Twins great Harmon Killebrew has died.

Never met the man, much to my regret. From all accounts he was a real gentleman.

I didn’t grow up a Twins fan. I was swayed by the 1975 World Series to love the Red Sox through my critical Little League years.

So when I think of Killebrew, it’s with a mixture of relief and gratitude. Had Killebrew not stalled at 44 home runs in 1967, my hero Carl Yastrzemski would never have become the last of the Triple Crown winners. Yaz won the Triple Crown that year (.326, 121 RBIs, 44 HRs) because he and the Killer tied for greatest number of dingers that year.

As I say, a real gentleman.

R.I.P., big man. Thanks for the memories.