On this day in 2002, the Twins hit five homers in an 8-6 Opening Day victory over Kansas City, with Jacque Jones hitting two for the day.
That team was the last Twins team to make it to the American League Championship Series. The Twins’ date with Anaheim came after they knocked the “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics out of the playoffs.
So where are the 2002 Twins now?
Here’s a quick look at the starting lineup from that Game 5 ALDS 5-4 win over the A’s.:
Jacque Jones: He’s now the hitting coach for San Diego’s Double-A affiliate in San Antonio.
Cristian Guzman: Went to the Nationals and made an All-Star Game, hitting above .300 twice, but never quite the player that led the league in triples three times with the Twins. He’s currently out of baseball.
Corey Koskie: In 2009, Koskie retired from baseball after dealing with post-concussion issues. He now lives in Minnesota with family of six.
Matt Lecroy: The cleanup hitter that day is now the manager of Double-A Harrisburg Senators, a Washington Nationals farm club.
Torii Hunter: Went to the Los Angeles Angels and enjoyed a solid five years there. He’s now hitting second and playing right field in the Detroit Tigers lineup.
Doug Mientkiewicz:Stole a World Series ball, and is now the Twins manager at Class A Fort Myers.
Michael Cuddyer: Still swinging a strong stick with the Colorado Rockies after 11 years with the Twins.
AJ Pierzynski: After a long run with White Sox, A.J. is playing for Ron Washington’s Texas Rangers this year, his 20th in the majors.
Denny Hocking: Hocking, who caught the final out in a tense 9th inning, is not only a proud father of three (according to his Twitter account), but is also the manager of the Angels’ Rookie League team in Tempe, Ariz.
Brad Radke: The man with the most Opening Day starts in Twins history retired after the 2006 season. He was named to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2010.
