Harmon Killebrew Biography

Harmon Clayton Killebrew Jr. was born on June 29, 1936, and passed away on May 17, 2011, earning the nicknames the Killer and Hammerin' Harmon as a professional baseball player. He spent 22 years in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Minnesota Twins, where he played as a first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. Harmon Killebrew ranked fifth in major league history for career home runs upon retiring. He led the league in home runs six times and in RBIs three times, and was selected to 13 All-Star games during his career. His standout season came in 1969, when he hit 49 home runs, drove in 140 runs, and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award while helping the Twins capture the AL West pennant. Despite his powerful playing style and well-known nicknames, Killebrew was known for his quiet and kind demeanor. As a youth, he played baseball at Walter Johnson Memorial Field, a site honoring the Hall of Fame pitcher who also spent part of his childhood in Idaho.