On Wednesday in Detroit,
Justin Morneau - who we fondly refer to as The Canadian Crusher - smashed his 30th homerun and 101st RBI of the year in the
Twins' 4-3 win over the
Tigers. It had been since I was in Kindergarten that any Twin hit 30 homeruns in a single season. We're talking
Gary Gaetti,
Tom Brunansky and
Kent Hrbek. We're talking 1987. With 45 games left on the year, it looks like Justin will have plenty of opportunities to reach that elusive 40 mark.
Speaking of 40 homers in a season... Hall of Famer and Twins Legend
Harmon Killebrew, who clobbered 573 longballs in his impressive 22-year career in the Majors and dominated as Minnesota's power hitter for 14 years, not only had seven 40+ home run seasons, but was the one and only player ever to do so for the club. Killer also hit 42 homers in 1959 for the
Washington Senators. The last time he accomplished this was back in 1970.
On Monday morning at the
Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake, Minnesota, during the Third Annual Killebrew Classic charity golf tournament, Harmon mentioned that he thought it would be pretty sweet if Morneau joined the cool kid club.
"He's sure on a pace to reach that number, and I hope it happens," Killebrew said. "We need that on this club. And he's the guy to do it." The number 40 has been on the lips of many optimistic Twins fans since Morneau's rookie season, as power has always been expected from the 25-year-old first baseman.
The Twins are sitting a measly 3 games back of the
White Sox for the American League Wild Card lead. With a series coming up this weekend against Chicago, every game counts. And if there's one lumberjack Twins fans have faith in, it's Morneau. He's hitting .412 with runners in scoring position and .318 as a whole on the season. In 418 at bats, he has 133 hits (25 doubles) with 248 total bases, 103 RBIs, 30 home runs and 67 runs scored. He has struck out 68 times and walked 33, bringing his on-base-percentage to .370. Way to go, slugger!
"The first time I saw him, you knew he was going to have a lot of power and hit long balls," Killebrew said of Morneau. "But to see him come through like he's done this year is really just amazing. The thing that excites me is that he's doing a great job defensively at first base, he's very patient at the plate, he's got a good strike zone and when he gets his pitch, he's been able to hit them and hit them at the right time. I just really have enjoyed watching [him]."
There's a possibility Justin will be awarded the team MVP honor this year for his outstanding achievements and all-around great hitting. But he faces some hardcore competition in the American League MVP voting this year, since
Big Papi is awesome no matter how many games the
Red Sox lose. When your season is being compared to the likes of baseball legend Harmon Killebrew, how could he not get a second look? Besides, Morneau is a great defensive player as well. What has Ortiz done defensively lately for Boston? Oh wait, that's right. He's their DH. He sits on the bench while everyone else gets three outs. Just kidding, Ortiz is awesome...
unless you put him in a Twins uni. Right?
