Save the date: June 15 is the day Joe Mauer’s number will be retired by the Minnesota Twins.
The ceremony will take place before the Twins take on the Royals that Saturday and the first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a No. 7 baseball hat.
Mauer will join Harmon Killebrew (No. 3), Tony Oliva (No. 6), Tom Kelly (No. 10), Kent Hrbek (No. 14), Bert Blyleven (No. 28), Rod Carew (No. 29) and Kirby Puckett (No. 34) as the only players in team history to have their number retired.
The Twins, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, also retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in 1997.
In addition, the Twins announced a Mauer bobblehead series that the first 10,000 fans can get for free at the following games:
- May 24 – Mauer swinging in his Cretin-Derham Hall high school jersey.
- July 19 – 21-year-old Mauer making his MLB debut as catcher on April 5, 2004.
- August 24 – Mauer with his MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger awards from 2009.
- September 7 – Mauer’s final game on September 30, 2018
You can ensure you get all four bobbleheads, and a fifth special edition bobblehead of Mauer making a behind-then-net catch in 2010, by purchasing a four-pack of tickets to the aforementioned games, which you can do so right here.
The six-time All-Star announced the end of his career following this past season, citing concern about the long-term effects of concussions and a desire to spend more time with his wife and three children.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Mauer will serve as Grand Marshal of the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s King Boreas Grand Day Parade on Saturday, Jan. 26.
