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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. The bottom check is from two years later with Tacoma.

Kelly played just one year in the bigs with the Twins in 1975. He stayed in the minor leagues from 1968-1980 before being named the Minnesota skipper in 1986.

Kelly guided Minnesota to two World Series championships. The ’87 and ’91 teams were led by first baseman Kent Hrbek and Hall of Fame centerfielder Kirby Puckett.

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.

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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).

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In 1987 Tom Kelly guided the Minnesota Twins to the World Series championship in his first full season as manager. The feat had been done once before in franchise history by Hall of Fame skipper Bucky Harris when the team played in Washington as the Senators.

Known as “The Boy Wonder”, Harris was just 27 when he played second base and piloted his club to the title. He was the first rookie manager in baseball history to take the crown. Since them Eddie Dyer of the 1946 Cardinals, Dallas Green of the 1980 Phillies, Bob Brenly of the 2001 Diamondbacks and Alex Cora of the 2018 Red Sox joined Harris and Kelly.

Shown above is a letter written and signed by manager Harris. Dated 17 days before the opening of the 1925 World Series, a tilt the Senators lost to the Pirates. The letter reads, “As the World Series approaches we need your help to have a winning team. Hope you have made arrangements to come at once. You will be a great help to the team. The players seem to have more courage and pep when you’re around. Please do not fail us. Sincerely, Stanley ‘Bucky’ Harris”

Letters from this era handwritten by members of the Hall of Fame are rarely seen.

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Tom Kelly’s Minnesota teams won 1,140 games during his 16 seasons at the helm of the club. The victory total stands as the most by any Twins skipper and second overall in franchise history to Senators pilot Bucky Harris.

Kelly guided Minnesota from 1986 through 2001. During that time the team earned a pair of divisional titles that each resulted in American League pennants and World Series championships. Those magical seasons came in 1987 and 1991. Overall Kelly’s teams went 1,140-1,244.

Shown here is a pair of Topps baseball cards autographed by the Twins manager.