Twins announce plans to retire Tom Kelly's Number 10
Will become seventh Twins player to have number retired
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they will honor two-time World Championship Manager Tom Kelly by retiring his uniform number 10 during a pre-game celebration as part of Tom Kelly Day, when the Twins host the Cleveland Indians on September 8.
Kelly, 61, joins Harmon Killebrew (No. 3 -- 1975), Rod Carew (No. 29 -- 1987), Tony Oliva (No. 6 -- 1991), Kent Hrbek (No. 14 -- 1995), Kirby Puckett (No. 34 -- 1997) and Bert Blyleven (No. 28 – 2011) as the seventh Twin to have his number retired by the organization. The Twins, in conjunction with all of Major League Baseball, retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in 1997.
Kelly is the Twins All-Time leader and ranks 43rd on Major League’s Baseball All-Time list with 1140 managerial wins. He also had a postseason record of 16-8, winning the 1987 World Series and the 1991 World Series.
“Few, if any individuals have had as much direct impact on the success of the Twins franchise as Tom Kelly,” said Twins CEO Jim Pohlad. “Over a 41-year career with the Twins organization, Tom has helped ensure high standards on and off the field and has always demonstrated the utmost respect for the game. It is our honor to celebrate Tom’s remarkable career by forever retiring his famed No. 10.”
Kelly was originally drafted by the Seattle Pilots in the fifth round of the 1968 First-Year Player Draft. He has been a part of the Twins organization for 41 years, after signing as a free agent in April of 1971. Kelly, who was born in Graceville, MN, became the 12th native Minnesotan to play for the Twins when he made his Major League debut on May 11, 1975.
He began his coaching career as a player/manager for Tacoma in 1977, before managing Single-A Visalia (1979-80) and Double-A Orlando (1981-82). In 1983 he was named the Twins third base coach, a position he held until being named manager on September 12. Kelly became the fifth person to be a Twins player, coach and manager, joining Billy Gardner, Johnny Goryl, Billy Martin and Frank Quilici.
In 1987, Kelly was named American League Manager of the Year by the UPI, when he became the youngest manager (37) to lead his club into the American League Championship Series. That year he went on to become the 18th rookie manager to guide his team to the World Series, and the fifth rookie manager to win it.
In 1991, Kelly became the third manager in history to win two-or-more World Series without a defeat. In addition, he was named the American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Kelly continues to provide instruction in the Twins organization, serving as a special assistant to Executive Vice President/General Manager Terry Ryan.