Yes, I’m a little late with this post, as I was enjoying the holiday with friends on a beautiful summer day. But the Twins’ first Fourth of July in Minnesota was a memorable one with an unanticipated source of fireworks making Twins history.
Twelve weeks into the franchise’s first season in the Upper Midwest, and just 11 days after owner Calvin Griffith replaced skipper Cookie Lavagetto with Sam Mele, Twins pinch-hitter Julio Becquer made the new manager look like a genius.
In the first game of a twinbill with the Chicago White Sox, the Twins were trailing 4-2 in the ninth when Mele sent Becquer, the elder statesmen of the Twins’ Cuban contingent, to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. White Sox reliever Warren Hacker was on the mound, an out away from a saving a victory for staff ace Billy Pierce, when the lefthanded-hitting Becquer stroked a liner deep into the right-field bleacher seats at Metropolitan Stadium. The ball got out in a hurry and the Twins had a 6-4 walk-off win.
Becquer, now in his mid-80s, is a great conversationalist with an infectious smile and laugh. While interviewing the Havana native for the Tony Oliva bio, he closed the story about his grand slam with a tease: “There’s another thing that happened that day. . . Harmon Killebrew hit an inside-the-park home run!”
Yes, Killebrew hit the only inside-the-park home run of his career on that first Fourth of July in Twins history. In the eighth inning of the day’s second game, facing Calvin Coolidge Julius Ceasar Tuskahoma McLish, Killebrew drilled a shot that looked destined for the left-center-field seats.
White Sox center fielder Jim Landis dashed for the fence, leapt high, struck the wire fence violently and landed hard on the ground as the ball hit the wall and bounced back toward the infield. Left fielder Minnie Minoso had to change directions to pursue the ball. By the time Minoso reached it, Killebrew was headed for the Twins dugout, huffing and puffing as his teammates laughed and cheered.
A memorable home run for Killebrew, but on that day, Becquer was the slugger who provided the fireworks with his walk-off slam.
Twelve weeks into the franchise’s first season in the Upper Midwest, and just 11 days after owner Calvin Griffith replaced skipper Cookie Lavagetto with Sam Mele, Twins pinch-hitter Julio Becquer made the new manager look like a genius.
In the first game of a twinbill with the Chicago White Sox, the Twins were trailing 4-2 in the ninth when Mele sent Becquer, the elder statesmen of the Twins’ Cuban contingent, to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. White Sox reliever Warren Hacker was on the mound, an out away from a saving a victory for staff ace Billy Pierce, when the lefthanded-hitting Becquer stroked a liner deep into the right-field bleacher seats at Metropolitan Stadium. The ball got out in a hurry and the Twins had a 6-4 walk-off win.
Becquer, now in his mid-80s, is a great conversationalist with an infectious smile and laugh. While interviewing the Havana native for the Tony Oliva bio, he closed the story about his grand slam with a tease: “There’s another thing that happened that day. . . Harmon Killebrew hit an inside-the-park home run!”
Yes, Killebrew hit the only inside-the-park home run of his career on that first Fourth of July in Twins history. In the eighth inning of the day’s second game, facing Calvin Coolidge Julius Ceasar Tuskahoma McLish, Killebrew drilled a shot that looked destined for the left-center-field seats.
White Sox center fielder Jim Landis dashed for the fence, leapt high, struck the wire fence violently and landed hard on the ground as the ball hit the wall and bounced back toward the infield. Left fielder Minnie Minoso had to change directions to pursue the ball. By the time Minoso reached it, Killebrew was headed for the Twins dugout, huffing and puffing as his teammates laughed and cheered.
A memorable home run for Killebrew, but on that day, Becquer was the slugger who provided the fireworks with his walk-off slam.