Brad Radke
A pitcher of quiet consistency, he anchored the Minnesota Twins rotation for over a decade with his deceptive changeup and pinpoint control.
Born 1972 (age 54)·American baseball player·Birthday: October 27·Generation X
Biography
Brad Radke’s career is a testament to the power of subtle mastery over flashy dominance. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1991, the right-hander from Florida spent his entire twelve-year career with the club, becoming the steady, reliable force in a rotation that often lacked star power elsewhere. His signature pitch was a devastating circle changeup, a slow, tumbling offering that baffled hitters expecting his modest fastball. While he never won a Cy Young Award, Radke’s value was in his durability and command; he walked fewer than two batters per nine innings over his career, a mark of surgical precision. His tenure bridged eras for the Twins, from the lean years of the mid-90s to the resurgence that saw them become playoff contenders. When he retired after the 2006 season, he left as a franchise pillar, his number 22 eventually retired, honored more for his unwavering professionalism than for gaudy strikeout totals.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Brad was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brad Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Brad's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Pitched his entire 12-season Major League career with the Minnesota Twins, earning 148 career wins.
- Led the American League in fewest walks per nine innings pitched in 1997, showcasing exceptional control.
- Had his uniform number 22 retired by the Minnesota Twins in 2009, a rare honor for the franchise.
- Recorded over 200 innings pitched in seven different seasons, demonstrating remarkable durability as a starter.
Did You Know?
He was known for one of the slowest and most effective changeups in baseball during his era.
Radke was drafted in the 8th round of the 1991 MLB draft, making his success a story of development over raw draft pedigree.
He pitched a one-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics in 1997, coming within one out of a no-hitter.
Despite being a pitcher, he was a competent hitter and even hit a grand slam in 1998, one of only a handful of AL pitchers to do so in the designated hitter era.
“A good changeup is the best pitch in baseball, because it looks like a fastball until it's not.”
