A newly renovated baseball field named in honor of Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew was dedicated Thursday evening in south Minneapolis.
Pearl Park field off of Diamond Lake Road just east of Interstate 35W is the first field in the city named for the late Twins legend, said the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Former Twins Tony Oliva and Frank Quilici entertained the assembled group by telling their favorite Killebrew stories. The three teammates played on the 1965 American League pennant champs who lost to the Dodgers in the World Series.
Killebrew died of cancer on May 17, 2011. His widow, Nita Killebrew, threw out the ceremonial first pitch for a game between two under-18 teams.
Renovations to the field include new dugouts, a batting cage, bullpen and a scoreboard emblazoned with Killebrew's name and No. 3 number.
The upgrade was funded with $225,000 from the Hennepin Youth Sports Program and $75,000 from the Park and Recreation Board. The field will be used by many youth teams and will be the home of the Washburn High School team.
PAUL WALSH , PAMELA HUEY
