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Originally Posted by roarfrom34
Mike...great Japanese magazines (I don't believe I've seen that '85 issue before).
Circling back to Cal Jr. and the Metrodome, here is the Twins dugout lineup card (signed/inscribed) from Cal's 3000th career hit in 2000. Not only was it a significant game in his career, but it holds a lot of personal memories for me as well (since I was there).
In April when most of my buddies were planning golf trips to Hilton Head and the like, I was planning a trip to Minneapolis on the CHANCE that I'd see Cal get the milestone hit (going into the series, he was four hits shy).
Friday night he got a hit and for the Saturday night game he needed three hits because unbeknownst to me, he wasn't playing Sunday b/c the Orioles would have preferred he got it at home (which due to a work commitment I would be unable to attend).
Anyways, the baseball gods must have been looking down at me since after making an out in his first AB, he got the three hits he needed in the next three AB's:
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Very cool. My Mom picked up a few lineup cards for me about 20 years ago. (Yes, my parents used to go to card shows to look for Puckett stuff while I was out in Philly.)
The lineup cards have been tucked away, but yours looked very familiar so I had to pull mine out. The first is from 4/29/1993 and is also the Orioles vs Twins. The lineup form is exactly the same as your 2000 version, so I think what I have is authentic. Unfortunately I do not have any HOF signatures on mine!
The game featured Mike Mussina vs Pat Mahomes, with Mussina dominating in an 11-0 complete game shutout in Baltimore, giving up only five hits. Puckett, Winfield, Ripken, Baines and Mussina were the HOF participants.
Strangely, the other lineup card I have is a week later when the Orioles were playing the Twins again on 5/5/1993 at the Metrodome This time Mussina pitched a complete game shutout to beat the Twins 3-0 with Willie Banks taking the loss. The Twins could only muster two hits.
These should probably get into the hands of a Mussina collector.