ALWCS: 8 Immaculate Grid Answers for Blue Jays vs. Twins

The AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins are hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in a best-of-three Wild Card Series which began on Tuesday at Target Field. The winner of the series will face off with the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros in the ALDS.

This matchup may cause some to think about possible Immaculate Grid answers involving these two franchises. While Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Jack Morris — along with former AL MVP Josh Donaldson — are obvious answers, there are 91 total players who have played in at least one game for the Blue Jays and Twins. Here are eight that could help increase your rarity score in the popular daily game.

Orlando Hudson

The “O-Dog” was a 43rd-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 1997 and parlayed that into a very productive 11-year career. Hudson spent the first four of his MLB seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Gold Glove in 2005.

Prior to the 2006 season, Hudson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the deal that sent Troy Glaus north of the border to the Blue Jays. Hudson would later spend the 2010 season with the Twins, posting a .710 OPS in 126 games.

J.A. Happ

Happ won 20 games with the Blue Jays in 2016 and was an All-Star for them in 2018. He also had memorable stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. His 2021 season with the Twins isn’t as fun to look back on, as he went 5-6 with a 6.77 ERA in 19 starts before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Marty Cordova

Cordova won the AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Twins in 1995 and earned the distinction of representing the team in the iconic video game “Backyard Baseball 2001.” By the time the game actually was released, though, Cordova had played in 62 games for the 2000 Blue Jays, homering four times and posting a .657 OPS.

Jon Rauch

You probably remember Rauch because he was one of the tallest pitchers in MLB history at 6-foot-11. He pitched in the majors, primarily as a reliever, for parts of 11 seasons, most notably with the Washington Nationals.

Rauch actually pitched quite well in half a season for the 2009 Twins, going 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 17 games after a midseason trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. After a season-and-a-half with the Twins, Rauch posted a 4.85 ERA for the Blue Jays in 2011.

Dave Winfield

It’s rare you can sneak a Hall of Famer onto this type of list, but we’re going to try it. Winfield homered 26 times and won a World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992, his age-40 season. Winfield then homered 31 times in 220 games over the next two seasons for the Twins.

In honor of Jose Bautista retiring with the Blue Jays, we throw it back to his iconic bat flip 🙌 pic.twitter.com/sHk1XNyC2e

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 11, 2023

Ben Revere

The speedy-but-not-especially-powerful outfielder was a first-round pick of the Twins in 2007 and ultimately spent three seasons with the team.

The Phillies traded Revere to the Blue Jays in July of 2015. Perhaps his most notable moment with the team was his celebration after Jose Bautista’s iconic ALDS home run.

Tony Batista

The author of one of the most unique batting stances in MLB history, Batista spent parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays, including homering a career-high 41 times during a 2001 campaign where he was an All-Star. After not playing in 2005, Batista returned with the Twins in 2006, posting a .690 OPS in 50 games.

Casey Blake

Before a very productive six-year stint in Cleveland, Blake suited up — briefly — for both the Blue Jays and Twins. A seventh-round pick by the Blue Jays in 1996, Blake appeared in 14 games for Toronto during the 1999 season.

After being picked up on waivers, Blake played in 21 total games for the Twins between 2000 and 2001 before being waived and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.