Eddie Guardado and Tom Mee to be inducted into Twins Hall of Fame

MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Twins today announced plans to honor former left-handed pitcher and two-time All-Star, Eddie Guardado, along with former Director of Public Relations, Tom Mee. Guardado and Mee will become the 25th and 26th members of the Twins Hall of Fame when they are inducted during a special on-field pre-game ceremony June 14, when the Twins host the Detroit Tigers at Target Field.

The first 5,000 fans will receive Eddie Guardado and Tom Mee Twins Hall of Fame pins courtesy of Fisher Nuts.

Pregame plans include:

5:30 p.m. - A ceremonial plaque unveiling on the 7th Street side of Target Plaza

7:00 p.m. - The special pregame ceremony emceed by Dick Bremer begins. The ceremony will feature:

• Two videos (one for each inductee) featuring photos and interviews with current and former Twins
• Twins Hall of Fame Chairman Rod Carew presents the Twins Hall of Fame jacket to Eddie Guardado
• Twins Hall of Fame Chairman Rod Carew presents the Twins Hall of Fame jacket to Tom Mee
• An unveiling of both Twins Hall of Fame prints on the field
• Eddie Guardado throws a ceremonial first pitch to Terry Steinbach
• Tom Mee throws a ceremonial first pitch to Tom Brunansky

7:35 p.m. - Play Ball!

Among the current members of the Twins Hall of Fame scheduled to attend the ceremony honoring Guardado and Mee are Rick Aguilera, Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek, Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva, Jim Perry, Brad Radke and Jim Rantz.

Eddie Guardado played 17 years in the major leagues, including 12 seasons with the Twins from 1993-2003 and was traded back to the Twins in 2008. "Every Day Eddie" is the Twins all-time leader in games, appearing in 648 throughout his career, recording at least 60 appearances in eight different seasons. The two-time All-Star became the club's closer from 2001-03 and helped lead the club to two division titles. He led the AL with 45 saves in 2002, while his 116 career saves as a Twin rank third-most in club history. His 83 games in 1996 and 45 saves in 2002 both rank second on the Twins all-time single season lists. He is one of just three pitchers in Twins history to record 40-plus saves in consecutive season, having done it in 2002 (45) and 2003 (41). Additionally, he is the Twins all-time leader in innings (579.0) for a reliever, and ranks second among Twins relievers in strikeouts (550) and wins (34). The Stockton, California native was drafted by the Twins in the 21st round of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft and spent parts of his major league career with Seattle, Cincinnati and Texas. The left-hander was named one of the "50 Greatest Twins" in 2010.

Tom Mee began his career in 1957 and was witness to the Twins' first baseball game in 1961. Widely regarded as the organization's first employee, Mee had many roles within the organization, including serving as the club's backup radio and television announcer and public address speaker. He was most well-known for his role as Director of Media Relations, a position he held for 30 years. The St. Paul native received the Robert O. Fischel award for Public Relations excellence in 1988 before retiring in 1991. He was the second ever recipient of the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Mee, who also served as the official scorer after retirement, dedicated his life to baseball in Minnesota and is vastly responsible for the Twins' rich history. The Tom Mee Library, which is located in the Baseball Communications office at Target Field, is named in his honor.

The Twins Hall of Fame, which honors players, managers, coaches and off-field personnel 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 - were inducted on Aug. 12, 2000. Other inductees include pitcher Jim Kaat (2001), broadcaster Herb Carneal (2001), pitcher Bert Blyleven (2002), former 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), Minor League director Jim Rantz(2007), third baseman Gary Gaetti (2007), pitcher Rick Aguilera (2008), pitcher Brad Radke(2009), farm and scouting director George Brophy (2009), shortstop Greg Gagne (2010), pitcher Jim Perry (2011) and pitcher Camilo Pascual (2012).

Tickets to the Twins Hall of Fame induction game and all Twins home games are available at www.twinsbaseball.com, by calling 612-33-TWINS or 800-33-TWINS, at the Target Field ticket office and at Twins Pro Shop locations in Apple Valley, Minnetonka and Roseville.