Home state start

Williamson on track to pitch at Target Field

MCW graduate Brandon Williamson pitches for the Cincinnati Reds against the Miami Marlins Monday at loanDepot park in Miami. He earned his sixth major league win. Photo by Megan Briggs, Getty Images.

Martin County West graduate Brandon Williamson is in a group of six dozen Minnesota-born players to be the winning pitcher in a major league baseball game. The Cincinnati Reds left-hander leveled his career record at 6-6 on Monday with 6.2 shutout innings in a win at Miami.

And now he’s on track to make his first professional start in his home state in eight days.

Williamson is scheduled to pitch vs. the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati and then at Target Field in Minneapolis vs. the Twins on Friday, April 17. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

At this point, Joe Ryan is slated to pitch for the Twins.

The two leaders in wins for pitchers from Minnesota earned some of their wins with their home state team.

St. Paul’s Jack Morris is first with 254 career wins with Detroit (198), Toronto (28), Minnesota (18) and Cleveland (10).

Jack Morris addresses the media following Game 7 of the 1991 World Series at the Metrodome. Morris threw a 10-inning complete game shutout as the Twins edged Atlanta 1-0. Photo by Lee Larson, Mitchell Daily Republic.

Jerry Koosman, who was born in Appleton, recorded 222 wins with the New York Mets (140), Twins (39), White Sox (23) and Phillies (20).

Southwest Minnesota

Using a somewhat loose definition of southwest Minnesota, seven pitchers with a win have come from the area, led by Marshall-born Bill Gullickson, who won 162 games with Montreal (72), Detroit (51), Cincinnati (25), Houston (10) and the New York Yankees (4).

Gullickson graduated from Joliet, Ill. Catholic. He won 20 games for the Tigers in 1990.

Garland Buckeye was born in Heron Lake. His family moved to Illinois and he went on to play pro baseball and pro football.

We’ve discussed Garland Buckeye in this space on several occasions. He was born in Heron Lake in 1897 and graduated from Joliet Township, Ill.

Buckeye spent more time as a position player, but did win 30 games in the majors, all during his four years with Cleveland including a high of 13 in 1925. He also played one year each with the Washington Senators and New York Giants and played in the American Pro Football Association and the first American Football League.

Blix Donnelly was born in Olivia and graduated from Olivia High School. He played with the National League team in two-team cities as he won 27 games in his , 16 with the Philadelphia Phillies and 11 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Donnelly also made six appearances in his one season with the Boston Braves.

Donnelly was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 1944 World Series as the Cardinals beat the crosstown rival St. Louis Browns 4-3 in 11 innings. He didn’t allow a run in four innings, giving up two hits, walking one and striking out seven.

Dana Kiecker was born in Sleepy Eye and graduated from Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop. He won 10 games in two seasons with the Red Sox.

GFW grad Dana Kiecker was Boston’s Rookie of the Year in 1990 when the Red Sox won the American League East.

Kiecker was Rookie of the Year on Boston’s Eastern Division championship team in 1990 and started Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. He went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on six hits, walking one and striking out two. The game was tied 1-1 when he left. The A’s won the game 4-1 and would sweep the series.

Gary Mielke was born in St. James and attended Mankato West High School and Minnesota State University. He appeared in 79 games in three seasons with the Texas Rangers and recorded one victory, on June 21, 1989.

The losing pitcher that day was seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.

Gary Mielke, who was born in St. James and lived there until his family moved to Mankato when he was in eighth grade, won one game in the majors in 1989.

Rounding out the list is Bob Gebhard, who was born in Lamberton and attended Lamberton High School and the University of Iowa. He appeared in 30 games over the 1971 and 1972 seasons with the Twins and recorded his only win over the White Sox on Aug. 21, 1971 before a crowd of 5,640 at Metropolitan Stadium. He was signed as a free agent by Montreal in 1974 and appeared in one game for the Expos that September.

His front office career began with Montreal in 1976 as field director of minor league operations. He then returned to the Twins as assistant general manager and worked with Minnesota during its 1987 and 1991 championship seasons. Gebhard became the first GM in Colorado Rockies’ history during the 1991–92 offseason.

Charles Albert “Chief” Bender won 212 games with the Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies. He was the first Minnesota-born player elected to the Hall of Fame. Photo from Library of Congress.

Career wins

Career wins by pitchers born in Minnesota. Listed are name and city born.

254

• Jack Morris, St. Paul

222

• Jerry Koosman, Appleton

212

• Charles Bender, Crow Wing County

196

• Bullet Joe Bush, Ehime

162

• Bill Gullickson, Marshall

155

• Rube Walberg, Pine City

148

• Aaron Sele, Golden Valley

113

• Dave Goltz, Pelican Rapids

79

• Tom Burgmeier, St. Paul

58

• Josh Johnson, Minneapolis

49

• Carmen Hill, Royalton

46

• Dick Stigman, Nimrod

44

• Steve Comer, Cloquet

40

• Brad Hand, St. Paul

36

• Tom Niedenfuer, St. Louis Park

35

• Steve Foucault, Duluth

• Glen Perkins, St. Paul

33

• Jim Brower, Edina

32

• Chris Reitsma, Minneapolis

30

• Garland Buckeye, Heron Lake

• Jake Thielman, St. Cloud

29

• Mike Mason, Faribault

27

• Blix Donnelly, Olivia

26

• Bryan Houck, Prosper

• Caleb Thielbar, Northfield

23

• Tom Johnson, St. Paul

22

• Jake Irvin, Bloomington

21

• Bryan Hickerson, Bemidji

• Michael Wuertz, Austin

17

• Fred Baczewski, St. Paul

• A.J. Puk, Minneapolis

16

• George Cunningham, Sturgeon Lake

15

• Mike Baumann, Mahtomedi

14

• Nick Anderson, Crosby

12

• Bill Burdick, Austin

• Mike Morin, Andover

• Jerry Ujdur, Duluth

11

• Paul Giel, Winona

10

• George Dumont, Minneapolis

• Dana Kiecker, Sleepy Eye

• Jake Petricka, Northfield

• Bill Phyle, Duluth

9

• Henry Thielman, St. Cloud

• Louis Varland

6

• Ernie Nevers, Willow River

7

• Sean Hjelle, Fridley

• Sam Hentges, Maplewood

6

• Max Meyer

• Ernie Nevers, Willow River

• Brandon Williamson, Fairmont

5

• Cole De Vries, St. Louis Park

• Sammy Solis, Minneapolis

4

• Roger Denzer, Le Sueur

• Louie Varland, St. Paul

3

• Brian Denman, Minneapolis

• Hank Gehring, St. Paul

• Paul Siebert, Minneapolis

2

• Bob Mahoney, Le Roy

• Jeff Schmidt, Northfield

• Gus Varland

• Neil Wagner, Minneapolis

1

• Bert Brenner, Minneapolis

• Bob Gebhard, Lamberton

• Joey Gerber, Maple Grove

• Mark Hamburger, St. Paul

• Ben Hendrickson, St. Cloud

• Dave Maurer, Minneapolis

• Adam Mazur, St. Paul

• Gary Mielke, St. James

• Dan Smith, St. Paul

• Carl Thomas, Minneapolis

• Chris Zavaras, Duluth