TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The Twins defeated the Royals at Kauffman Stadium yesterday, 7-6, ending their streak of 11 straight games scoring three or fewer runs. That was the longest streak of that kind for any major-league team this season, and it tied the longest within one season for the Twins since they moved to Minnesota in 1961. The Twins had another 11-game streak of that kind in August (8/6-8/15) 1970. However; that 1970 team went on to win 98 games before losing to the Orioles in the ALCS.
Kennys Vargas‘s two-run homer in the sixth inning of the Twins’ 5-2 loss to the Royals ended a dubious streak for Minnesota. Entering that inning, the Twins had gone 106 consecutive innings without scoring multiple runs in an inning (dating back to September 15), the longest streak in the majors since the 1942 Phillies had a 109-inning streak of this type from May 23 to June 3. The Phillies finished that season with a record of 42-109 (.278). Only three teams have had a lower winning percentage in a season since then: the 1962 Mets (40-120, .250), 2003 Tigers (43-119, .265), and the 1952 Pirates (42-112, .273).
The 1982 Minnesota Twins 60-102 season has been on the books for a long time as the Twins team with the most losses but that does not necessarily make them the worst team in Twins history. The Twins 2016 team is almost a cinch to break the record of 102 losses in a single season but like the 1982 team that does not mean they are the worst Twins team ever. Both teams had some very good players but in both cases their pitching staff was substandard or young and the position players were just starting to come into their own as major league players. The average age of the 1982 team was just barely over 25 years of age, the 2016 team by comparison has the youngest average position players in the league at 27 but the pitching staff is middle of the pack with and average age of just over 28.
Tonight the Twins are in Kansas City to play the Royals and they have a chance to lose game number 102 but the Twins will send their best pitcher (Ervin Santana) to the mound so they can put off the inevitable for another day.
The Twins loss number 102 back in ’82 took place on the final day of the season, Sunday, October 3 with White Sox starter LaMarr Hoyt facing off against Twins starter Brad Havens. The Chicago White Sox were in third place and the Twins occupied the cellar of the AL West a full 32 games out of first. Only 5,085 Twins fans paid t0 enter the Metrodome that day to watch this meaningless game but how many were actually there is probably another story.
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when the Tony La Russa led mighty whities put three runs on the board against the lefty Brad Havens on a home run by Tom Paciorek and a single by Marc Hill that scored two more. Havens day ended in the top of the sixth after he gave up a walk, a double and a ground out that scored the fourth run for the Sox. Twins manager Billy Gardner had seen enough and brought in reliever Paul Boris who got of the inning but allowed another run to score on a ground out and going into the bottom of the sixth inning the home town Twins were down 5 to zip. The Twins finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Gary Ward had an infield single that scored Bobby Mitchell who had singled to lead off the inning. The White Sox added a run in the top of the eighth inning when Twins killer Harold Baines took Paul Boris deep to lead off the inning. Hoyt who would go on to pitch a complete game and win his league leading 19th game retired the first two Twins in the ninth before Greg Wells tripled bringing DH Randy Bush to the plate but he grounded out to the second baseman and Brad Havens and the Twins took the defeat. The game lasted all of 2 hours and 5 minutes and it was “wait until next year” for the Twins and their fans.
The bearded LaMarr Hoyt was an interesting player to be sure, the following season he went on to win a league leading 24 games and take home the 1983 Cy Young award. In 1985 he found himself in San Diego where he was named the NL starting pitcher in the 1985 All-Star game at the Metrodome that the NL won by a 6-1 score and Hoyt was credited with the victory by allowing no earned run in 3 innings. By 1987 the 32-year old Hoyt was out of professional baseball due to problems with drugs. More info on Hoyt.
Rusty Kuntz who was the White Sox center fielder that day went on to play for the Twins in 1983 and tonight you will find him in Kansas City coaching for the Royals, I wonder if he remembers this day from back in 1982?
By the way, September 28 has been a very interesting day in Minnesota Twins history so please don’t forget to check it out on our This Day in Twins History page before you leave.
The rumors started Monday afternoon and Rhett Bollinger posted on Twinsbaseball.com that Cleveland Indians assistant GM Derek Falvey is headed to Minnesota to become the teams new Head of Baseball Operations. Nothing is official as the Twins organization has made no announcement but with the Indians clinching the AL Central title last night the official announcement could be imminent.
I was listening to Pat Reusse yesterday afternoon on AM 1500 when he had Indians broadcaster Tom Hamilton on as a guest and they talked about Derek Falvey. Since the deal is not official Hamilton could obviously only speak from a what if scenario. He did say however; that Falvey works very closely with manager Terry Francona and his staff and would be a great fit for the Minnesota job. Then again, what would you expect him to say?
Here is what the Cleveland Indians 2016 media guide has on Derek Palvey.
Derek Falvey is 33 and is in his ninth season as a member of the Cleveland Indians organization and first since being appointed Assistant General Manager on Oct. 6, 2015. He spent the previous four seasons as Director of Baseball Operations after being named to the position in December of 2011.
As Assistant General Manager, Derek assists Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff in all areas of baseball operations, including financial, statistical, and contractual dealings, and contributes to all aspects of professional and amateur player procurement and development. He also oversees the Advance Scouting process and works closely with Terry Francona and the Major League Coaching Staff to assist in the day-to-day management of Major League operations.
Falvey’s tenure with the organization started in November 2007 when he began an internship in Baseball Operations. In his first three years with the club, Derek assisted both the Amateur and International Scouting Departments before spending the 2011 season as Assistant Director of Baseball Operations.Derek played baseball at Trinity College in Hartford, CT where he earned a degree in economics in June 2005. After graduating, Falvey returned home to the Boston, MA area where he worked until joining the Indians in the fall of 2007.
Derek Falvey is married (Meghan) and they have a son named Jack.
The Miami Marlins announced yesterday that 24-year-old pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in Miami. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fernandez family and friends at this sad time. RIP Jose Fernandez and thank you for the memories.
Jose Fernandez (The Huffington Post)
I Can’t Wait to Tell My Son About Jose Fernandez (Fangraphs)
Nelson Cruz hit a pair of home runs in the Mariners’ 4-3 win as they handed the Twins their 100th loss of the season yeserday. Brian Dozier‘s 42 home runs are the most in one season by any player in major-league history for a team that lost at least 100 games. The only other 100-loss teams that boasted a player with at least 40 home runs were the 1923 Phillies (50-104, Cy Williams, 41 HR), 1930 Phillies (52-102, Chuck Klein, 40) and 1977 Braves (61-101, Jeff Burroughs, 41).
Tyler Duffey won his ninth game of the season and lowered his ERA to 6.11 in the Twins’ win over the Mariners on Saturday. The only Twins pitcher to finish a season with nine or more wins despite an ERA of 6.00 or higher was LaTroy Hawkins, who went 10-14 with a 6.66 ERA in 1999, his final season as a starting pitcher, before 16 seasons pitching exclusively out of the bullpen.
The Twins will be giving away Twins Stocking Caps this evening to help Twins fans get through the tough upcoming winter prior to facing the Seattle Mariners at Target Field in game number 155 of the 2016 season. The Twins record stands at 55-99 (35.5 games out of first) as the team tries to wrap up what will probably be the teams worst season ever since they started play in Minnesota in 1961.
The Twins have lost 100 or more games just once and that was their 60-102 season in 1982. The ’82 Twins lost game number 100 in their 159th game of the year at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto on September 30th by a 6-4 score. The following season, 1983, the Twins went on to win 70 games and finally reached the .500 mark in 1984.
Sadly today’s Twins have a chance to lose game 100 sooner than the 1982 team and in all likely hood will lose more than 102 games. With no Head of Baseball Operations nor a General Manager yet hired all we fans can do is sit and wait to see what happens next. Wait, how is that different then what we have done all season?
A bad job to have about now? Minnesota Twins season ticket sales, if you have that job make sure you get paid by-the-hour versus on a commission basis.
UPDATE – Twins lost game number 100 on Sunday, September 25 in their final home game by a 4-3 score to the Seattle Mariners and they still have six games to play, all on the road.
Brian Dozier hit his 42nd homer of the season, and his 40th as a second baseman, setting an American League record, in the Twins’ afternoon game yesterday, but he went 0-for-4 in the nightcap, ending his 24-game hitting streak. That was the longest hitting streak in a 40-homer season since Albert Pujols had a 30-game spree in 2003, when he clubbed 43 homers.
