Tom Kelly
| Birthdate | 08/15/1950 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1986 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Twins |
| Position | Manager |
Tom Kelly’s Twins won the World Series in 1987 & 1991. Only 23 managers have won more than one World Series title, 14 are in the Hall of Fame.
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Pair of paychecks from Kelly's minor league days
Pair of paychecks from Kelly's minor league days
Before becoming manager of the Twins, Tom Kelly was trying to make it as a first baseman or corner outfielder. In the collection are two checks from Kelly’s playing days. Notice the checks are made out to “Jay” Kelly, a nod to his legal first name instead of his more familiar middle name “Thomas”. The top check is to out the then 21-year old as he played for the Tacoma Twins in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League while the bottom check is from two years later with Tacoma. Kelly played just one year with the Twins in 1975 though he stayed in the minor leagues from 1968-1980 before being named the Minnesota skipper in 1986.
Outside of his 23-game stint in 1986 and the two championship years of ’87 and ’91, Kelly’s Twins posted winning records in only three other seasons from 1986-2001. Beloved by Twins fans, Kelly’s #10 was retired by the Minnesota franchise on January 26, 2012.
"Jay" Kelly endorses his minor league checks
"Jay" Kelly endorses his minor league checks
On the reserve of each check is the unusual Kelly signature bearing his legal first name, “Jay”. Kelly managed the Minnesota team for sixteen seasons, winning the World Series in both 1987 and 1991. There have only been 23 men have managed more than one World Series title and most are in the Hall of Fame. Kelly presents an interesting case though as his overall winning percentage is .478 (1140 wins, 1244 losses).
