Joe Mauer Got Inducted Into The Twins Hall Of Fame Last Night And They Included The Only Man To Ever Strike Out Mauer In High School
What a cool night for Joe Mauer as he got inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. I feel like Mauer was underrated his whole damn career just because he played in Minnesota and all he did was show up and play awesome baseball. He's a 6-time All Star, MVP, the only catcher to win 3 batting titles, won 3 Gold Gloves and put together some damn good numbers. Hit .306, .388 OBP, slugged .439, had 2,123 hits, 143 home runs, 923 runs batted in, and only 1,034 strikeouts in 1,858 career games. He only struck out more than 100 times in a season once, insanely impressive.
Why do I bring up the strikeout numbers? Because last night during his ceremony the Twins brought out the only man to EVER strike out Joe Mauer in high school. Yes, you heard that right. Joe Mauer struck out one time in high school. That's it.
I think I had 1 at-bat in high school and struck out once, Mauer probably had 200-300 at-bats in high school and only got sent back to the dugout once. Just an incredible stat but really tells you what kind of player he was. An unreal hitter with a fantastic eye. Kind of crazy in an age where everyone was striking out at least 150 times a year and he was almost impossible to K. High school Mauer must have been a PROBLEM at the plate. Especially for a guy his size, those guys usually K a decent amount.
But the only pitcher to conquer the mountain was a man named Paul Feiner. Probably works an insurance job now but will always be able to say he was the only guy who struck out Mauer in high school. To me, Feiner won the ceremony. Who cares about Joe? Give this guy all the shine. Just being able to say "I'm the only guy who struck out Joe Mauer in high school" carries a ton of weight. Cool day for Mauer and his family, but cooler day for Paul Feiner.