Elizabethton Twins

History

Professional baseball in Elizabethton began in 1937 with the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox of the Appalachian League, who played through 1942. The city's Appalachian League entries from 1945 to 1948 were the Elizabethton Betsy Cubs, followed by the Betsy Local (1949–1950) and the Elizabethton Phils (1951). After a 33-year gap, the Minnesota Twins placed the Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League as a Rookie-level affiliate in 1974. The Twins played their first game on June 21, 1974, losing 8–3 on the road to the Kingsport Braves at a ballpark on the campus of Dobyns-Bennett High School.

They earned their first win the next night, also 8–3 over Kingsport. Their home opener at Riverside Park, scheduled for June 23 against the Bristol Tigers, was rained out; they played their first home game the following evening, losing 15–2. Elizabethton finished its inaugural season in second place with a 41–27–1 record. In 1978, Twins pitcher Rubio Malone threw two no-hitters.

The first came on June 23 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Johnson City Cardinals, a seven-inning 8–1 win; the lone Johnson City run scored in the first inning on a walk, stolen base, fly ball, and sacrifice fly. The second no-hitter was on July 19 at home, a nine-inning 6–0 win over the Bluefield Orioles. That same season, the Twins won their first Appalachian League championship with a first-place 41–28 record. Manager Fred Waters, who had led the team since 1975, was named Manager of the Year.

Waters also guided Elizabethton to a second championship in 1984, winning the Southern Division with a 40–29 record and then beating the Pulaski Braves in a one-game playoff for the league title; he earned Manager of the Year honors again, as he had in 1981. In 1987, Ray Smith replaced Waters as manager after 12 years of Waters leading the team. Smith became the winningest manager in Appalachian League history with 1,048 wins from 1987 to 1994 and 2002 to 2019.

He won a record seven Manager of the Year awards and led Elizabethton to nine league championships. The first two came back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. The 1990 Twins set a franchise record with a 51–16 (.761) season and earned the league crown with a first-place finish. On August 26, 1991, Eddie Guardado pitched a no-hitter versus the Pulaski Braves, 5–0, at Joe O'Brien Field.

After missing the playoffs that season, the Twins returned in 1992 and 1993 by winning the Southern Division title but lost in the championship finals. A playoff drought from 1994 to 1999 was the longest in franchise history. Over 20 years from 2000 to 2019, the Twins qualified for the postseason 15 times. Jeff Carter, the 2000 Manager of the Year, led Elizabethton to the Southern Division title and the franchise's fifth Appalachian League championship.

After losing in the 2001 finals under Manager of the Year Rudy Hernández, Ray Smith returned in 2002 and guided the Twins to league titles in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2017, and 2018. On July 16, 2011, pitchers Tim Shibuya (7 IP), Garrett Jewel (1 IP), and Steven Gruver (1 IP) combined to no-hit the Greeneville Astros, 6–0, on the road. The 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then cancelled on June 30. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Twins were replaced by the Elizabethton River Riders.

Achievements

The Elizabethton Twins won 37 Appalachian League awards overall. Eighteen players earned league honors: 11 won Player of the Year and 7 won Pitcher of the Year. Four managers won Manager of the Year, with Fred Waters selected three times and Ray Smith winning a league-leading seven times. The team also received four Executive of the Year awards, the Promotional Award of Excellence in 2003 and 2014, and the Community Service Award in 2017.

One former Twin, outfielder Kirby Puckett, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. Puckett played 65 games with Elizabethton in 1982, his first professional season, batting .382 with 105 hits, 35 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases. Five former Twins have been inducted into the Appalachian League Hall of Fame.