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2001 Minnesota Twins Season
The 2001 Minnesota Twins marked the beginning of the Twins' ascendancy in the American League Central Division. After finishing the 2000 season last in the division with a disappointing 69-93 record, the 2001 team rebounded to finish 85–77, good enough for second place in the division. The six-year run of winning seasons that followed is the longest such stretch in franchise history. In his last year as manager, Tom Kelly continued the development of a core of young players who would win their division the following year. Third baseman Corey Koskie hit 26 home runs and stole 27 bases, the only Twins player to steal at least 25 bases and hit 25 home runs in the same season. Regular season *After years of having only one All-Star representative, the 2001 Twins had three: Cristian Guzmán, Joe Mays, and Eric Milton. *The highest paid Twin in 2001 was Brad Radke at $7,750,000; followed by Todd Jones at $3,975,000. *Herb Carneal and Jim Kaat were inducted into the Minnesota Twi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League Central
The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States. Along with the National League East, the AL Central is one of two divisions in the Major Leagues in which all of its members have won a World Series title. In fact, each team has captured at least two World Series championships. The Kansas City Royals were the most recent team from the division to win the World Series. Division membership Current members *Chicago White Sox – Founding member; formerly of the AL West *Cleveland Guardians – Founding member; formerly of the AL East; known as the Cleveland Indians until 2021 *Detroit Tigers – Joined in 1998; formerly of the AL East *Kansas City Royals – Founding member; formerly of the AL West *Minnesota Twins – Founding member; formerly of the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cristian Guzmán
Cristian Antonio Guzmán (born March 21, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, and Texas Rangers. Professional career Minnesota Twins Guzmán was acquired by the Minnesota Twins in from the New York Yankees organization as part of the Chuck Knoblauch trade. In , Guzmán was named to the AL All-Star team and posted career bests with 10 home runs and a .302 batting average. He was a key part of the Twins teams that won three consecutive American League Central titles from –. While a Twin, he led the American League in triples in (20), 2001 (14) and (14). His total of 20 in 2000 was only the tenth time a player had reached that number in the last 70 years. Washington Nationals After becoming a free agent, Guzmán signed a $16.8 million, four-year contract with the Washington Nationals for the season but then proceeded to have the worst year of his career. As the fu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily with the Boston Red Sox. After playing parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins with unremarkable results, Ortiz moved to the Red Sox, where he played a leading role in ending the team's 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004, as well as winning championships in 2007 and 2013; he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013. In his first five seasons with the club, he averaged 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in, leading the AL twice in the latter category and setting the team's single-season record of 54 home runs in 2006; he finished in the top five of the AL's Most Valuable Player voting all five years. Used almost exclusively as a DH during his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a ten-time All-Star and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Designated Hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by the National League in 2022, making it universal in MLB. Within that time frame, nearly all amateur, collegiate, and professional leagues worldwide have adopted the designated hitter or some variant, with the notable exception of Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Major League Baseball rule In Major League Baseball, the designated hitter is a player who does not play a position in the field, but instead replaces the pitcher in the batting order. The DH may only be used for the pitcher (and not any other position player), as stated in Rule 5.11. Use of the DH is optional, but must be determined before the start of the game. Prior to 2022, if a team did not begin a game with a DH, the pitcher (or a pinch hitter) had to bat for t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matt Lawton
Matthew Lawton, Jr. (born November 30, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior. He also played in the majors with the New York Mets (2001), the Cleveland Indians (2002–04), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2005), the Chicago Cubs (2005), the New York Yankees (2005), and the Seattle Mariners (2006). Over his major league career, Lawton compiled a .267 batting average with 1,273 hits, 267 doubles, 17 triples, 138 home runs, 631 runs batted in (RBIs), 165 stolen bases, and 681 walks in 1,334 games played. Lawton was drafted by the Twins during the 1991 MLB draft out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. A season later, he made his professional debut in the minor leagues with the Gulf Coast League Twins. He also played in the minors with the Fort Wayne Wiz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torii Hunter
Torii Kedar Hunter (; born July 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Detroit Tigers from 1997 through 2015. Hunter was a five-time All-Star, won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, and was a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. High school career Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Hunter attended Pine Bluff High School. Hunter, along with his three brothers, lived in a downtown and fairly impoverished neighborhood just off Main Street. Hunter began playing baseball at the age of eight and football a few years later, excelling as both a quarterback and a free safety. At Pine Bluff High, Hunter excelled in baseball, football, basketball, and track. Early on in high school, Hunter was actually a stand out in sports other than baseball, but would receive All-State honors for his junior and senior seasons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacque Jones
Jacque Dewayne Jones (born April 25, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins. He also coached for the Washington Nationals. Early life He graduated from San Diego High School in 1993, and the University of Southern California, where he had a stellar career. In , he was a first team all-American outfielder for the Trojans. In , he was a member of the US Olympic Baseball team. In 1993, he was named player of the year in the SCL with, .332 batting average, 33 home runs, and 124 RBI. Professional career Minnesota Twins Jacque was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the amateur draft. He played three seasons in the minor leagues, and was brought up to the majors in . He started off in center field, but moved to left to accommodate Torii Hunter. Between -, he batted over .300, and went to the playoffs with the Twins. The Twins outfield was one of the fastest in baseball in , boast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Patrol (baseball) in Vietnam written by Ed Emanuel
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Soul Patrol may refer to: * Soul Patrol (fandom), fans of ''American Idol'' winner Taylor Hicks * Soul Patrol (baseball), the outfield players of the 2001 Minnesota Twins season * Soul Patrol (1978 film), a blaxploitation film * Soul Patrol (2000 film), a British comedy film starring Sadie Frost and Davinia Taylor * Soul Patrol, an SECW wrestling team of Norvell Austin and Brickhouse Brown * Soul Patrol, a fictional group of dead people in ''The Scream Team'' * Soul Patrol, a book about an African-American LRRP A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP (pronounced "lurp"), is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.Ankony, Robert C., ''Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri,'' revised ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luis Rivas
Luis Wilfredo Rivas (born August 30, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2005, Cleveland Indians in 2007, and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008. He batted and throws right-handed. Rivas was known to be a free-swinging hitter who will offer at almost any pitch often putting it in play. As a runner, he has good speed and is aggressive on the basepaths. Defensively, Rivas has soft hands, a great arm and good range. He turns the double play well, and also is competent going back on pop-ups. From 2000 to 2004, Rivas posted a .262 batting average with 29 home runs and 165 RBI in 506 games. After the 2005 All-Star break, Minnesota optioned Rivas to Triple-A Rochester. Once thought of as the Twins second baseman of the future, Rivas was yet to develop into the type of consistent hitter needed. He was recalled, and then again sent back down on October 4 after the season had ended. In 2006, Rivas played for the Durham Bulls of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz ( ; born June 19, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1998 to 2009, most prominently as a member of the Minnesota Twins where he was a Gold Glove Award winner. Mientkiewicz was also a member of the 2004 World Series winning Boston Red Sox team. He is one of five players to win both an Olympic gold medal and a World Series championship. After his playing career, Mientkiewicz briefly worked as a television sports analyst before serving as a minor league manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers organizations. High school Mientkiewicz attended Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Florida, where he was a teammate of Alex Rodriguez and Dan Perkins. Mientkiewicz had a batting cage in his backyard which his high school teammates would use as they pleased. He also played tight end while Rodriguez played quarterback on the school's football team. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Kaat
James Lee Kaat (; born November 7, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Philadelphia Phillies (–), New York Yankees (–), and St. Louis Cardinals (–). His 25-year playing career spanned four decades. Kaat was an All-Star for three seasons and a Gold Glove winner for 16 seasons. He was the American League (AL) leader in shutouts (5) in 1962, and the AL leader in wins (25) and complete games (19) in 1966. In addition to his 283 career wins, he has three 20-win seasons. Kaat won 190 games with the Senators/Twins (winning all but one with the latter), second most in club history and most since the team moved to Minnesota; he also has the most Gold Glove Awards of any Twin with 12. After a brief stint as a pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds, he went on to become a sportscaster ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Todd Jones
Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most notably with the Detroit Tigers for whom he earned 235 saves. On September 16, , Jones became the 21st member of the 300- save club during his second stint with the Tigers. Baseball career Jones graduated from Osborne High School in Marietta, Georgia and attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of 1989 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut during the season. Initially a setup reliever, Jones started being used as a closer for the Astros in the 1995 season. His best years came with the Detroit Tigers from –, when he logged 142 saves. On April 22, 1999, Jones earned career save number 100. On September 27, , Jones threw the last official pitch at Tiger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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