According to Elias

 

Kurt Suzuki
Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki‘s two-out single off Justin Verlander with the bases full in the seventh inning plated a pair of runs, and that was enough for the Twins to sneak off with a 2-1 victory at Detroit on Friday. Verlander’s nine-game winning streak against the Twins ended; it had been tied for the longest current streak by any major-leaguer starter against any opposing team. Felix Hernandez has won his last nine decisions as a starter against the Tigers, as have Edwin Jackson against the Indians, and Kyle Kendrick against the Marlins. It’s not easy to load the bases against Verlander, but if you do, you have a chance. With Suzuki’s hit on Friday night, opponents now have a .339 career batting average with the bases loaded against the Tigers ace (39 hits in 115 at-bats). Sourc

Kurt Suzuki is hitting .340 (16-for-47) with two doubles, 13 RBI and a .436
on-base percentage in 13 road games, his average and OBP both rank fifth best in the AL. Kurt has five multi-hit games on the road and has reached base in 11 of 13 games.

The Twins enter today’s game with an all-time record (since 1961) of 4220-4261 and need just three wins to match their win total when the franchise was the Washington Senators from 1901-1960, psting a 4223-4864 record. The Senators were one of the eight original franchises in the American League for sixty years. The Senators played baseball  in our nation’s capital, winning one World Championship in 1924 and three AL pennants (1924, 1925, and 1933. After the 1960 season owner Calvin Griffith moved the Washington Senators from Washington, DC to Minnesota.

Don’t forget to stop by our “Today in Twins History” page and checked out what happened on this day in Minnesota Twins history.

Congratulations to Francisco Liriano on his No-Hitter

May 3, 2011 – Francisco Liriano no-hits the Chicago White Sox 1-0 at on a chilly night at U.S. Cellular Field. Liriano entered the game with a 1-4 record and a 9.13 ERA. Liriano faced 30 batters, walking six and threw 123 pitches, 66 for strikes. Liriano only struck out two White Sox batters. According to Francisco, he has never pitched a complete game, not even in the minors where some games are 7 only innings.

Update – More on No-Hitter – from ELIAS

His 9.13 ERA entering the game was the highest for any pitcher coming into a start in which he threw a no-hitter (minimum of five starts). The previous high was St. Louis’ Jose Jimenez’ 6.69 ERA when he threw his no-hitter, June 25, 1999 against Arizona.

His mound opponent, Edwin Jackson, threw a no-hitter last season. Liriano became the first pitcher in Major League history to throw a no-hitter against an opposing starter who had thrown a no-hitter the season before.

Liriano became just the second left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the White Sox in Chicago, the other being Jesse Tannehill for Boston in 1904.

Liriano walked six and struck out two, becoming the second pitcher since 1900 with four more walks than strikeouts.

Liriano’s two strikeouts were the fewest for a pitcher in a no-hitter since the Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss struck out two San Francisco Giants in his no-hitter in 1980.

Liriano became the fifth pitcher born in the Dominican Republic to throw a no-hitter, the others being Juan Marichal (1963), Ramon Martinez (1995), Jose Jimenez (1999) and Ubaldo Jimenez (2010).