Joe Mauer, newest baseball Hall of Famer, played for Rochester Red Wings in rookie year
Rochester caught a glimpse of Joe Mauer's greatness nearly two decades ago.
Mauer, who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Tuesday, was such a phenom that he initially skipped over the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in 2004.
The 2001 No. 1 overall pick by Minnesota was named the opening day starter for the Twins in 2004. A rehab stint the next month meant a stop in Rochester.
"One day fans in Rochester may look back and say, 'Remember when we saw Joe Mauer play for the Wings?'" then-Democrat and Chronicle sports columnist Scott Pitoniak wrote on May 29, 2004, of Joe Mauer’s debut as a Rochester Red Wing.
Today is that day.
Mauer made the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, and lucky Red Wings fans in spring 2004 and again in 2018 can truly say they saw a legend play.
Joe Mauer's debut with Rochester Red Wings
Mauer played five games with the Wings on his way up to Major League Baseball stardom with the Minnesota Twins. In his debut on May 28, 2004, he had a sacrifice fly, a double and two strikeouts.
"Mauer struck out again in the eighth, giving him one more strikeout in the game than in his entire high school career," wrote D&C sportswriter Ben Jacobs. “These (pitchers) up here, they’re a lot better than what I’ve faced recently,” Mauer said. “The timing’s a little messed up right now. That’s why I’m here.”
Pitoniak in his column elaborated on the meaning of the moment:
"Joe Mauer, the top prospect in all of baseball, was making his Red Wings debut, and as you watched the strapping 6-foot-4, 220-pound catcher take his cuts as Rochester’s designated hitter, you couldn’t help but feel as if you were watching history on deck."
Indeed.
In those five games in 2004, Mauer earned six hits in 19 at bats with three doubles, two runs batted in and a walk, according to Baseball Reference.
One more trip to Rochester
Late in his Hall of Fame career, Mauer returned to the Red Wings on a rehab stint in 2018, going 0-for-10 over three games. By then, of course, he’d already made his mark as an all-timer in the Majors. Mauer retired after the 2018 season.
Joe Mauer elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Joe Mauer received 293 votes on 385 ballots votes for 76.1%, meeting the 75% threshold. Adrián Beltré and Todd Helton were also elected, while Billy Wagner and Gary Sheffield fell short.
Mauer will be inducted at Cooperstown on July 21.
Mauer was a six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and the 2009 AL MVP during 15 seasons with Minnesota. He is the only catcher to win three batting titles, and he became just the 20th player in the Hall who was primarily a catcher. He hit .306 with 143 homers and 906 RBIs with Minnesota from 2004-18.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Joe Mauer, elected to baseball Hall of Fame, once played in Rochester
