April 26 – This Day in Twins History

(click on images once or twice to make them larger)

 

2024OBERTIME HITS ANAHEIM: The Twins continue their winning streak when they beat the Angels by a score of 5-3. Bailey Ober (2-1) was the starter and winner, allowing two runs on three hits in 7.1 innings pitched, with three walks and eight strikeouts. Ober carried a no-hitter through five innings, until a Luis Rengifo leadoff single in the sixth. Matt Bowman pitched 1.1 relief innings for a hold as Caleb Thilebar pitched 0.1 inning to earn his second career save. The offense recorded 11 hits, three from Willi Castro. Carlos Santana hit his second home run in as many games as the run scored marked the 1,000th of his career. The Twins saw just 33 fastballs last night, their fewest all season, Minnesota has seen 1,859 fastballs this season, the fewest in baseball. Attendance was 31,087. Box Score

Carlos Santana
Willi Castro
Bailey Ober

 

 

 

 

 

2023 – The Twins lost to the Yankees in the three-game series finale, failing to record their second sweep of the season and first of the Yankees since 1991. Kenta Maeda (0-4) was the starter and loser, allowing a career-high 10 runs on 11 hits in 3-plus innings pitched as New York posted a five-run
second and a six-run fourth.  A couple of days later Maeda found himself on the IL. Brent Headrick pitched 5 nice innings of relief allowing 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 8. The meager Twins offense recorded five hits on the day, two from Jose Miranda, who hit his first and second home runs of the season, marking the second multi-homer game of his career. Joey Gallo also added a home run, his team-leading seventh of the season. 20,511 attended the game on a 50 degree Spring day. The lowly Kansas City Royals (6-19) await. Box Score

Jose Miranda
Joey Gallo
Brent Headrick

 

 

 

 

 

2022 – The Twins beat the Detroit Tigers at Target Field by a score of 5-4 in wild walk-off fashion, their second straight walk-off victory. Chris Paddack was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on five hits in a season-high 5.2 innings pitched with six strikeouts, a season-high. The Twins had what appeared to be a comfortable 3-1 lead after seven innings and Paddack was in line for the win. The Tigers had other ideas and put two runners on base in the eighth against Caleb Thielbar and Emilio Pagan relieved Thielbar but gave up a three-run home run to Javier Baez and the Tigers suddenly had a 4-3 lead. The Twins scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a chaotic play which began with a Miguel Sanó single, followed by a throwing error by catcher Eric Haase that sailed into left field, following confusion by the Twins on the base paths. The ninth-inning runs scored on the error marked the first time the Twins plated the tying and winning run on an error in walk-off fashion since September 3, 2003 versus Anaheim, when Shannon Stewart doubled off Troy Percival, then Dustan Mohr and Stewart both scored on a fielding error by catcher Bengie Molina. The offense had just five hits, two apiece from Gio Urshela and Max Kepler. Kepler drove in three of the club’s five runs, hitting his second home run and second double, both off left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez. Griffin Jax (1-0) got the win. Box Score 

Max Kepler
Gio Urshela
Chris Paddack

 

 

 

 

 

2021 – The Twins lose to the Cleveland Indians by a score of 5-3 in 10 innings, making them 0-5 in extra innings this season, the most losses in baseball. José Berríos was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Alex Colomé suffered his third loss, allowing a Jordan Luplow walk-off
two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning. The struggling Twins offense mustered just five hits, highlighted by a Brent Rooker home run, the second of his career. Rookie Alex Kirilloff went 1-for-4, recording his first career regular season hit, a fourth-inning double snapping an 0-for-15 to start his season. Kirilloff became just the sixth MLB player in the past decade to start as the cleanup hitter with zero career hits. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli didn’t have a great day either as you can read in the attached PDF. Tzu-Wei Lin appeared in his first game for the Twins but did not have a plate appearance. Box Score

Rocco_has_brain_fart

Tzu-Wei Lin
Brent Rooker
Alex Kirilloff

 

 

 

 

 

2020 – The Twins would have been home today playing a week-end series with the Boston Red Sox, but we all know the season thus far has been postponed due to COVID-19. Counting today it means we have missed 29 games so far. 

2019 – The Twins are home again at Target Field and host a “friendly” against the Baltimore Orioles. With the Orioles playing like they are, who wouldn’t want the Orioles as the visiting team? With two out in the bottom of the first inning Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario, and J.C. Cron hit consecutive home runs. Max Kepler also added a home run later off O’s starter Alex Cobb. Nelson Cruz added a second home run in the fifth inning making it 29 multi home run games in his career. The last time this was done by Minnesota was back on June 26, 2016 by Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, and Max Kepler. The 14-9 Twins are on a record-breaking home run pace hitting 42 in 23 games. Twins starter Martin Perez went six innings allowing just the one run while throwing 96 pitches and making his record 3-0. On La Tortuga night the Twins don’t even have La Tortuga in the starting line-up but finally let him make a pinch-hit appearance in the eight inning and of course he singles. Did I mention that the Twins beat the Orioles 6-1? Box Score

Nelson Cruz
Martin Perez
C. J. Cron

 

 

 

 

 

2018 – The losing streak reached seven in a row when the Twins lost to the Yankees by a score of 4-3, blowing a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning, suffering their fourth walk-off loss this season. Kyle Gibson was the starter, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts. Fernando Rodney blew his third save of the season, allowing a walk-off three-run homer to Gary Sánchez in the ninth without retiring a single batter. Robbie Grossman was 3 for 4 with a double and a home run. Miguel Sano also hit a home run for Minnesota. The team was winless on their road trip to Tampa and New York. Box Score

Kyle Gibson
Fernando Rodney
Robbie Grossman

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012No game today, scheduled day off.

2011 – No game today. Twins versus Rays game at Target Field was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on April 28.

2010 – No game today, scheduled day off.

1995 – After a long lay-off due the the strike, MLB baseball was a thing again as the Twins opened the season at a packed Fenway Park with 32,980 fans in the stands. Scott Erickson started for the Twins and Aaron Sele took the mound for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox had a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning with two out when Erickson ran out of gas and gave up a second run and manager Tom Kelly came out to say that he had seen enough. Twins relievers Carl Willis and Vince Horsman retired one batter between them of the nine they faced and gave up seven runs and that was the ballgame as the Red Sox prevailed in the 9-0 shutout. The worst Twins OD defeat ever todate. The Twins only had two hits, by Kevin Maas and Scott Leius. Erickson (0-1) took the loss giving up 2 runs, one of which was earned in 4.2 innings (79 pitches) on 7 hits. Sele (1-0) ended up with the win for the BoSox. After the game the Twins flew home to take on the Baltimore Orioles in the home opener tomorrow. Box Score

Scott Erickson
Mo Sanford
Kevin Maas

 

 

 

 

 

1986 – The game between the California Angels and Twins is delayed for 9 minutes when strong 60 MPH wind gusts tear a hole in the Metrodome roof during a thunderstorm, causing suspended lights and speakers to sag toward the field and scare the wits out of 31,966 fans. The roof is re-inflated and California rallies for 6 runs in the 9th to win 7-6. Ron Davis comes in to relieve Frank Viola and gives up two home runs and the Twins can do nothing in the bottom of the ninth and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Greg Gagne and Kirby Puckett had hit home runs for the Twins earlier in the game but it was not enough. Box Score

Video of the event

Ron Davis – (courtesy of the Minnesota Twins)

1982No game today, scheduled day off.

1979 – No game today, scheduled day off.

1976 No game today, scheduled day off. 

1973No game today, scheduled day off.

1969 – Twins bats were hot today as Charlie Manual and Ted Uhlaender each had three hits and hit their first long balls of the season and Leo Cardenas hit his second as the Twins scored in six different innings and beat the mighty whities 12-1 on their home field. The Twins had 16 hits with Rod Carew getting four but Oliva took an 0 for 3 ending his streak at 13 games. Starter Dean Chance was pulled after six scoreless innings in which he allowed just three hits but got credit for his 2nd win of the season. Joe Grzenda pitched the final 3 innings to earn his first career save. Box Score

Charlie Manual
Ted Uhlaender
Leo Cardenas
Rod Carew
Dean Chance
Joe Grzenda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1965No game today, scheduled day off.

1961No Twins game today as the Twins travel to the West coast to take on the Los Angeles Angels.

 

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