FORT MYERS, Fla. – J.T. Chargois isn't the ungrateful type. But this was one present he wanted no part of.
When the Twins' young righthander returned home for the winter in Sulphur, La., his family surprised him with a keepsake.
"They said, 'Oh, we have all the videos here, tapes of your first game,' " Chargois winced. "I said, 'You can throw them all in the trash. I do not want to see them.' "
Chargois had plenty of good moments during his rookie season. He gave up only one run in his last 13 appearances, after all. But that June 11 debut against the Red Sox, the culmination of everything he had worked for since he was 6?
"That was not OK with me. That was not acceptable," Chargois said. "I'll never watch it again."
Better to stick with the Cliffs Notes version of that ninth-inning meltdown, then: Chargois retired the first batter he ever faced in the major leagues, Dustin Pedroia, on a line drive to Max Kepler at first base. And then? Let's just sum up the walks, the hits, the hit batter and wild pitch as "ugliness." Five runs of ugliness.
And oh yeah, a ticket back to the minor leagues as soon as he got back to the Twins' clubhouse.
"It was a rough day for him. But we all struggle at some point. It's normal," said Eddie Guardado, the Twins bullpen coach. "I'm sure Shaggy put it behind him, because when he came back, he was better. And he's still getting better."