Greg Thayer, a former St. Cloud Tech and St. Cloud State athlete who pitched for the Twins in 1978, died on Dec. 12 at age 76.
Thayer, of Sauk Rapids, spent nine seasons in professional baseball. His 20-game stint with his home-state team in 1978 was his only major league experience.
Thayer was drafted by San Francisco in the 32nd round of the 1971 draft. After two seasons, he was released during spring training 1973. That fall, he signed with the Twins, and he remained in the organization until 1979.
Thayer was 8-1 with a 3.14 ERA for the Twins’ Orlando farm team in the Class AA Southern League in 1977, and at age 28 he earned a spot on the Twins’ 1978 Opening Day roster.
He earned his only major league victory on May 6, 1978, in Baltimore, when he pitched 5⅔ innings of shutout relief as the Twins scored seven runs in the ninth to rally for a 8-7 victory. Before being sent to Class AAA Toledo at the end of June, he was 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 45 innings over 20 appearances.
He spent the 1979 season with Toledo before spending the 1980 season in the Toronto organization.
He compiled a 62-51 record with 22 saves and a 3.56 ERA in nine minor league seasons, which included four at Class AAA.
Thayer attended St. Cloud State on a football scholarship, where he played quarterback and helped the Huskies win a conference championship in 1970. He also played three seasons on the baseball team, leading the Huskies to a conference championship in each of his three seasons on the diamond. He was named all-conference honors in 1971 as a pitcher and outfielder. He was inducted into the St. Cloud State Hall of Fame in 1994.
