@Patrick_Reusse@TwinsAlmanac In 1977, as a 9th grader at Willmar, I couldn’t wait to read each Sunday Star Tribune’s big list of MLB batting leaders. Hisle, Bostock and Carew all hit over .300 and Hisle with power, too! Royals were too tough though.
Epic series.
Baseball the game is alive and well.
Baseball the business is broken, perhaps beyond repair.
Dodgers are deserving champs and a symbol of all that is wrong.
Not enough people talk about Tony Oliva
• .304/.353/.476 (.830 OPS, 131 OPS+)
• 1917 H, 220 HR, 947 RBI, 3002 TB
• 8x AS, 1964 AL ROY, Gold Glove
• 3x batting champ ('64, '65, '71)
• One-franchise man with MIN
• Led league in hits 5x, 2B 4x
• Hit 4 homers in extra innings
• Never struck out more than 72x
• Averaged 21 HR & 92 RBI per 162
• Was a 5-tool player before injuries
• Hit the first-ever home run by a DH
• Had the first-ever 3-HR game by a DH
• .314 BA and .928 OPS in the postseason
• MVP votes in 8 seasons, MVP runner-up 2x
• 1 of 35 Expansion Era (since 1961) players to record a season with at least 374 total bases (1964)
• During his run of 8 straight All-Star seasons from 1964-71, had the 5th-most hits in baseball, trailing only Pete Rose, Lou Brock, Billy Williams, and Roberto Clemente, while coming in ahead of Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, and other greats