their home in Bloomington, MN... |
25 |
| RBI | Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
85 |
| BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
.339* |
| Runs Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases... |
75 |
- *League leader
Pitching
Only two Twins had double digit wins: Allan AndersonAllan Anderson
Allan Lee Anderson is a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of 6 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He led the American League in ERA in while playing for Minnesota. For his career, he compiled a 49-54 record in 148 appearances, with a 4.11 ERA and 339 strikeouts...
(17-10) and Roy Smith
Roy Smith (1980s pitcher)
Le Roy Purdy Smith is a former professional baseball pitcher and executive. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball from until . He is currently a scout for the New York Mets.-Playing career:...
(10-6).
Frank Viola
Frank Viola
Frank John Viola, Jr. is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins , New York Mets , Boston Red Sox , Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays . A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988...
was 8-12.
Reliever Jeff Reardon
Jeff Reardon
Jeffrey James Reardon , nicknamed "The Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and 98 mph fastball, is a former professional baseball relief pitcher from 1979-1994 who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati...
had 31 saves.
| Statistic Baseball statistics Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics... | Player | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... |
Frank Viola Frank Viola Frank John Viola, Jr. is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins , New York Mets , Boston Red Sox , Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays . A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988... |
3.79 |
| Wins Win (baseball) In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only... |
Allan Anderson Allan Anderson Allan Lee Anderson is a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of 6 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He led the American League in ERA in while playing for Minnesota. For his career, he compiled a 49-54 record in 148 appearances, with a 4.11 ERA and 339 strikeouts... |
17 |
| Saves | Jeff Reardon Jeff Reardon Jeffrey James Reardon , nicknamed "The Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and 98 mph fastball, is a former professional baseball relief pitcher from 1979-1994 who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati... |
31 |
| Strikeouts | Frank Viola Frank Viola Frank John Viola, Jr. is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins , New York Mets , Boston Red Sox , Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays . A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988... |
138 |
Defense
Third baseman Gary GaettiGary Gaetti
Gary Joseph Gaetti , nicknamed "G-Man", "Rat", or "Zorn" is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , California Angels , Kansas City Royals , St...
and center fielder Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
each won their fourth Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
.
Notable transactions
- April 1, 1989: Randy St. ClaireRandy St. ClaireRandall Anthony St. Claire is a former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos , Cincinnati Reds , Minnesota Twins , Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays as a relief pitcher...
was signed as a free agent by the Twins. - June 5, 1989: 1989 Major League Baseball Draft1989 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental first round selections:-External links:*...
- Chuck KnoblauchChuck KnoblauchEdward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (25th pick). Player signed June 9, 1989. - Denny NeagleDenny NeagleDennis Edward Neagle Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was last under contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the season, but he did not play due to injury...
was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round. Player signed June 22, 1989. - Dan MastellerDan MastellerDan Patrick Masteller is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played one season in the majors for the Minnesota Twins in .Originally drafted by the Twins in the 11th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft, Masteller played in their organization until June, 1995, when he made his...
was drafted by the Twins in the 11th round. - Denny HockingDenny HockingDennis Lee "Denny" Hocking is a former Major League Baseball utility player. After playing at El Camino College in California, he was drafted in the 52nd round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins and made his major league debut in...
was drafted by the Twins in the 52nd round. Player signed May 15, 1990.
- Chuck Knoblauch
- June 29, 1989: Freddie ToliverFreddie ToliverFred Lee Toliver , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from –. He would play for the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates....
was traded by the Twins to the San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for Greg BookerGreg BookerGregory Scott Booker is a former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1983 until 1990. He also served as a coach for the San Diego Padres from 1997 until 2003, the first four years as bullpen coach, then a season-plus as pitching...
.
Roster
| 1989 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 126 | 385 | 125 | .325 | 8 | 57 | |
| 1B | 109 | 375 | 102 | .272 | 25 | 84 | |
| 2B | 87 | 299 | 69 | .231 | 1 | 26 | |
| 3B | 130 | 498 | 125 | .251 | 19 | 75 | |
| SS | 149 | 460 | 125 | .272 | 9 | 48 | |
| LF | 120 | 461 | 136 | .295 | 8 | 46 | |
| CF | 159 | 635 | 215 | .339 | 9 | 85 | |
| RF | 141 | 391 | 103 | .263 | 14 | 54 | |
| DH | 88 | 225 | 71 | .316 | 3 | 23 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 23 | 4 | .174 | 0 | 2 | |
| 14 | 21 | 5 | .238 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | 11 | 5 | .455 | 0 | 0 | |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 172.1 | 10 | 6 | 3.92 | 92 | |
| 27 | 145 | 5 | 12 | 5.21 | 68 | |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.06 | 15 | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 7 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.15 | 3 | |
Awards and honors
- Kirby Puckett – American League Batting Champion (.339)
All-Star Game
1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 60th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11, 1989 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, the home of...
- Gary GaettiGary GaettiGary Joseph Gaetti , nicknamed "G-Man", "Rat", or "Zorn" is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , California Angels , Kansas City Royals , St...
, Third Base, Reserve - Kirby PuckettKirby PuckettKirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
, Outfield, Starter