Rod Carew Statue

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Carew is the son of Olga Teoma and Eric Carew Sr., a painter. He was born on a train in the town of Gatún, in the Panama Canal Zone, delivered by Dr. Rodney Cline, after whom he was named. Carew later acknowledged in 2020 that he and his father had a very tumultuous relationship, stating 'Baseball was the one thing that kept me from killing my father.' In his memoir One Tough Out, Carew stated that his father was a violent alcoholic who would often physically abuse him and his mother, and that Carew eventually came close to killing him with a machete. At age 14, Carew immigrated to the United States to join his mother in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, New York City. He attended George Washington High School but never played baseball for the high school team. His interest in baseball redeveloped at age 18; it had initially developed when he was younger in Panama, where his mother convinced him he could get away from his father if he played baseball. Carew later played semi-professional baseball for the Bronx Cavaliers, where he was discovered by Twins scout Monroe Katz, who recommended him to scout Herb Stein. Stein arranged a tryout in April 1964, and Carew was signed to an amateur free agent contract on June 24, 1964 for a monthly salary of $400.

In Their Own Story

In 1977, Carew reached his peak performance, batting .388 to win the AL MVP Award and setting a Twins record. That summer he appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the caption "Baseball's Best Hitter," hitting 239 times—the most by any player since 1930—and driving in 100 runs while scoring 128. He also won his seventh and final batting title in 1978 with a .333 average, finishing in the top 15 of MVP voting every year from 1972 to 1978. Despite his on-field dominance, off-field tensions grew; Carew cited racist comments by manager Calvin Griffith and the team's negotiating style as reasons for his departure. On February 3, 1979, he was traded to the California Angels. Although rumors suggested Griffith wanted a low African-American population in Minnesota, Carew later denied this triggered the trade, noting that Griffith paid him what he was worth and the Angels made him the highest-paid player in baseball shortly after.

Reader's Guide

Carew started his minor league career with the Melbourne Twins in the Cocoa Rookie League, hitting .325 over the final 37 games. Over the next two years he hit .302 in Class A playing second base for the Wilson Tobs and the Orlando Twins. In his MLB debut on April 11, 1967, he singled in his first plate appearance. He was elected to the first of 18 consecutive All-Star games and won the AL Rookie of the Year award. In 1969, he stole home seven times, leading the majors and just missing Ty Cobb's record of eight. He led the AL with a .332 batting average. On May 20, 1970, he hit for the cycle against the Kansas City Royals, the first cycle by a Twin. In 1972, he led the AL in batting at .318 with no home runs, the first batting title with no homers since 1918. He won batting titles in 1973 (.350), 1974 (.364), 1975 (fourth consecutive), and 1978 (.333). In 1977, he batted .388, won the MVP, and set career highs with 239 hits, 100 RBIs, and 128 runs scored. He was traded to the California Angels on February 3, 1979, for Ken Landreaux, Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, and Brad Havens. On August 4, 1985, he became the 16th member of the 3,000 hit club. His 3,053 hits are 27th all time, and his .328 career batting average is 34th all time. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 in his first year of eligibility, appearing on upwards of 90 percent of the ballots. He was also elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, and Angels Hall of Fame. After retiring, he served as a coach for the Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Did You Know?

• Carew won the 1977 Roberto Clemente Award for his involvement in local community affairs.
• He stole home seven times in 1969, the most in the majors since Pete Reiser stole seven for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.
• Carew's 239 hits in 1977 were the most by any player since 1930.
• He was the first player to steal 40 bases while predominantly playing first base in a season since George Sisler in 1922.