MINNEAPOLIS — Expecting a perfunctory meeting about logistics for Cooperstown, Jim Kaat joined a Twins video call on Dec. 20. He was shocked to find Twins royalty waiting for him.
Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Joe Mauer, Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek — the six living Twins whose numbers have been retired by the team — congratulated Kaat for joining their ranks. Kaat's No. 36, which he wore while winning 189 games, more than any pitcher in Minnesota history, will be raised alongside theirs in a ceremony next summer, Carew told his former teammate.
"It was supposed to be a half-hour call, but they started telling baseball stories, and it ended up being an hour and a half," Twins president Dave St. Peter said in confirming the news that the team announced publicly Wednesday morning. "They could probably still be going, too."
The retirement ceremony will be July 16 before a game against the Chicago White Sox, a team for which Kaat also had great success.
His 36 will be the 10th number retired by the Twins, joining Nos. 3 (Harmon Killebrew), 6 (Oliva), 7 (Mauer), 10 (Kelly), 14 (Hrbek), 28 (Blyleven), 29 (Carew), 34 (Kirby Puckett), and 42 (Jackie Robinson, retired leaguewide in 1997).
"The winningest pitcher in Twins history — we probably should have done this a lot sooner," St. Peter said. "But with Jim going into the Hall of Fame this summer, it felt like the ideal time to show our appreciation for his tremendous career."
Kaat and Oliva were elected to the Hall of Fame in December, ending decades of waiting for a spot in Cooperstown. They will be inducted on July 24.
The 83-year-old left-hander became a full-time big-leaguer in 1961, the Twins' first season in Minnesota, and he remained with the team for 13 seasons. In addition to his 189 victories, 40 more than Blyleven's second-highest total, Kaat also holds the Twins record for starts (422), innings pitched (2,862), and losses. His 91 wins at Metropolitan Stadium also represent the most in that park.
During his 25-season career — he also pitched for the Senators before they moved to Minnesota, the White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals — Kaat was 283-237 with a 3.45 ERA and 2,461 strikeouts in 898 games. He started 625 games and completed 180, with 31 shutouts.
A three-time All-Star, he was 25-13 in 1966, leading the major leagues with 41 starts and leading the AL in wins and complete games, with 19.
Kaat is one of 29 players in major league history to appear in four different decades, and he won 16 Gold Glove Awards, second most among pitchers to Greg Maddux's 18.
As a broadcaster, Kaat has won seven Emmy Awards.
