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2023 – TWINS GIVE IT AWAY TO DODGERS IN 12: After completing their six-game home stand with a record of 4-2), the Twins began their six-game, seven-day roadtrip. The Twins lost to the Dodgers in Los Angeles by a score of 9-8 in 12 innings, making them 4-3 in extras. Pablo López was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing five runs on five hits in 4.2 innings pitched, with no walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen used five relievers as Jorge López was dealt the loss, walking in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th on a 3-2 pitch. How did that happen you ask? Here is what transpired: Zombie runner, popout, intentional walk, strikeout, double steal, walk-off. So yes, the Dodgers went 0 for 2 in that inning … and won! The offense recorded 13 hits, three from both Jorge Polanco and Christian Vázquez. Minnesota also went 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 15 men on base. A number of umpire calls also went against Minnesota. Attendance was 49,749. Box Score
2022 – The Twins completed their season-long, nine-game, 10-day home stand with a record of 5-4 after beating the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field by a score of 3-1, winning the rubber game and making them 5-3-3 in series play in 2022. Joe Ryan (4-2) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on four hits in 6 innings (103 pitches) pitched, with no walks and five strikeouts. Cody Stashak (1.0), Joe Smith (0.2), Caleb Thielbar (0.1) and Emilio Pagán (1.0) combined for 3.0 scoreless innings of relief with two hits, no walks and four strikeouts. The staff did not walk a batter for the fourth time this season. The Twins offense recorded just four hits, two being home runs from Byron Buxton (11) and Gio Urshela (3). The Twins now begin a six-game road trip to Oakland and Kansas City. Bob Score
2021 – The Twins break a five-game losing skid when they beat the Oakland A’s by a score of 5-4, scoring four runs in the eighth-inning, erasing a 4-1 deficit, which marked their third come-from-behind win this season (first from more than one run down). It was their first win of the season when trailing after seven innings, making them 1-12 in such instances. José Berríos was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing four runs on eight hits in 7 innings pitched. Alex Colome (2-3) who pitched a clean eighth inning got the win. Hansel Robles earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. The offense recorded eight hits, two from Rob Refsnyder who made his Twins debut and keyed the eighth inning rally with a two-out RBI single. Miguel Sanó hit the go-ahead, three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning, his third homer of the season. Box Score
2020 – The Twins are on the road in the Rock and Roll Capital of the World to take on the Indians in a week-end series. But as we all know it did not happen. So far all games this season have been postponed/canceled due to COVID-19. We have now missed 45 games.
2019 – On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon get-away day game the Twins draw a crowd of 31,919 as the Twins take the series two games to one with an 8-7 win and finish their home stand with a 4-3 record. The Twins had an 8 to 3 lead after six innings but the Angels scored one in the seventh and three more in the ninth before reliever Mike Morin finally was able to snuff the rally when he retired Shohei Ohtani on a grounder to short with the bases loaded and two out. Jake Odorizzi started and went 5.1 innings and allowed 3 runs including two home runs but was credited with his sixth win (6-2) of the season. It took six Twins relief pitchers 84 pitches to get the final eleven outs. Twins pitchers gave up a season high 18 hits to the Angels. Jason Castro and Byron Buxton supplied the home run power. As they head for Seattle the Twins are 27-15 with a 4.5 game lead in the AL Central. Box Score
There was kind of an odd play in the third inning involving Odorizzi and Ohtani. Shohei Ohtani hit a come backer to Jake Odorizzi, who jogged toward first and underhanded a toss that C. J. Cron didn’t react to. The ball went by him, and Ohtani went to second. Here are a link to the play: https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/bp1k0h/cj_cron_doesnt_realize_odorizzi_fielded_a/
Here is what Twins official scorer Stew Thornley had to say:
I gave Cron an error (with an assist to Ohtani). The next day I heard that Cron’s confusion was caused by second-baseman Jonathan Schoop miming the play, sort of like what Starlin Castro did a few years ago: https://www.mlb.com/video/must-c-castro-copies-bryant-c104783183
With Castro’s mime, it didn’t cause a misplay although first-baseman Anthony Rizzo wasn’t happy about it.
I looked at the play again from a couple different sources and wondered if it would be appropriate to switch the error to Schoop (I still had about three hours to do so). I looked at the rule:
Rule 9.12(a)(1) Comment reads, “. . . The official scorer shall charge an error to a fielder who causes another fielder to misplay a ball—for example, by knocking the ball out of the other fielder’s glove. On such a play, when the official scorer charges an error to the interfering fielder, the official scorer shall not charge an error to the fielder with whom the other fielder interfered.”
The part about knocking the ball out of another fielder’s glove is given as an example of such interference, but it doesn’t limit it to physical contact.
I checked with Elias Sports Bureau and was told that this should not constitute an error on Schoop, so I left the call alone. It was one of the more interesting plays I’ve seen. No runs scored, so the Twins have been able to joke about it, and Cron has been a good sport even though he ended up with an error on his record for it. I’m guessing that this might end players horsing around with miming plays. Or not.”
In off the field moves the Twins optioned reliever Trevor Hildenberger to AAA Rochester after another in a series of bad outings and called up Austin D. Adams. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Twins have designated right-handed pitcher Addison Reed for release or assignment.
2018 – The Twins beat the Cardinals at home by a score of 4-1. José Berríos was the starter and winner, striking out 10 while allowing one run on just two hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Eduardo Escobar was 2 for 4 with a RBI and catcher Bobby Wilson hit his first home run while wearing Twins colors. Box Score
1991 – Milwaukee Brewer DH Paul Molitor and future Twins player and manager hits for the cycle at the Metrodome and goes 4-5 against Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani and scores twice and has one RBI. Chris Bosio gets the “W” and Tapani gets the “L”. Box Score
Paul Molitor hits for the cycle and ignites Brewers’ win over Twins by Mike Huber
1980 – No game today, scheduled day off. The Twins played their Toledo Mud Hens farm club in a ISEG in Toledo, Ohio and came away a 6-2 winner.
1970 – No game today, rained out in Milwaukee and rescheduled for June 25.
1969 – Cesar Tovar’s single to center with one out in the night inning broke Baltimore’s Dave McNally’s no-hitter but McNally went on the retire the side and upped his record to 6-0 in the 5-0 win over the Twins at the Met. McNally needed just 99 pitches to blank the Twins in front of a crowd of 11,423 in 2 hours and 21 minutes. Jim Kaat was the Twins starter and loser as Earl Weaver’s boys punched out 12 hits. The defeat knocked the Twins out of first place and they are now 1/2 game behind the A’s. Box Score
1961 – Twins starter Camilo Pascual (3-3) made it look easy as he handcuffed the Chicago White Sox (11-15) at Comiskey Park 5-0 as he struck out 7 and allowed just 4 hits and no walks in a complete game effort. The Twins only had 8 hits themselves but 8 walks by Chicago pitching helped the cause as they won their fourth game in a row. Harmon Killebrew was 2 for 3 with a double and a triple and 1 RBI. Bob Allison and Zoilo Versalles also had two hits each. Box Score
1918 – The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0 in 18 innings in a game that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes and ended on a walk-off wild pitch. Both starting pitchers, Lefty Williams for the Chicago White Sox and Walter Johnson for the Washington Senators went the distance for their respective clubs. Box Score
Walter Johnson and Lefty Williams spar for 18 innings by Mike Huber
