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2023 – The Twins beat (finally) the Tigers at Target Field by a score of 2-0, recording their fifth shutout of the season. José De León led the bullpen day with 2 perfect innings to start and was followed by Emilio Pagán (1.2 IP), Brent Headrick (2.1 IP), Brock Stewart (1.0 IP), Griffin Jax (1.0 IP) and Jhoan Duran (1.0 IP) all in relief. The offense recorded just three hits and walked three times. Alex Kirilloff drove in the Twins’ first run with a single in the fifth inning, followed by Ryan Jeffers, who recorded the other RBI of the day with a fielder’s choice immediately following Kirilloff. The win snapped a four-game losing streak against the Tigers as the Twins beat Detroit for the first time since September 30, 2022. Headrick earned the win in relief after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and allowing one hit, with two strikeouts. This was Headrick’s fourth major league appearance of the season and first since April 26. He became the third pitcher in Twins history (1961-present) with at least one win and at least one save within his first four career games, joining Bill Pleis (2 W, 1 SV in 1961) and Tom Johnson (2 W, 1 SV in 1974). Box Score
2022 – Twins Game Notes headline says it all – TWINS PHALL PHLAT IN PHOENIX. The Twins lost to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field by a score of 7-2. Devin Smeltzer (3-1) was the starter and loser, allowing seven runs (6 earned) on nine hits in 4.1 innings pitched. The defense committed two errors, marking just the eighth time this season with multiple errors in a game. The offense recorded 10 hits as Byron Buxton, Gary Sánchez, Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda each had two hits apiece. Buxton drove in a run with his third leadoff homer of the season (8th career) and Miranda drove in the other run with a third-inning single. Madison Bumgarner (3-6) was the winner going six innings. The Twins have lost five-straight games in Arizona, which includes a three-game series sweep in May of 2011 and a loss on June 9, 2005. Their last win here came on June 8, 2005, a span of 6,219 days. In that game, the Twins won 10-0 as Johan Santana pitched a complete-game shutout with four hits allowed, no walks and nine strikeouts. 6,219 days marks the longest the Twins have gone without a win in an opposing major league ballpark, the next closest being at Dodger Stadium (6,215 days/last win on June 11, 2005). Box Score
2021 – No game today as the Twins have a scheduled day off.
2020 – The Brew Crew stops by Target Field for a couple of games against the Twins. However; nothing has changed, all the games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. 75 games missed so far.
2019 – Twins starter Jose Berrios gives up three straight hits to the visiting Boston Red Sox to start the game and the Red Sox take a 1-0 lead and that is all the runs they will need but they score again in the ninth and beat the Twins 2-0. Rick Porcello keeps the Twins bats in check for the first seven innings and gets the win to up his mark to 5-6. Two Boston relievers finish off the shutout. Berrios goes 8 innings giving up just 5 hits while striking out 10 but he takes the loss and his record drops to 8-3. Blake Parker pitches the last inning for Minnesota giving up the final run but it really does not matter. The Twins can only muster five hits with two of them coming off the bat of CJ Cron. Box Score
2018 – The Twins lost to the Indians on a Sunday afternoon by a score of 4-1 at Target Field. Jake Odorizzi was the starter and loser, allowing four runs on six hits in 5 innings pitched. Eduardo Escobar went 3 for 4 with three doubles giving him an MLB best, 30 on the season. Indians pitching prospect Shane Bieber earned his first major league win when he allowed just one run in 5.2 innings while striking out seven Twins batters. Box Score
2017 – The Cleveland Indians took two from the Twins at Target Field, 9-3 in game one and 6-2 in the nite-cap. In game one Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez single-handedly beat the Twins by going 3 for 5 with two home runs and a double, two runs scored and four RBI. This was the first time in his career that Ramirez hit home runs from both sides of the plate in one game. Adam Wik lasted just 3.1 innings and took the loss dropping his record to 0-2. In the late game the Twins lost 6-2 when they could only scrounge up five hits, one of which was a Brian Dozier home run. Meanwhile on the other side, the Indians hit four home runs, two by Lonnie Chisenhall. The Twins were only down 2-1 in the top of the fifth when a shower caused a 1 hour and 15 minute rain delay but after that it was pretty much all Cleveland. Adalberto Mejia who started for Minnesota did not come back after the delay and was assigned the loss.
Royce Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in last week’s MLB Draft, has signed a $6.725 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, the largest deal ever signed by a high school baseball player, according to MLB.com. While the team has not confirmed the value of the deal, the Pioneer Press reported the same $6.725 million figure, noting the club-record signing bonus was below the $7.77 million slot approved under the collective bargaining agreement.
2013 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2012 – Denard Span had an RBI single with two outs in the 15th inning and the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 in the longest game played at Target Field to that point. Jamey Carroll had four hits for the Twins, who rallied from a three-run deficit. Minnesota’s bullpen pitched nine shutout innings. Anthony Swarzak (1-4) worked a perfect 15th for the win in a game that lasted 4 hours, 50 minutes. Trevor Plouffe led off the 15th with a single off Tim Dillard (0-2), and went to second on a single by Brian Dozier, two batters later. Carroll then lined a single to right field. Plouffe ran through a stop sign by third base coach Steve Liddle and was tagged out in a rundown. Dozier advanced to third base during the play. Left-hander Juan Perez came in to face Span, who hit the third pitch he saw between the first and second basemen for the winning RBI. The game was delayed for 42 minutes between the 11th and 12th innings. We were there and stayed for the entire game. The Twins longest game at Target Field took place on May 28, 2017. Four hours and 50 minutes of baseball. Box Score
2008 – Twins starter Livan Hernandez and Nationals starter John Lannan put on a pitching duel at the Metrodome as each goes 7 innings giving up just five hits but Lannan gave up two runs and Hernandez only one as the Twins come from behind for a 2-1 win on a Joe Mauer single and a Justin Morneau home run. Cheer on those M&M boys. Box Score
Cecil Cooper (Astros) and Ron Gardenhire (Twins) become the first two managers to be fined by Major League Baseball for failing to comply with pace of game regulations during contests played over the weekend. Last month, clubs were told to help enforce existing rules in an effort to speed-up the time it takes to complete a game.
1993 – The Yankees came back with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and held on to beat Minnesota 6-5 at Yankee Stadium II. Twins reliever Larry Casian who ended up with the loss gave up a sac fly to Wade Boggs to tie the game and then a single by Don Mattingly scored Bernie Williams with the winning run. Twins third baseman Chip Hale was 3 for 3 in the game with 2 runs scored. Box Score
Baseball owners voted 26-2 in favor of expanding the playoffs for the first time in 25 years, doubling the teams that qualify to eight starting in 1994. The wild card has been in effect since 1995, although it was first intended to be used in 1994 when the playoffs were canceled due to the players strike. The wild card was expanded to two wild cards per league in time for the 2012 season.
1991 – The Baltimore Orioles were down 5-3 to the Twins at Memorial Stadium going into their last chance at bats in the bottom of the ninth against Minnesota closer Rick Aguilera with the Twins ready to celebrate their 16th win in a row. However, the O’s had other ideas and 3 hits and an IW later it was Baltimore celebrating a come from behind 6-5 walk-off win on Randy Milligan’s double off Rick Aguilera and the Twins 15 game winning streak was history. Kirby Puckett was 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, a stolen base, a run scored and a RBI. Al Newman also had 3 hits with a run scored and a RBI. The Twins lone home run was hit by DH Chili Davis. Twins starter Allan Anderson pitched 6.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 8 hits. Box Score
1982 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1981 – MLB on strike.
1976 – The Twins broke their five game losing streak under some odd circumstances when they beat the Detroit Tigers at Met Stadium 4-0 in five innings on a game called on account of rain in a game that was knotted at 4-4 for almost two hours. When play was resumed and the Twins at bat in the bottom of the sixth the rain returned and the game game was called and by rules at that time the score reverted back to the last full inning of play and at that time the Twins were up 4-0. The four Tigers runs and four hits including Aurelio Rodriguez’s two-run homer were taken off the board. Dave Goltz was credited with a complete game win and a shutout. The Twins Bill Campbell who relieved Goltz and gave up a triple lost his stats too but he didn’t complain. 5,361 fans officially attended the 1 hour and 50 minute game. Box Score
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1961 – Game two in the windy city and Comiskey Park I was not nearly as pleasant for the Twins as the day before was. The Mighty Whitey’s jumped on Twins starter Jim Kaat early while WSox starter Juan Pizarro kept Twins hitters at bay and when all was said and done, the White Sox had a 5-1 win and kept the Twins buried in ninth place in a ten team league. Kaat (2-6) took the loss allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks while striking out 6. Pizzaro upped his record to 2-0. The Twins who left 10 runners on base had 9 hits, two off the bat of Harmon Killebrew. Jose Valdivielso had the teams only RBI. In off the field news Calvin Griffith spent about $15,000 more of his hard earned dollars signing a guy named Frank Quilici out of Western Michigan to a bonus contract, it will turn out to be money well spent. Box Score
