Joe Bonikowski

Joseph Peter Bonikowski

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Father Judge High School
• Debut April 12, 1962
• Final Game September 28, 1962
• Born January 16, 1941 in Philadelphia, PA USA

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Biographical Information

Joe Bonikowski played one season in the majors, with the Minnesota Twins, as well as seven years in the minors.

Signed by the Twins before the 1959 season when they were still the Washington Senators, Bonikowski threw a no-hitter while playing for the Wilson Tobs in 1960. After posting a 3.20 ERA for the Syracuse Chiefs in 1961, he made the Twins' 1962 Opening Day roster as a 21-year-old. He made his big league debut against the Kansas City Athletics on April 12th, pitching 5 2/3 innings of relief and earning the win. Overall, he was a busy guy that summer, pitching 99 2/3 innings in 30 games for Minnesota while also making a dozen appearances for the AAA Vancouver Mounties. After that summer, he played three more seasons in the Twins chain.

According to one website, Herb Carneal recalls that Bonikowski was a late-night television watcher who so infuriated his teammate Ray Miller that Miller one night jumped up and ripped the wires off the TV. Unfortunately, the situation sounds unlikely as the two never played for the same team and their careers only briefly overlapped in terms of service. It is possible but Carneal may be recalling events incorrectly.