Corey Koskie says it took tenacity, determination to become Twins Hall of Famer

Former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie used scoreboard video clips of his first-ever postseason game, in which he made an embarrassing error, nearly made a second one and then hit a two-run homer to help the Twins rally to a victory over Oakland in the 2022 American League Division Series — to illustrate the tenacity he said helped him become a Twins Hall of Famer.

“We all get knocked down. Getting knocked down hurts. It’s humbling,” Koskie said in a pregame ceremony in which he became the 41st inductee to receive the team’s highest honor. “A farm boy from Anola, Manitoba, that didn’t start playing serious baseball until 19 is your testament that no mountain is too high, no challenge is too difficult to tackle.”

Koskie epitomized that determination over his six full seasons in the Metrodome, batting .280 with 101 home runs, 437 RBI and an .836 OPS with the Twins overall. His steady defense at third base helped the Twins win three consecutive AL Central titles, from 2002 to 2004.

And his sense of humor helped develop camaraderie in the clubhouse, former Twins teammate Michael Cuddyer said in introducing him. “More than once, I would be woken up at 6:30 in the morning in a hotel because Corey had filled out a [room-service] breakfast order for me,” Cuddyer said. “My room would smell of smoked salmon and eggs Benedict.”

Koskie’s career was cut short by a concussion suffered while with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006, and he retired to a career in business, including owning several Planet Fitness franchises in the Twin Cities. He currently is the president of Elevate Advisor Group, a firm dedicated to helping customers navigate this country’s health-care system, a calling he said has become “my passion.”

The ceremony, which included recorded congratulations from Beth Richardson, Canada’s Consul General in Minneapolis, ended with Koskie throwing out the game’s first pitch, with Justin Morneau, a fellow Canadian and Twins Hall of Famer, serving as catcher.

There was something unusual about the three home runs the Twins hit Sunday, if you looked closely.

Yes, the annual event in which players are allowed to flaunt MLB’s strict uniform rules was popular with the Twins, especially those whose new bats produced runs for the team.

Royce Lewis had a pair of bats he was eager to use, including one painted like a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone — “my favorite flavor,” he said. “Louisville [Slugger] made another ice cream one, and since I just said I want ice cream, they sent me both.”

Turns out, that turned into a dilemma Sunday because in his first at-bat, he used the more generic one, a cone filled with pink ice cream.

He homered.

“So I couldn’t switch it up at that point,” Lewis explained with a laugh. He walked the next time up, clearly because of his pink bat, right? It stayed in the lineup.

There are worse predicaments, though. Byron Buxton had four bats made for Players Weekend, three of them painted with the name of one of his three sons, and one with the entire family. He homered, too — using the whole-family bat.

Whew.

“Probably for the best,” Buxton said. “Don’t want a kid saying, ‘Dad, why did you hit one for him and not me?’ ”

Outfielder Alan Roden, acquired in exchange for Louie Varland and Ty France moments before the trade deadline last month, will not play again this season, the Twins determined Sunday, because of the ligament damage he suffered in his left thumb while sliding home during a game Thursday. Roden was put on the 60-day injured list and will be examined by a hand specialist this week, with surgery a possibility.

That, and the decision to send righthander Travis Adams to Class AAA St. Paul after he gave up four walks and two hits while retiring only four batters Saturday, opened a roster spot for lefthander Génesis Cabrera, who joined the team Sunday.

“I know him from a little way back. He’s still got a very good arm, great raw material to work with,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Cabrera, who retired all three hitters he faced in his Twins debut Sunday. “He’s a guy who is going to rear back and come at you with some good stuff.”