MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Former Minnesota Twins coach Rick Stelmaszek, who helped the team win two World Series championships, has died of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 69.
The Twins were informed of the death Monday by a friend of the Stelmaszek family, according to team spokesman Dustin Morse.
The Twins called Stelmaszek a professional who ”instilled a winning culture into generations of Twins players.”
Stelmaszek spent 32 seasons as a Twins coach from 1981-2012. He was the longest tenured coach in Twins history and third-longest with a single team in major league history.
Stelmaszek was bullpen coach under Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire, and helped the Twins reach the postseason eight times.
The team recently announced that Stelmaszek would receive the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award, to be presented in January.
