(click on images once or twice to make them larger)
2023 – The Twins lost to the Giants again at Target Field by a score of 4-3, dropping their second series at home (6-2-0). Sonny Gray was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 5 innings pitched. Jorge López (1-2) was dealt the loss, allowing a two run-homer to Michael Conforto in the seventh inning, blowing the 3-2 lead. The offense recorded just six hits, two from Byron Buxton, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his 10th of the season. Michael A. Taylor also added a home run, his sixth of the season. Alex Cobb (4-1) was the starter and winner for the Giants going 6 innings. It was double duty for Twins rookie Matt Wallner who arrived at 07:30 is St. Paul for his 11AM game versus Omaha. After the game he was told by manager Toby Gardenhire that he had good news/bad news. The good news he was going to the big leagues and the bad news was that he had another game to play for the Twins at 6:40 PM. After playing for the AAA Saints in the morning Wallner appeared as a PH in the Twins game in the ninth inning and was HBP. “It was a long day,” Wallner said. Box Score
2022 – The Twins start off their home stand in walk-off fashion by beating the Tigers at Target Field, by a score of 5-4. Chris Archer was the Twins starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on three hits in 4 innings pitched. Reliever Joe Smith Smith allowed his first earned run this season over his first 17 innings. Emilio Pagan was credited with the win, his first as a Twin. The offense recorded seven hits, high-lighted by a Max Kepler first-inning grand slam, marking the third of his career and third by a Twin this season. This blast was the 1,000th HR hit by a Twin at Target Field. Gio Urshela drove in the game-winning, walk-off run with an infield single in the bottom of the ninth inning. This is the second consecutive day that Urshela has driven in Kepler with the winning run with a single in the ninth inning. The previous time that the Twins scored in just the first and ninth innings of a nine-inning win was July 20, 2016 at Detroit. Box Score
2021 – The Twins get back in the “W” column by beating the Indians at Progressive Field by a score of 8-5 in 10 innings, marking their first extra-inning win this season (1-8). Kyle Garlick hit a three-run homer off James Karinchak in the top of the 10th inning, snapping the 5-5 tie. J.A. Happ was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out eight in 6 innings pitched. Tyler Duffey pitched a scoreless 10th for his first save of the season and second of his career. The offense recorded seven hits, two from Max Kepler as he drove in three and hit his fifth home run. Kenta Maeda was put on the IL with a right abductor strain. Box Score
2020 – The Mighty Whitey’s drop by at Target Field to take on the Twins in a four-game week-end set. 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 53 games.
2019 – The rain the day before must have recharged the Twins bats because they jumped on Angels starter Matt Harvey for five hits and six runs in the top of the second inning including a 3-run homer by Jonathan Schoop and a 2-run homer by Jorge Polanco. The long ball barrage continued in the third with home runs by C.J. Cron and Miguel Sano and when Harvey left after 2.2 innings he had given up 7 hits including 4 home runs, 1 walk and 8 runs. In the seventh inning Sano and Schoop each hit their second home runs of the game and and Max Kepler went deep too. Eddie Rosario must have felt he was left out because he made it eight home runs on the day for Minnesota with a blast in the eighth inning. The Twins had a 16-2 lead in the ninth but the Angels fought back with five runs in the bottom of the ninth off Austin Adams before Mike Morin was brought in to put out the fire in a 16-7 Twins win at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, sweeping in Anaheim for the first time since 1996. Cron ended the day 5 for 6 and again missed his cycle by a triple. Twins starter Martin Perez banked win number 7 (7-1) with 5 innings pitched allowing just 2 runs but had to work when he walked four and allowed six hits striking out three. The Twins became the only team in baseball history with two games of at least 17 hits and at least eight home runs, previously having done so in Game 2 April 20 at Baltimore. There have been only nineteen 8+ homer, 17-hit game in the majors since 1908. The Twins completed their seven-game road trip with a record of 6-1. Box Score
2018 – Leading off for the Twins in the bottom of the first inning during Wednesday’s game against the Tigers, Brian Dozier sent a pitch from Michael Fulmer to deep center field that he thought was a home run. Instead, it got stuck in the top of the Target Field wall for a ground-rule double (video). The Tigers and Twins each score once in the first inning at Target Field but the Tigers score three more runs later in the game and the Twins do not so it ends up in a 4-1 loss for Twins fans on a nice Sunday afternoon. Kyle Gibson was the Twins starter and loser going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs. Eddie Rosario had three of the Twins five hits. Box Score
2009 – Anthony Swarzak became the first pitcher in Twins history to start a game and toss 7 scoreless innings in his major league debut. The Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 at the Metrodome and Swarzak earned the win in his major league debut. Joe Mauer who was 3 for 3 with a home run and Joe Crede who was 2 for 4 with a home run provided the offense. Box Score
1997 – The Minnesota Twins along with all the other teams in MLB retire Jackie Robinson’s number 42. Players that currently wear the number 42 can continue to do so but no new players can ever wear that number again.
Yankees’ Mariano Rivera Is the Last No. 42
1994 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1991 – Kirby Puckett bangs out 6 hits including 5 singles and a triple against the Texas Rangers at the Metrodome but the Twins still lose 10-6 in 11 innings. I suppose the fact that the Twins were 6 for 24 with RISP and had 19 LOB had something to do with it. The Rangers scored 5 runs in the top of the 11th inning off Twins reliever Steve Bedrosian. Box Score
1977 – No game today, scheduled day off. The Twins however were in Des Moines, Iowa playing the Iowa Oaks in one of those ISEG. The final score in this game is apparently in question because in some place they have the Oaks winning 6 to 5 and in other places they have the Twins winning 9 to 6. If you read the newspaper clipping below you will know why the final score is in question.
Twins_beat_the_Oaks_9_to_6__or_did_they_lose_6_to_5_
1974 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1972 – No game today, Twins versus Royals game at Municipal Stadium was rained out and rescheduled as part of a twin-bill on September 8.
1969 – Tommy Hall who just returned from four days with the National Guard and hasn’t pitched since April 30 starts at Yankee Stadium and goes six respectable innings allowing six hits and three runs but takes the loss when the Yankees score twice in the seventh breaking up a 1-1 game. Mel Stottlemyre pitched a complete game for the New Yorker’s to up his record to 7-3. The Twins had 9 hits with 3 of them coming off the bat of Rod Carew. The Twins out-hit their opponents two games in a row but still put up a “L” both times. The Twins have now lost three straight but remain in second place one game out. Box Score
1968 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1961 – Another day and another loss for the Twins as the Detroit Tigers show up at Met Stadium and hand the Twins their fourth loss in a row. The game started out as a pitching duel between the Tigers starter Jim Bunning and Twins starter Jack Kralick and after 8 innings the game was knotted at 2-2. The Twins had a shot in the bottom of the eighth to break the game open when they loaded the bases with no outs but a double play and a flyball killed that chance. Twins skipper Cookie Lavagetto went to his bullpen after Kralick was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning but that would prove to be a bad move when reliever Ray Moore was greeted with back-to-back home runs by Norm Cash and Steve Boros. Cookie went to his bullpen again and brought in Paul Giel but Dick Brown greeted him (first pitch) with a home run too. Giel finally got out of the inning but it was too late as the Tigers took a 5-2 lead. Hank Aguirre shut the Twins down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth for the win. Billy Gardner had two of the Twins seven hits but when you commit 3 errors and go 0 for 10 with RISP you can’t expect to win. Box Score
