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2009 – The Twins played the Detroit Tigers in a tie-breaker game to decide the 2009 Central Division winner and came away with a thrilling 6-5 win in 12 innings. This is the second year in a row that the Twins played in game number 163 and this time the game was at the Metrodome and this time the Twins won a see-saw affair. 54,088 Homer Hanky waving fans, the largest to ever see a regular season game at the Metrodome, sat through 12 innings and 4 hours and 37 minutes and 391 pitches (163 by the Tigers and 198 by the Twins) of stressful baseball before Alexi Casilla hit a walk-off single to right in the bottom of the 12th inning to score Carlos Gomez with the winning run. There was some controversy in the top of the 12th inning when with the score tied 5-5, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out. Tiger third baseman Brad Inge appeared to have been grazed by a pitch which would have forced in a run for the Tigers but umpire Randy Marsh said no. Inge then hit into a force out and the next batter struck out to end the inning. Bobby Keppel, the 8th Twins pitcher of the game was the winning pitcher and Tiger closer Fernando Rodney who was in his 4th inning of pitching took the loss. Keppel’s win was the only major league win he ever had. Orlando Cabrera and Jason Kubel hit the Twins only home runs. This was the last regular season game (since tie-breaker games are considered regular season games) to be played at the Metrodome. Following the 2010 season, a panel of experts at the MLB Network will vote this the 16th greatest game of the past fifty years. Box Score
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2002 – The Twins beat the A’s in Oakland 5-4 and in the process take the ALDS 3 games to 2. Cristian Guzman was 3 for 5 with two doubles and a stolen base. Brad Radke won his second ALDS game and AJ Pierzynski hit a 9th inning home run. Each team scored three runs in the ninth inning. In a cruel twist of fate, Denny Hocking has his hand stepped on in the celebration and is out for the ALCS against his hometown Angels. Box Score
1991 – The Twins close out a great season in which they were in first place for the last 113 days with a 10 inning extra inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 3-2 at the Metrodome in front of a crowd of 37,794 fans. Pat Hentgen went the first five innings for the Blue Jays allowing one run on three hits and Tom Edens went the first six innings for Minnesota also allowing one run on three hits. The Twins took a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Paul Sorrento singled in Mike Pagliarulo who had reached base on an error. The Blue Jays returned the favor to tie the score at 2-2 in the top of the eighth when Greg Myers singled in Mookie Wilson who had singled and stole second off Terry Leach. The Jays got the game winner in the top of the tenth when Rob Ducey who entered the game as a PH back in the fourth inning led off the inning with a home run off Allan Anderson (5-11) who had just entered the game and took the loss. David Weathers got the win and Duane Ward got the save for Toronto. The Twins finished the season in first place and their 95-67 record was the best in the AL. Box Score
1985 – The Twins closed out the 1985 season with a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome. Mike Smithson (15-14) started the Home Opener in April and lost and it was fitting he would pitch the final game of the season and get the win with a complete game victory allowing 2 runs, just one earned on nine hits. The Twins had 10 hits with Mark Salas and Steve Lombardozzi leading the attack with two each. Indians starting pitcher Don Schulze (4-10) took the loss. Box Score
1969 – After losing the first two games on the road in extra innings by just one run in each game the Twins get blown out in game 3 by an 11-2 score. Twins manager Billy Martin went with veteran starter/reliever Bob Miller on a hunch back at Met Stadium and it did not pay off. The Twins actually scored first in this game and took a 1-0 lead after one inning but it was down hill after that. Miller didn’t make it through the second inning due to a Tony Oliva error and three hits allowed including two doubles, putting the O’s out in front 3-1 and Miller’s day was done. The Twins were out hit 18-10 and committed the games only two errors. The Minnesota Twins lose the first ALCS to the Baltimore Orioles three game to none in a best of five series. As it turned out, Martin’s decision to start Bob Miller was a sticking point with Calvin Griffith and was another nail in the coffin in Martin’s eventual firing. Box Score
Twins play first playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium; Orioles clinch AL pennant by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
1968 – Twins minor league catcher Franklyn Sands was the victim of a freak accident while working out with the Twins entry in the Florida Instructional League. According to the Sporting News:
“Left-hander Tommy Hall uncorked a breaking pitch while warming up with Sands. It broke too much and went into the dirt, caromed off Sands’ big mitt and crashed into his right cheekbone. A splinter of bone pierced his eye from inside. Sands knew immediately that he had lost his eye.”
Frank Sands tried to come back as a pitcher but it was not meant to be, at the age of just 20 a dream and possibly a big league baseball career had ended.
1965 – The Twins play their first World Series game at Metropolitan Stadium with 47,797 fans in the stands against the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the game 8-2 behind the pitching of Mudcat Grant. The Twins score six times in the third inning on six hits and a walk knocking Drysdale out of the game. Rookie Frank Quilici sets a record with two hits in the inning. Grant becomes the first African-American to win a World Series game. Don Drysdale took the defeat. Don Mincher and Zoilo Versalles hit round trippers. Sandy Koufax refuses to pitch the first game of the World Series against the Twins because game is scheduled on Yom Kippur, the most sacred of the Jewish holidays. Tony Oliva tied a World Series record for most putouts in a nine-inning game in right field (7). Box Score
Dodgers versus Twins at Met Stadium Game 1 radio broadcast about 2 hours & 44 minutes
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