Bronze statue of Joe Mauer unveiled by Minnesota Twins outside Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer at Target Field before Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers.

Mauer spoke as the statue was unveiled outside a gate beyond right field. He joined Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, manager Tom Kelly and owners Carl and Eloise Pohlad with a statue outside the ballpark.

Designed by Minnesota artist Bill Mack, the statue is just over 8 feet tall and weighs more than 800 pounds.

Mauer batted .306 with 143 homers and 906 RBIs with Minnesota from 2004-18. He was voted to baseball's Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2024.

“Obviously, it was a big summer last year, going into Cooperstown — that was just an unbelievable experience. But to see myself here, this isn’t going to be moving for a long time,” Mauer said. “Here in my home state of Minnesota, I was always proud to put on this uniform, to play for this club, and to go out there and try to win every night with my teammates.”

The first overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Mauer played 15 seasons for his hometown club. He won three American League batting titles, was voted the 2009 AL MVP, was picked for six All-Star games and earned three Gold Gloves. A severe concussion late in the 2013 season led to a move to first base in 2014.

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