Kent Hrbek - Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout

Copyright 2007, 2012, 2019 by Kent Hrbek and Dennis Brackin

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sports Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Sports Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sports Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Sports Publishing is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.sportspubbooks.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit: TK

ISBN: 978-1-68358-282-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-285-4

Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATED TO THE MINNESOTA TWINS AND THEIR GREAT FANS

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

The Twins Way

WHENEVER THE TWINS ARE SUCCESSFUL, LIKE they were in 2006, I hear people talking about the Twins way. The Twins way is heavy on respect for the game, heavy on fundamentals, and heavy on fun.

I think what people are calling the Twins way started about the time Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, and I walked into the Twins clubhouse for our first full year together in 1982. It had almost as much to do with cleaning fish in the clubhouseuntil it got bannedas anything that happened on the field.

You could say we were a little different. One thing about my big-league career is that I did it the way I was taughtthe old-fashioned way, some might call it.

Had a ton of fun. Didnt spend much time working out or watching what I ate. And I got out when I was 34 years old so I wouldnt miss my daughters birthday parties and school plays, like I had watched so many of my teammates do.

Oh, did I mention I also have two World Series rings? Thats the reason I played this game. Personal stats? Overrated.

Late in my career a writer told me a prominent executive from another American League club had once said, based on my physical frame and swing, I could have been one of the all-time greats. My numbers, he said, should have been Hall of Fame.

I think the writer thought Id feel bad or something, like I hadnt lived up to my potential. I felt I lived up to my potential. Maybe I could have done things better. But who knows? My main goal was to win a World Series, and I was lucky enough to win two.

I think I was lying on the dugout bench at the time, watching some of my teammates stretch.

People will tell you I was never much for wind sprints or pregame stretching.

Homegrown

I look back at my career and wonder how lucky could one guy be. I grew up a couple miles from the old Metropolitan Stadium, and I was a huge Twins fan. I played at Bloomington Kennedy High School, got drafted by the Twins, reached the majors with my hometown team at the age of 21, and played my whole career with one team.

Stop and think for a minute about how often that happens. How many kids get to play in the big leagues for their hometown team? And not only that but hit a grand slam in the World Series and help their team win two Series titles. That just doesnt happen, especially in baseball today where guys jump teams as soon as they get a better offer. A lot of people have described me as a throwback, and Im proud of that. Loyaltyto my team and my statehas always meant a lot to me. It just wouldnt have been the same to me playing in the big leagues for anybody but the Twins.

And today, I still live in the same Bloomington house that I did as a player, a couple miles from where I grew up. The difference from my playing days is that I live in the house alone after my wifeah, I better make that former wifeJeanie and I divorced in 2018. Thats one of the toughest things Ive ever gone through, and Im fortunate to have family and friends close by. Fortunate, too, to have Heidi, my daughter, move back to the house last summer during her college break, which came at a time I didnt want to be alone.

Living in Bloomington helped me, too. I guess the best way to say it is its home. The ballpark where I played as a kidValley Viewnow has a four-field baseball complex that is named Kent Hrbek Fields. Can you believe that? Thats cool as heck. Ive got buddies I went to school with, and theyll tell me: My kid is playing at Hrbek Fields this week. It feels pretty weird to hear them talking about a field named after me. I always thought they named fields after people who had died. And Im not dead yet.

Growing Up Fast

But as much fun as it was, and as lucky as I was, it wasnt all a joyride. I was 21 years old, playing Class-A ball in Visalia, California, when I got the call. My mom told me that my dad had been to the doctor, and they thought he had Lou Gehrigs disease. I didnt even know what that was. All I knew was that Lou Gehrig had died from it.

I immediately told them I was coming home, and they said, No, youre not. Were coming out there to see you. They didnt have the money to be flying around like thatmy dad worked for the gas company, my mother had been a stay-at-home mom for me, my brother, and my sisterbut they hopped on a plane and flew out to see me.

My dad didnt seem sick at all when they came out, so that made me feel a little better. But I soon learned how fast the disease progresses. Mom said she had noticed some slurred speech, and he dragged his foot a little, but that happened mostly when he came back from his weekly bowling outing, and she thought maybe he had just had a few cocktails. But she kept noticing it, kept on him to go to the doctor, and thats how they found out.

I wanted to come home, but they wanted me to stay in California and play ball. My dad told me: I got you here. Im going to be at home, taking care of Mom. You keep going with what youre doing here.

Those were probably the best words my dad ever told me. When I look back, that conversation cleared my mind. From that point, my whole incentive was to get back home and get called up by the Twins.

Heading Home

I had a great year at Visalia, batting .379 with 27 homers and 111 RBIs in 121 games. I walked into the clubhouse on August 22, and five or six of the guys were already there.

They said SkipDick Phillipswanted to talk to me. I went in thinking, Geez, Im getting called up to AA. I remember the first thing Phillips said to me was, Hrbie, the Twins are playing in New York Monday night, and Billy Gardner wants you to play first. I just stood there. No response. I couldnt believe it. Finally, the first thing I said was, How do I get there?

I was fired up, because I knew I was going home.

The Debut

On Monday night, I was in the lineup, playing first base at Yankee Stadium where Lou Gehrig once played. I look back now and that seems pretty ironic. A few months earlier I had learned my dad was dying of Lou Gehrigs disease, and my first taste of the big leagues was standing on the same piece of ground where Lou Gehrig played. I hit a home run in the 12th inning to win that game. Exciting? I was up all night calling everyone back home.