COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Joe Mauer’s journey in professional baseball began on June 5, 2001, when the Twins selected the phenom from Cretin-Derham Hall with the first overall pick in the draft.

Mauer would reward the Twins for their decision both on the field, where he became one of the game’s best catchers, and off it, where he remained humble and grounded in his St. Paul roots even as he put up Hall of Fame numbers.

With Mauer set to become the seventh Twin inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, here’s a look at seven of No. 7’s most memorable moments.

FILE – In this June 2, 2013 file photo, Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer puts out Seattle Mariners’ Raul Ibanez during a baseball game in Minneapolis. Mauer is moving permanently from catcher to first base this season because of concern about his concussion last year. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)

Draft day

The man most responsible for making sure that Mauer ended up in a Twins uniform, sadly, was not around to see him make it to the Hall of Fame.

That would be the late Mike Radcliff, the legendary scout whose fingerprints have been all over the Twins for decades. Radcliff ran the Twins’ scouting department at the time, and he was the first one to clue then-general manager Terry Ryan in on the kid from St. Paul.

“It seems to me (Mauer) might’ve been 16 and (Radcliff) said, ‘Well, there’s a player right down the road you’re going to have to be knowledgeable about,” Ryan said earlier this year.

The Twins scouted Mauer heavily, attending not only his baseball games, but also his basketball and football games to see what kind of competitor he was, what kind of teammate he was and how he handled himself in all different kinds of situations.

While pitcher Mark Prior was talked about as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft, Ryan said it was ultimately Radcliff’s call. And on June 5, 2001, Radcliff, Ryan and co. made Mauer a Twin, setting into motion a career spent just miles away from home.

“Obviously I had my say and I was in the room and I’m the general manager, but Mike ultimately had the final say and he said, ‘We’re going to take Mauer,’” Ryan said.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer watches his first major league hit, a single, against the Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome in Minneapolis on April 5, 2004. In his first regular-season game as a major leaguer, Mauer went 2 for 3, scored two runs and helped win the game, scoring on Shannon Stewart’s three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Twins a 7-4 victory. (Ben Garvin / Pioneer Press)

The debut

After being the top pick years earlier, Joe Mauer’s debut, which came on April 5, 2004, was highly anticipated. At the start of the season, Mauer was regarded as the top overall prospect in the sport after skipping over Triple-A on his way to the majors, Twins fans were eager to watch the hometown kid in action.

Mauer didn’t disappoint.

He finished the day with a pair of singles and a pair of walks, scoring two runs in the Twins’ 7-4 win.

The injury bug would come for him the very next day, when hurt his knee, requiring surgery. He wound up playing in just 35 games that rookie season, but there were clear glimpses of his immense talent and what was to come.

“I had a chance to see Joe a little bit in high school and then development through the minor leagues when I was in player development. And just that innate ability to slow the game down in a way that you would love to see your young hitters learn, he seemed to have it from day one,” said Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, who served as Mauer’s Twins manager for four years.

Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer grins as he safely slid back into first base after rounding the bag and slipping on a 7th inning hit against the Detroit Tigers in their one-game playoff Tuesday Oct. 6, 2009 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Twins defeated the Tigers 6-5 in the tie-breaker game to win the A.L. Central division (Chris Polydoroff / Pioneer Press)

The 2009 season

It’s not just one moment, but who could forget Mauer’s 2009 season?

Mauer missed the entire first month because of inflammation in his sacroiliac joint, which connects the spine to the pelvis. But in his very first at-bat of the season, he hit a home run. And then he never stopped hitting.

“I still maintain that that 2009 season was the most remarkable season I’ve ever watched a player have,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said.

Mauer finished that season hitting .365 with a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage. He led the majors in batting average and on-base percentage and was first in the American League in slugging percentage and OPS.

He finished the year with a career-high 191 hits, 28 home runs and 96 runs batted in.

For his efforts, he was named the American League Most Valuable Player, marking the first time since 1999 that a catcher had won the award. And just for good measure, he was given both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award after the best season of his career.

Mauer signs extension

Coming off of his MVP season, Mauer signed a deal that would ensure he would wear a Twins uniform for the rest of his career.

Mauer was due to become a free agent after the 2010 season and could have commanded top dollar from larger market teams. But instead, he made the decision to stay home.

He inked an eight-year, $184 million extension in March 2010, in Fort Myers, Fla., with his family looking on. It was the most money the Twins had ever given out to a player, surpassed only recently when the Twins committed $200 million to shortstop Carlos Correa.

“For me, it was important to be at home, playing in front of my family and friends,” Mauer said. “I always was thankful and enjoyed putting on the Twins uniform and wanted to do that my entire career, and thankful the Pohlad family gave me that opportunity.”

The concussion

There’s no telling how the rest of Mauer’s career would have played out if not for that fateful day.

It was Aug. 19, 2013 and Mauer, behind the plate, took a foul tip from New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis off his mask. Mauer finished the game, but his days as a catcher were suddenly over.

It would be his last game behind the plate until the final game of his career. HIs career-altering concussion forced him to first base, where he spent the final five seasons.

Giving up catching, he has said plenty of times, wasn’t easy. But it was the decision he had to make for his long-term health and for his family.

Mauer was still plenty productive post-injury, though he never quite reached the levels offensively from earlier in his career. It’s easy to wonder what would have happened if he had never suffered the injury.

Concussion symptoms that came up after a 2018 injury ultimately led to him hanging it up after that season, writing in a retirement letter to Twins fans that his “desire to play is outweighed by the possibility of another injury.”

Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer, the subject of retirement talk, is accompanied at first base by his twin daughters during a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The last game

As Mauer emerged from the Twins’ dugout in the ninth inning on Sept. 30, 2018, suited in catcher’s gear for the first time in a game since 2013, the Target Field crowd immediately rose to its feet, roaring in appreciation.

Upon reaching home plate, Mauer took off his helmet and tipped it to the crowd, the emotions on his face evident.

Twins staff members had come up with a plan to let Mauer have one last moment behind the plate, and the Twins had called over to the Chicago White Sox, their opponent that day, to make sure they were on board, as well.

“When they brought it up, I started to kind of cry,” Mauer said last week. “It was just very emotional.”

It was also very fitting.

Mauer caught one pitch from veteran reliever Matt Belisle. White Sox infielder Yoán Moncada took it as a ball. He then stood up, shared a long embrace with Belisle and walked off the field for the last time, receiving another ovation from the adoring crowd.

“To have one last image of a Hall of Fame catcher playing his last time for his hometown team walking off with the catcher’s gear on, I think it was the perfect ending,” longtime teammate Justin Morneau said.

MINNEAPOLIS – MAY 15: Scott Ulger #45 (L), Joe Mauer #7 (second from left) Michael Cuddyer #5 (hands folded) and an unidentified player of the Minnesota Twins look on from the dugout after the Blue Jays took a commanding lead during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scott Ulger;Joe Mauer;Michael Cuddyer

Hall of Fame induction

This one hasn’t happened yet. But on Sunday, Mauer will take his rightful place in Cooperstown, immortalized forever as one of the game’s greatest.

Mauer earned his entry by receiving 76.1 percent of the vote from eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, just topping the requisite 75 percent necessary for entry.

“The Hall of Fame, since day one, has welcomed me with open arms, and my family and (I’m) just so grateful for that and to be here and to take this weekend in,” Mauer said.

He certainly won’t be taking it in alone.

Hordes of Twins fans have made the trip to celebrate the local legend, along with hundreds of Mauer’s friends, family members and former teammates.

“It’s been great,” he said. “First couple days (in Cooperstown), a lot of … nervousness …  but as teammates, family and friends have started rolling in, I’m starting to relax a little bit. I’m sure the emotions are going to start ramping up again here (Sunday).”

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“From St. Paul to the Hall”: the Pioneer Press chronicled the careers of Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Joe Mauer, and we’ve compiled the best of our coverage into a new hardcover book that celebrates the legendary baseball legacy of Minnesota’s capital city. Order your copy of “From St. Paul to the Hall.”

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