Dusty Kielmohr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
"Dusty Kielmohr" was a name given by Minnesota Twins fans and broadcasters to the right field platoon of Bobby Kielty and Dustan Mohr during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
On July 30, 2001, the Twins traded right fielder Matt Lawton to the New York Mets for pitcher Rick Reed. This led to the demise of the "Soul Patrol" outfield of Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter and Lawton.
Although both Kielty and Mohr saw playing time in 2001 after Lawton's departure, it was not until 2002 that Dusty Kielmohr came into his/its own. At the beginning of the that season, the Twins briefly experimented with Brian Buchanan in right field. When Buchanan failed to impress manager Ron Gardenhire, Dusty Kielmohr took over right field. That year, Mohr had 383 at bats while Kielty had 289. They hit for a combined .278 average with 24 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. The Kielmohr platoon was good enough to help bring the team to the postseason for the first time since 1991.
The duo continued through the beginning of the 2003 season, with Mohr as the opening day right fielder. (In that game against the Detroit Tigers, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored.) The Dusty Kielmohr era came to an end on July 16, 2003, when the Twins traded Bobby Kielty to the Toronto Blue Jays for leadoff hitter and eventual starting left fielder Shannon Stewart.