Twins Pitcher Used to Be a Driver for Garth Brooks

Now here's one you don't hear everyday. The new Minnesota Twins closer once had a much different job. He was the guy who drove Garth Brooks around Las Vegas.

Brandon Kintzler has just stepped into the role as a relief pitcher for the Twins, taking over for Glen Perkins, who's nursing a shoulder injury. In fact, Kintzler just recorded his first save of the season earlier this week against Marlins.

But Kintzler's job before he was a Major League baseball player is also pretty interesting. Turns out Kintzler was chauffeur for Garth Brooks when the country singer used to play concerts in Las Vegas.

According to BringMeTheNews.com, Vegas is also Kintzler's hometown. And when Garth used to regularly play weekend concerts at The Wynn, Kintlzer was the guy who would drive Garth (and Trisha Yearwood) from the airport to the casino and back again.

According to the story, Kintzler said Garth never wanted to be picked up in a limo, but instead preferred to ride in an SUV. "'I had to drive the Escalade," Kintzler said in an interview on the Twins flagship station, Go 96.3 FM, the story noted. “He didn’t want to be in the Rolls-Royce. I was the Escalade guy, so I’d pick him up, put his luggage in," Kintzler said in the story.

The story went on to say that, years later, when Kintzler was already established in the big leagues, he met Garth and related the story of how he used to drive him around Vegas, which, the story said, Garth thought was pretty cool.

So, the next time you see Brandon Kintzler on the mound pitching for the Twins, instead of delivering a fastball over the plate, picture him instead delivering Garth to The Wynn (or the airport) out in Vegas!