MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins today announced further details regarding this weekend’s Twins Hall of Fame celebrations at Target Field, presented by Coordinated Business Systems – the first induction class of at least three since the inaugural group of six in 2000. The club will induct former manager Ron Gardenhire during pregame ceremonies on Saturday, August 20, followed by former outfielder and current broadcaster Dan Gladden, along with former multi-positional player César Tovar on Sunday, August 21. Sixteen members of the Twins Hall of Fame are scheduled to be in attendance to help celebrate Gardenhire, the second-winningest manager in team history; Gladden, who won a pair of World Series as a player before embarking on his current multi-decade run in the broadcast booth; and Tovar, a beloved sparkplug for Minnesota’s first two division championship teams. The trio will become the 35th, 36th and 37th members, respectively, of the Twins Hall of Fame.
Tickets for all four games of the Twins vs. Texas Rangers wraparound weekend series (Friday, August 19 through Monday, August 22) are available for purchase via twinsbaseball.com, by calling 612-33-TWINS or 1-800-33-TWINS, or in-person at the Target Field Ticket Office.
Additional Twins Hall of Famers scheduled to be in attendance this weekend are: Jerry Bell, Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Michael Cuddyer, Gary Gaetti, Greg Gagne, John Gordon, Eddie Guardado, Kent Hrbek, Torii Hunter, Tom Kelly, Andy MacPhail, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Tony Oliva and Jim Rantz.
More on this weekend’s special events, theme nights and gate giveaways:
Friday, August 19 vs. Texas Rangers (7:10 p.m.; gates open at 5:00 p.m.)
Saturday, August 20 vs. Texas Rangers (6:10 p.m.; gates open at 4:00 p.m.); Ron Gardenhire Twins Hall of Fame Induction presented by Coordinated Business Systems
Sunday, August 21 vs. Texas Rangers (1:10 p.m.; gates open at 11:00 a.m.); Dan Gladden and César Tovar Twins Hall of Fame Inductions, presented by Coordinated Business Solutions
Monday, August 22 vs. Texas Rangers (6:10 p.m.; gates open at 5:00 p.m.)
More on the Twins Hall of Fame and the Class of 2022:
Gardenhire managed the Twins for 13 seasons from 2002-14 and compiled a record of 1,068-1,039 (.507), marking the second-most wins in club history, trailing only fellow Twins Hall of Famer Tom Kelly (1,140-1,244, .478). Prior to becoming the skipper of the Twins, “Gardy” held the post of third base coach for 11 seasons, including during the team’s 1991 World Series Championship run. The Butzbach, Germany native managed the club to 90-plus wins five times and won the American League Central title in six of his 13 seasons (2002, ’03, ’04, ’06, ’09 and ’10). He was named the American League Manager of the Year in 2010 and finished as runner-up for the award in 2003, ’04, ’06, ’08 and ’09. He was also named Baseball America AL Manager of the Year in 2008 and The Sporting News AL Manager of the Year in 2010.
Gladden has spent 28 seasons with the Twins organization in several capacities, including five as a player from 1987-91 and 22 as a radio broadcaster since 2000. The fiery leadoff hitter was a key member of the 1987 and 1991 World Series Championship teams and ranks first on the club’s all-time Postseason list in runs scored (17) and stolen bases (7) and is tied for first in games (24), while ranking second in hits (29), doubles (6) and RBI (15). He scored one of the most iconic runs in Twins history, the championship-winning tally in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. The San Jose, California native hit .268 (661-for-2,470) with 117 doubles, 26 triples, 38 home runs, 238 RBI, 358 runs scored and 116 stolen bases in 644 career games with Minnesota. After his playing career, he joined the Twins radio broadcast team in 2000 and 2021 marked his 19th season as the full-time analyst. He is the fifth-longest tenured radio or television broadcaster in club history, behind Herb Carneal (46 seasons from 1961-2006), Dick Bremer (38 seasons from 1983-2021), Bert Blyleven (26 seasons from 1995-2020) and John Gordon (25 seasons from 1987-2011).
Tovar played eight seasons with the Twins from 1965-1972, hitting .281 (1164-for-4142) with 193 doubles, 45 triples, 38 home runs, 319 RBI, 646 runs scored and 186 stolen bases in 1,090 games. The utilityman, who passed away in 1994, is third on Minnesota’s all-time list in stolen bases, seventh in triples, 11th in hits and at-bats, tied for 11th in runs scored, 13th in doubles and 15th in games played. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Tovar led the American League in doubles (36) and triples (13) in 1970 and hits in 1971 (204). He also finished seventh in the AL Most Valuable Player voting in 1967, after hitting .267 (173-for-649) with 32 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 47 RBI and 98 runs scored in an MLB-leading 164 games. On September 22, 1968, he became the second player in AL/NL history to play all nine positions in the same game, doing so in the Twins’ 2-1 victory over Oakland. Tovar played in six Postseason games with Minnesota from 1969-70, going 6-for-26 with one triple, one RBI, two runs scored, one walk and one stolen base.
Gladden and Tovar were elected by a 67-member committee consisting of local and national media, club officials, fans and past elected members, using rules similar to those necessary for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Gardenhire was elected by a smaller “Veterans Committee,” consisting of living Twins Hall of Famers, Twins executives and local historians, and using the same rules as the player ballot committee.
The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the United Healthcare Suite Level at Target Field, as well as on Target Plaza and in the Minor League Clubhouse at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida.