The Rogers brothers are the tenth set of twins in Major League Baseball history, and the first to play together since Damon Minor participated in 19 games for San Francisco while his brother Ryan got 95 at-bats with the Montreal Expos in 2001. The next year, both were members of the Florida Marlins organization when they played against each other for the first time since they were minors. After that game, it was announced that both players had been suspended for 50 games for using performance-enhancing drugs.
There have been several pairs of twin baseball players over the years, but none as famous as the Rogers brothers. At least one of them was able work out any potential issues they may have had during their time in major league ballparks. After they ended their suspensions, it was revealed that Ryan had tested positive for testosterone during his drug test, meaning that he violated the terms of his release. This led to a second 50-game suspension for him as well.
Meanwhile, it took Damon a few months before he finally got back on the field too. When he did, he ended up suffering from hip pain that required surgery. He hasn't returned to action yet, so we don't know how his health is doing currently.
It's very rare for two major league players to be born within minutes of each other. However, this has happened several times before.
Dave, the Twins' younger brother, also played in the majors, appearing in 321 games for the Twins and Padres between 1978 and 1982. Eddie and Johnny O'Brien not only played for almost the same number of years, but they also played together for a chunk of that period. The two brothers were teammates from 1979 to 1980 with the Twins and then again from 1982 to 1983 with the Padres.
Eddie was born on January 4, 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was an infielder who appeared in parts of seven seasons in the major leagues, spending most of his time at second base. He finished with a batting average of.272 over 714 games played. He died in an automobile accident near his home in Palm Desert, California on August 24, 1998 at the age of 36.
Johnny was born on February 14, 1959 in Minneapolis. He was an outfielder who played in the majors from 1981 to 1986, finishing with a batting average of.273 over 810 games played. He died in a car crash in Florida on July 6, 2000 at the age of 32.
The twins were both high school athletes who chose to play baseball instead of going to college. They both began their careers with the Twins, playing side by side for several years before moving away from one another as Eddie went to other teams. When Dave came back to the Twin Cities, he often played beside him again until the end of his career.
Marshall, his twin brother, made his MLB debut in 1981 and played in 160 games with the Brewers. The twins were born in San Francisco, California, but their family moved to Minneapolis when they were young kids. They attended Mall of America High School, where they both played baseball.
They were drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 1977 draft. Both were expected to play right field, but Marshall was given the job first. However, after some poor performances by Marshall at the plate, manager Ron Roenicke switched him to third base, where he stayed for the rest of his career with the Brewers. Dave played second base and outfield, but was used more frequently as a pinch hitter. He did not hit well as a batter from the bench (.179 average), but he was a good defender in all parts of the field.
The twins had an interesting relationship on and off the field throughout their careers. They often got into arguments on the bench during games, once punching out each other while playing for the Twins in 1980. On another occasion, they got into a fight with members of the Atlanta Braves team during a game in 1979. In 2001, Dave died of cancer at the age of 44.
Dan Gladden: Gladden was one of seven players who appeared on both World Series championship teams for the Twins. He also drove in the game-winning run in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, extending a bloop hit into a double in the bottom of the tenth inning. The ball bounced off the glove of Mark Whiten for a double, and Bill Mazeroski scored from first base to give the Pirates a 3-2 victory and their second world title in three years.
The 41-year-old Gladden went 0-3 with a save in the 1991 World Series. He earned $275,000 in 1991, his last season with the Twins.
He finished with a 148-154 record in parts of eight seasons with Minnesota. A 12-time All-Star, he led the American League in saves four times. He is fifth all-time among left-handers with 652 career saves.
Gladden died on January 24, 2016 at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack two months prior while working on his farm near Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
His death was announced by his family. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Minotola, Pennsylvania.
Gladden was a star quarterback at Penn State before being drafted by the Twins in 1978.
Retired Numbers, Twins
Bush spent his whole 8-year baseball career with the Twins.
There have been almost 60 sets of brothers who have pitched in the majors in MLB history, thus sibling rivalry has long existed. Where do Jered and his elder brother Jeff rank in the annals of MLB brother pitching combinations? Well, they both started their careers with the San Diego Padres in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Jered finished with a 3-4 record while Jeff had a 6-1 record. They were not very successful as teammates.
After that, they went their separate ways and each pursued other career options. Jeff signed with the Texas Rangers while Jered was picked up by the Chicago Cubs. They have both played elsewhere since then, except for Jeff who was traded to the Padres in 2013. As for Jered, he has never stayed with one team for long before moving on. He has had opportunities to play for several teams, but has never gotten a chance to show what he can do on the field because every season, something happens to him just when he starts getting some success.
He has had arm problems throughout his career and has used drugs to try and help him deal with the pain. In 2007, he admitted to smoking marijuana daily during games to calm his nerves. After another season plagued by injuries, he retired from baseball after the 2009 season. However, he came out of retirement in 2011 and joined the Colorado Rockies organization as a reliever.
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