The Minnesota Twins announced today that former Twins outfielder Torii Hunter and former radio broadcaster John Gordon have been elected to the club's Hall of Fame. Hunter and Gordon will become the 27th and 28th members of the Twins Hall of Fame when they are inducted during separate on-field pre-game ceremonies scheduled for Hall of Fame Weekend, July 16-17 when the Twins host the Cleveland Indians at Target Field.
The Twins Hall of Fame, which honors players, managers, coaches and off-field personnel who have contributed to the organization's growth and success since Minnesota broke into the major leagues in 1961, was created as part of the club's 40th Season Celebration in 2000. The inaugural class of Twins Hall of Famers-Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and Calvin Griffith- inducted on August 12, 2000. Other inductees include: pitcher Jim Kaat (2001), broadcaster Herb Carneal (2001), pitcher Bert Blyleven (2002), manager Tom Kelly (2002), long-time public address announcer Bob Casey (2003), outfielder Bob Allison (2003), catcher Earl Battey (2004), pitcher Frank Viola (2005), owner Carl Pohlad (2005), shortstop Zoilo Versalles (2006), third baseman Gary Gaetti (2007), farm director Jim Rantz (2007), pitcher Rick Aguilera (2008), pitcher Brad Radke (2009), farm and scouting director George Brophy (2009), shortstop Greg Gagne (2010), pitcher Jim Perry (2011), pitcher Camilo Pascual (2012), pitcher Eddie Guardado (2013) and director of media relations Tom Mee (2013). Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch was elected in 2014 but not inducted.
"The Pohlad family and entire Minnesota Twins organization would like to congratulate both Torii Hunter and John Gordon on their election to the Twins Hall of Fame," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "Both Torii and John are richly deserving of this incredible honor for their many contributions to this franchise - both on the field and in the broadcast booth. It's fitting that Torii and John will be inducted on the same weekend considering they are two of the biggest personalities and greatest ambassadors the Twins organization has ever known."
Hunter played 19 years in the major leagues, including 12 seasons with the Twins from 1997-2007 and again in 2015. He finished his Twins career playing in 1,373 games with 1,343 hits, 281 doubles, 26 triples, 214 home runs, 792 RBI, 739 runs, 354 walks and 128 stolen bases. Hunter was a five-time All-Star with the Twins, Angels and Tigers, won nine Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and won two Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards over his 19-year career. The Pine Bluff, AR, native was drafted by the Twins in the first round (20th overall) of the 1993 First-Year Player Draft and ranks fifth on the Twins all-time list in home runs, sixth in RBI and extra-base hits (521), and seventh in games, hits, doubles, runs and total bases (2,318).
Gordon spent 25 seasons as the Twins Radio play-by-play voice, joining the Twins in 1987. The Detroit, MI native began his broadcasting career with the Spartanburg Phillies in 1965 after graduating from Indiana University. After five years with Spartanburg, Gordon joined the Baltimore Orioles where he remained until 1973, when he accepted the broadcasting job at the University of Virginia to become the voice of Cavaliers football and basketball. From there, he joined the Yankees Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers from 1977-81, before moving to New York in 1982. For his work with the Spartanburg Phillies, Gordon was inducted into the South Atlantic League's Hall of Fame on June 19, 2001. He was also inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame on October 10, 2008. He called his final game on September 28, 2011 and has the Twins radio booth named in his honor.
Hunter was elected by a 66-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, NY. The 66-member committee annually considers "player" personnel for induction into the Twins Hall of Fame.
Gordon was elected through the "Non-Player" Committee ballot, which consists of 23 voters; voting participants include all living Twins Hall of Famers, current Twins President and General Manager, Twins Hall of Fame Committee members and Minnesota Baseball historians.
The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the Target Field Suite Level as well as on Target Plaza and in the Minor League Clubhouse at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Ft. Myers, FL.
Single-game tickets to the Twins Hall of Fame induction game and all Twins home games go on-sale February 20 and will be available via twinsbaseball.com, by calling (612) 33-TWINS, (800) 33-TWINS or in-person at the Target Field Box Office.