"I fell in love with baseball on June 26, 1946. My dad drove me to Detroit to see a doubleheader. … The greenest expanse of grass I'd ever seen, the whitest white uniforms. And I think my little 7-year-old brain said, 'I want to be one of those guys.' "
Excerpts from the Hall of Fame speeches from Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva and David Ortiz
The three former Twins players were welcomed into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
July 25, 2022 at 11:26AM
![The Class of 2022 plaques in the hall with the other inductees Sunday evening, July 24, 2022 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. ] JEFF WHEELER • Jeff.Wheeler@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/TPFTGECRTOB4DIIRZN2FWVAVMU.jpg?&w=712)
— Jim Kaat
"I can't believe I'm here. I'm looking to the left, I'm looking to the right, and it is bringing memories. This place right here looks like my home in Cuba, where my father built a field where the young kids were able to play baseball. Exactly like."
— Tony Oliva
"There is another Twins Hall of Famer that I got to know really well, and I miss him so much — Mr. Kirby Puckett. … He was so wonderful to me that when I went to Boston, I started wearing his number, number 34. God bless you, Kirby."
— David Ortiz
Emmanuel Rodriguez had an abbreviated season after being hit by the injury bug, but he showed promise as a disciplined hitter.
