The Minnesota Twins will retire former pitcher Jim Kaat’s No. 36 during a pregame ceremony on July 16.
Kaat was elected to the Hall of Fame last month by the Golden Days Era committee and will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 24.
Kaat will be the ninth Twins player or manager to have his number retired, joining Harmon Killebrew (No. 3), Rod Carew (No. 29), Tony Oliva (No. 6), Kent Hrbek (No. 14), Kirby Puckett (No. 34), Bert Blyleven (No. 28), Tom Kelly (No. 10) and Joe Mauer (No. 7).
“For more than sixty years, Jim Kaat has been an important part of the fabric of the Minnesota Twins organization,” Twins executive chair Jim Pohlad said in a statement. “With ‘Kitty’s’ storied career on the field as well as his accolades in the broadcast booth and his contributions in the community in mind, the Twins family is proud to bestow our highest honor with the retirement of his jersey — number 36.”
Kaat, 83, was a three-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove winner who went 283-237 with a 3.45 ERA in 898 appearances (625 starts). He spent 14 1/2 seasons with the Twins’ franchise (counting two in Washington before a relocation prior to the 1961 season) and also pitched for four other teams before retiring after the 1983 season.
–Field Level Media