After turning their season around in June, the 2006 Minnesota Twins cultivated some of the most iconic moments in franchise history the following month.
In a July 24-26 series at the Chicago White Sox, the Twins swept all three from the Pale Hose: 7-4 (12 hits), 4-3 (9 hits), & 7-4 (16 hits). In one media presser, enigmatic Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen referred to the Twins as “Little Piranhas” for their ability to play smart baseball and take advantage of all opportunities (offense, defense, & the base paths)
to procure victories. Ozzie was well aware that Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, & Michael Cuddyer could bash the ball around—but it was guys like Luis Castillo, Nick Punto, Jason Bartlett, & Jason Tyner (in header image) that infuriated him in defeat.
The piranhas nickname not only stuck, but became a term of endearment—inspiring unique merchandise and an all-time classic commercial:
Meanwhile, amidst such aquatic ambiance, an in-house slogan was also created. Veteran backup catcher Mike Redmond—perhaps best known for taking batting practice in the buff—began flicking the side of his nose with his index figure after key run-scoring knocks by himself or others. “Smelling” RBI, as it were.
This “Smell ‘em” gesture caught on and inspired an epically popular t-shirt in the summer of ‘06. Though not from ‘06, this 2009 moment of Red legging out a triple shows exactly how beloved he was in the Twins organization. The broadcast & dugout reactions are priceless! (Skip to 5:26 for the big moment):
Through all of this, SP Francisco Lirano remained nearly un-hittable every fifth day. His July ‘06 bump turns…
- 7/2 vs. Milwaukee: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
- 7/8 @ Texas: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
- 7/13 vs. Cleveland: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (the one dud—couldn’t avoid 3 HR)
- 7/18 vs. Tampa Bay: 8.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
- 7/23 @ Cleveland: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (a measure of revenge!)
- 7/28 vs. Detroit: 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 12 K
The Twins closed out July of 2006 with a 15-2, 18-hit thumping of the Texas Rangers including 2 HR from Josh Rabe and a 4-4 (4 R, 3 RBI, 1 3B) performance from Punto.
The good news: a 61-43 record!
The bad news: still at 3rd place in the AL Central, 1.0 GB the ChiSox & 8.5 GB the seemingly-never-losing Tigers.
