Tony Oliva and the Solar Eclipse
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Why I like this photo: Here’s a photo from 1962 when Tony was playing for Charlotte in the South Atlantic League (SALLY). Before joining the Twins late in the year, Tony hit a whopping .350/17/93 in 127 games for the Hornets. Although I have no proof to the contrary, I am certain that this photo was taken during a solar eclipse on June 14, 1962 prior to a game against Nashville.
Random Tony Oliva Stat: Even though Twins fan believe Tony should be in the Hall of Fame, his career certainly didn’t start out on a great note. Tony struck out in his very first at-bat with the Twins. He replaced pitcher Frank Sullivan and was struck out by Bob Humphreys for the second out of the ninth inning. Earlier in the inning, Bernie Allen homered to cut the Tiger lead to 10-9, before Humphrey retired three straight for the save. Despite his auspicious start, Tony hit a blistering .444 in 9 games. Perhaps it was the game on September 14, 1962 that hinted at what Twins fan would see for the next 15 years. In that game, Tony went 2-3, 2 Runs, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 2B. On the flip side, he was picked off first base by Indian catcher Johnny Romano.