Month: August 2015

According to ELIAS

Cruz and Dozier send game to extras in almost unprecedented fashion


Nelson Cruz homered in the top of the ninth inning to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead, but Brian Dozier answered with a four-bagger in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie it. Seattle then won in 11 innings at Target Field, 4-1.

The only other game in major-league history that was scoreless through eight innings, and then went to extra innings tied, 1-1, after a solo homer in the ninth for each team was played on Opening Day at Kansas City in 1972. The White Sox and Royals played out that scenario with ninth-inning homers by Dick Allen (in his White Sox debut) off Dick Drago and by Bob Oliver (father of Darren) off Wilbur Wood. The Royals won, 2-1, in the 11th inning, on a walk off single by John Mayberry.

Brian Dozier 2015Brian Dozier hit his 23rd home run yesterday afternoon, tying a single-season career-high, done last season. Dozier has 28 doubles and needs five to tie his career-high of 33, done in both 2013 and 2014. He needs one home run to tie Roy Smalley’s 24 in 1979 for most homers by a Twins middle infielder in club history and he enters today tied with Josh Donaldson for first in the AL in extra base hits with 54. Sources: ELIAS and Twins Game Notes.

Remembering 1965 – Part 15 – Killebrew injured and Pascual has surgery

Both of these events occurred on August 2, 1965.

Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew suffers a dislocated left elbow in a collision with Baltimore’s Russ Snyder in the 6th inning while playing first base at Met Stadium. The Twins slugger ends up missng 48 games. Killebrew was leading the AL in homers with 22 and RBI with 70.

Camilo Pascual
Camilo Pascual

Twins pitching Ace Camilo Pascual had surgery on his pitching arm in Washington D.C. and the surgery was deemed a success but how long he would be out was unknown. It turned out that Pascual missed 39 games and returned to the mound for the Twins on September 6. Pascual’s ailment was originally diagnosed as a possible tumor or Lipoma, a fatty growth but it turned out to be a torn muscle.

The Spokesman-Review August 3, 1965

The Killebrew and Pascual articles are on page 18 and the recap of the Twins versus Orioles game can be found on page 19. Actually it is kind of fun to read the entire paper and read about the news back then and see some of the old ads.

According to ELIAS

Another walk-off for Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki
Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki‘s RBI single capped a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins defeated the Mariners 3-2 on Saturday night. It was the seventh time that Suzuki has ended a game with a game-winning RBI while in the game as a catcher since entering the majors in 2007 (he has two more as a pinch-hitter). That ties A.J. Ellis for the most walk-off RBI by a backstop over the past nine seasons. Source: ELIAS

Twins minor league player of the week

Stuart TurnerChattanooga (AA) catcher Stuart Turner is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. The 23 year-old Turner who bats from the right side played in five games for the Lookouts, hitting .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles, one home run, four RBI, six runs scored and six walks with a .609 on-base percentage In 73 games for the Lookouts this season, Turner stands 6’2″ and goes about 230 has hit .220 (55-for-250) with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 25 RBI.

Twins catching prospect Turner not letting diabetes divert career

 

At Eunice (La.) High School Randy Stuart Turner was a three-time All-State and All-District selection in baseball from 2008-10 and was named a 2009 Louisville Slugger All-America. Turner also lettered three years in football and was a 2009 All-District selection.The Louisiana native was drafted by the Twins in the third round (78th overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Mississippi and signed with Minnesota for $550,000.

Twins Minor League Report August 2, 2015

According to ELIAS

Three extra-base hits by a Twins rookie

Eddie Rosario
Eddie Rosario

Twins rookie Eddie Rosario hit a double, a triple and a home run in Minnesota’s win over the Mariners on Thursday, six days after he recorded three doubles in a game against the Yankees. Rosario is the first Minnesota Twins rookie ever to have two games with at least three extra-base hits in one season. The only other rookie in the major leagues with two such games this season is the Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk. Source – ELIAS

Rosario went 3-5 last night, scored three times and knocked in three runs. Eddie Rosario fell a single short of becoming the 11th Twin and second Twins rookie to ever hit for the cycle (Gary Ward – 1980).

 

Walker dominates Twins

Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker

Taijuan Walker, who will turn 23 years old on August 13, threw a one-hit complete game and struck out 11 batters against the Twins on Friday. Since 1969, only four other pitchers have thrown a complete-game allowing no more than one hit with double-digit strikeouts before turning 23 years old: Dennis Eckersley in his no-hitter in 1977, Dwight Gooden in 1984, Kerry Wood in his 20-strikeout game in 1998, and Shelby Miller in 2013.