Photo courtesy of Sleepy Eye Historical Society Sleepy Eye celebrates Babe Ruth’s Saturday centenary. Ruth is pictured right with Bob Meusel of the New York Yankees. Glancing between them, on Meusel’s right arm is Len Youngman, who picked up one of Babe’s homers in the game.
SLEEPY EYE — Former Boston Red Sox pitcher and Fairfax native Dana Kiecker will kick off batting practice at Sleepy Eye Ballpark at 1 p.m. Saturday as part of the centennial appearance of Babe Ruth barnstorming.
The first 50 batters to face Kiecker will receive an autographed baseball, according to a Facebook post from Sleepy Eye Brewing.
Kiecker’s appearance is part of the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s October 16, 1922 appearance at Sleepy Eye Stadium. The public is invited to the baseball stadium to play catch and have their picture taken with the enlarged photo of Babe Ruth from 1922.
Minnesota Twins organist Sue Nelson is scheduled to perform at 2 p.m. at the ballpark.
At 3:00 p.m. the national anthem will be played, followed by a mayoral proclamation, plaque dedication, billboard dedication to the late Dr. Dean Brinkman, who was instrumental in the creation of the event, and seventh inning music performed by Nelson.
A ticketed program featuring hot dogs, beer, speakers and more music from Nelson will take place from 5-7 p.m. at Sleepy Eye Brewing’s new brewhouse, 121 Main St. W. Tickets can be purchased at sleepyeyebrewing.com. The main brasserie will remain open to the public from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.
Kiecker, a close personal friend of Brinkman, was born in Sleepy Eye in 1961. He graduated from Fairfax High School in 1979 and St. Cloud State University in 1983. In 1990 he made the Red List Sox from the opening day in 1990, started 25 games and pitched the sixth inning in 19 of 25 starts.
Dana had a career-high nine strikeouts and no walks in more than six innings on June 14 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 3-1.
In the 1990 American League Championship Series with the Oakland Athletics, Kiecker started Game 2 at Fenway Park, allowed one run and five hits in 5.2 innings. He left the match with the score tied at 1-1. Kiecker was named Red Sox Rookie of the Year by the Boston Baseball Writers’ Association in 1990.
On May 30, 1991, Kiecker was placed on the disabled list with a sore right elbow. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in November 1990.
Released by Boston at the end of spring training in 1992, Kiecker signed a minor league contract with Cleveland. He underwent an arthroscopy again in November.
Kiecker attended spring training for the Minnesota Twins in 1993 before retiring with elbow pain.
In two major league seasons, Kiecker was 10-12, struck out 114 in 192.1 innings and had a 4.68 ERA.
He played amateur baseball for several years in and around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Kiecker also worked as a St. Paul Saints television analyst. He retired from the United Postal Service in 2018 after 27 years of service.