Former Twins stars Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva set for Hall of Fame induction

Betsy Helfand, Pioneer Press
·4 min read
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The phone call came in on a Sunday afternoon early in December to Jim Kaat in Florida and Tony Oliva at home in Minnesota. After decades of waiting, both of the former Twins stars picked up the call and got the news of a lifetime: come July, they would be enshrined in Cooperstown, forever recognized among the greatest to ever play the game.

The months that followed have been “happy chaos,” Kaat said.

“That’s really what it’s been. It’s been an unbelievable ride since I got that phone call, but (like) with a young player when they say, ‘Slow down the game.’ I’m trying to do that,” Kaat said last week. “Just take it as it comes and stay in the moment, and I’m sure come July 24, it’ll be a little more of an emotional day.”

On Sunday, Kaat, 83, and Oliva, 84, will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside another former Twins player, David Ortiz. Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso, Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil also will be enshrined posthumously. The ceremony will start at 12:30 p.m. CT and be aired on MLB Network.

The duo will become the fifth and sixth players to join baseball’s Hall of Fame as Twins, entering an elite club that includes Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven.

Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said he expects a few thousand Twins fans to make the trip to upstate New York to celebrate Kaat and Oliva’s careers. That includes 25-30 members of the Twins’ front office.

As part of the weekend, the Twins are hosting a party for 400-500 people on Saturday night for friends and family of the duo as well as former Twins players, sponsors and season ticket holders.

“It’s an exciting time; a lot of planning has gone into this and coordination,” St. Peter said. “We just couldn’t be more thrilled or more honored to have not one, but two members of this year’s class wearing a Twins cap. We think that’s a pretty special, unique opportunity, and we’re trying to do it right.”

And not just this weekend.

The Twins have been honoring the pair throughout the past seven months.

For Kaat, in part that meant retiring his jersey No. 36 last Saturday ahead of a game against the White Sox, another one of his former teams. Kaat became just the ninth Twin to have his number retired by the organization.

For Oliva, in part that meant helping fulfill his dream of having his younger brother, Juan Carlos, who lives in Cuba, in attendance for the ceremony. The Twins, led by senior manager of international administration and education Amanda Daley, worked with Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to obtain a travel visa to make Oliva’s wish a reality.

“I was very, very happy to see him be able to come to the United States and be here,” Oliva said. “A lot of people had to work really hard to make sure he was able to be here.”

And now Juan Carlos will be there to see the fruits of Tony’s hard work.

Oliva was the 1964 American League Rookie of the Year, an eight-time all-star, twice the Most Valuable Player runner up, a three-time AL batting champion and a career .304 hitter during his 15-year playing career, all of which came in Minnesota.

Kaat’s career, which is highlighted by his longevity, lasted 25 years, spanning four different decades. During it, he won 283 games, posted a 3.45 career earned-run average and in 14 seasons, threw more than 200 innings, a mark of his durability. Kaat finished his career with 180 complete games and after playing, became an award-winning broadcaster.

Sunday, plaques summarizing those careers will be unveiled in Cooperstown as the duo joins baseball’s best on a momentous day for both them and the Twins organization as a whole.

“We appreciate these guys, not just for what they accomplished on the field — and we think they were deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame many years ago — but I think we’re even more proud of who they are as ambassadors for our game and the people they are and the class that they both demonstrate every single day,” St. Peter said. “It’s a unique opportunity for our franchise to celebrate a pair of Hall of Famers in the same class.”

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