Last night when Andruw Jones popped up and struck out in his last two at-bats, Ranger skipper had some nice words to say about him (emphasis mine):
"I saw Kirby Puckett do some great stuff. I saw Dave Engle do some great stuff. Matter fact, I saw Mickey Hatcher get nine hits in a row — nine straight in three straight days,"
LOL, Whut??
Dave Engle?
I’m familiar with Engle, a backup catcher/utility man, who lasted nine years despite not really doing a whole lot. He had a couple 400+ at bat years and actually made the All-Star team in 1984 (here’s an actual scan of Toledo Blade article proving it) but after he left Minnesota in ‘85, he bounced from team to team not even garnering 100 at-bats.
But I wasn’t aware of Engle doing anything newsworthy (other than being the brother-in-law of then fellow Twin Tom Brunansky)… something that we would remember over 20 years later. Nope, doesn’t ring a bell.
He did go on to become a hitting coach in the majors to once again prove that those cannot do, teach. Except that he didn’t do that very well either and got fired.
So if anyone knows the answer to the mystery, speak up. I’m dying to know.
He hit the first Metrodome homer. He was traded along with Paul Hartzell & Ken Landreux for Rod Carew. He broke a batting practice pitcher’s nose when a return throw glanced off the protective screen, ending his career as a catcher, he became a DH pretty much after that.
didn’t know about the 1st humpdome homer…
he was a draft pick for me in APBA in his rookie year. i was lured by his 0-0-0-0.
I attended the Ted Williams baseball camp in lakeville, Mass as kid wih Dave back in the sixties. As I recall, Dave’s father was a friend of Ted’s and was instrumental in setting up the camp and running it. Ted would occasionally be at the camp that provided some interesting memories. My biggest memory of the Engles was that as 10 year old I knew they whole family was most definitively baseball “lifers.”