Month: August 2017

According to ELIAS – Jose Berrios

Sweet Berrios poisons D-Backs

Jose Berrios

23-year-old Jose Berrios defeated Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks, with the Twins winning the game 5-0. Berrios pitched seven brilliant innings in which he allowed just 2 hits and 1 walk, fanning 7. Berrios is now 11-5 in 18 starts this season. Only three other pitchers in Twins/Senators history, 23-or-younger, started a season with as many wins in their first 18 starts of a season: 22-year-old Joe Boehling in 1913 (11-5), 23-year-old Scott Erickson in 1991 (13-3), and 22-year-old Francisco Liriano in 2005 (11-3).

Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Mike Trombley

August 19 had one player making his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin.

Mike Trombley (Credit Getty Images)

Mike Trombley (P) – August 19, 1992 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Debut in Cleveland Stadium was one scoreless inning of relief with a strike out and a hit in a Twins 5-1 defeat.

According to ELIAS – Byron Buxton

Buxton’s own kind of triple double, adding inside-the-park HR

 

Byron Buxton

Byron Buxton’s contributions to the Twins’ 10-3 victory yesterday over the visiting Diamondbacks included a double, a triple and an inside-the-park home run. Buxton became only the fifth major-leaguer in the 70-plus years since the end of World War II, and the first in 41 years, to squeeze those three types of hits into the same game. Jerry Snyder did it for the Washington Senators in 1956, a young Roger Maris for the Kansas City A’s in 1958, George Altman for the Cubs in 1961, and Al Bumbry for the Orioles at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on Aug. 21, 1976.

According to Phil Miller in the Star Tribune this morning, MLB announced that Buxton’s trip around the bases took a mere 13.85 seconds, the fastest that its StatCast system that was installed in 2015 had ever recorded.

In all, the Twins smashed six home runs in their victory, tying the most home runs in a home game in the history of the franchise, dating to 1901 when the team played in Washington. The Twins connected for six circuit clouts twice at Metropolitan Stadium (in 1964 and 1966) and once earlier this year at Target Field (May 2 against the A’s). Actually, it’s not a surprise that it never happened at Griffith Stadium, the longtime home to the Washington Senators. The field dimensions at old Griffith were so huge that in 1945—a season in which Washington uncharacteristically finished just a game and a half behind the pennant-winning Tigers—the Senators hit exactly one home run—one!—in their 78 home games. And that lone home homer was an inside-the-parker, hit by Joe Kuhel on September 7.

Games when the Twins turned on the power

Results
Rk Date Tm Opp Rslt PA HR
1 1963-08-29 (1) MIN WSA W 14-2 49 8
2 2001-07-12 MIN MIL W 13-5 46 7
3 2017-08-18 MIN ARI W 10-3 41 6
4 2017-05-02 MIN OAK W 9-1 38 6
5 2016-06-26 MIN NYY W 7-1 37 6
6 2007-07-06 (2) MIN CHW W 12-0 48 6
7 2004-04-10 MIN DET W 10-5 47 6
8 2000-04-09 MIN KCR W 13-7 43 6
9 1993-08-15 MIN OAK W 12-5 44 6
10 1966-06-09 MIN KCA W 9-4 38 6
11 1964-05-14 MIN CHW W 15-7 44 6
12 1962-04-29 (2) MIN CLE W 7-3 41 6
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/19/2017.

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58 home runs in one day

Major-league players combined to hit 58 home runs in the 15 games played on Friday, the second-highest total of home runs ever hit on one day in the 142-year history of Major League Baseball. There were 62 home runs hit on July 2, 2002, a day on which 16 games were played. The 58 homers set a record for the most longballs on a day on which 15-or-fewer games were played; the previous record of 57 was set in the 15 games played on April 7, 2000.

This season, there has been an average of 2.54 home runs per game (for both teams combined), which is on target to surpass, rather handily, the all-time record high of 2.34 homers per game, set in 2000.

Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Kinney & Fife

Two players today, August 18, that made their big league debuts as Minnesota Twins.

Matt Kinney (P) – August 18, 2000 – Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Joe Thomas (minors) and John Barnes to the Minnesota Twins for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell on July 31, 1998. Debuted at the Skydome against the Blue Jays and took the loss in a 3-2 game but he pitched well going 6.1 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks and was lifted trailing 2-0.

Dan Fife

Danny Fife (P) – August 18, 1973 – Traded by the Detroit Tigers with cash to the Minnesota Twins in March 1973. Debuted in relief pitching 3 innings at Cleveland Stadium allowing no runs, 2 hits and 1 walk and struck out one in a Twins 5-0 loss to the Indians as Gaylord Perry shutout the Twins on 3 hits.

Former Twins outfielder Danny Walton passes away a age 70

Former Minnesota Twins player Danny Walton passed away on August 9, 2017 at the age of 70. Daniel James Walton was born in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 1947 and passed away on August 9, 2017 in Morgan, Utah.

Walton’s pro baseball career started in 1965 when he was drafted in the 10th round by the Houston Astros.  A much heralded minor league slugger, he put up huge numbers in Triple-A and appeared headed for major league glory. Many fans compared him to Mickey Mantle, with the full expectation that he would succeed The Mick as the game’s next great slugger. In fact, Walton’s nickname was “Mickey.” This obviously never came to pass.

Walton debuted with the Astros at the age of 20 on April 20, 1968 but he only got 2 plate appearances with Houston before they traded him to the Seattle Pilots in August 1969. Walton was so dominant in the American Association in 1969 that The Sporting News voted Walton its Minor League Player of the Year. The following year, 1970, the Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers and Walton quickly became a fan favorite. His growing strikeout rate and a knee injury finally forced the Brewers hand and they traded Walton to the New York Yankees in June of 1971. Receiving little playing time in New York they then traded Walton to the Minnesota Twins in October 1972 for catcher Rick Dempsey.

Walton’s time in the Minnesota organization lasted 3 years but he only appeared in a Twins uniform in 37 games in 1973 and 42 games in 1975 and spending the rest of his time in AAA. Playing for the Twins AAA Tacoma Twins in 1974 Walton tried switch-hitting smashed 35 home runs, knocked in 109 runs while hitting a respectable .263. Danny Walton’s strikeouts continued to plague him and he hit just .176 with 5 home runs for the Twins in a total of 79 games and 179 PA’s in 1973-1975. In December 1975 the Twins traded Walton to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Bobby Randall.

After playing in 18 games for LA he was traded back to his first team the Houston Astros where he again played briefly before being released in March of 1978. Walton then went to Japan to play for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in the Japan Central league where he appeared in 75 games before leaving there and signing with the Seattle Mariners in March of 1979 but he never played in a big league game for them. In March of 1980 he was released by the Mariners but was signed by the Texas Rangers where he appeared in the final 10 games of his big league career. The Rangers traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in December of 1980. Walton spent the 1980 season in AAA before calling it a career. 

Over a professional career that lasted from 1965 to 1980, Walton played for six major league teams and 13 minor league franchises.Outside of his one decent season in Milwaukee, he never gained traction in the major leagues. But he didn’t give up, kept going back to the minor leagues, and became one of the greatest Triple-A sluggers of the expansion era. In parts or all of 10 Triple-A seasons, he hit 184 home runs and slugged .507.

To this day, Walton remains a minor league legend. While not many major league fans saw Walton play, many fans of my age and older have heard the stories of his prodigious power and his tape-measure home runs. There is a certain mystique to the name Danny Walton. All things considered, that’s not a bad legacy to have.

After leaving baseball, Walton worked as a welder. He was the happiest man with a great love for life and people. He was loud, funny and very affectionate. He had so many friends that loved to be in his company.

 In 1983, Danny married Judy in Elko, Nevada. It was love at first sight for them and they were able to spend 34 wonderful years together.

Danny is survived by his wife, Judy, sisters, Charlene (Steve) Alzugaray, Marian (Larry) Kane, brother-in-law, Mick (Christine) Jungles, Brard (Dixie) Bailey, Lyle (Lisa) Bailey, and his children, Cody (Vicki) Walton, Amy Walton, Shelly Walton, Jason Polaro, Daniel Zahl, Bryan (Cassie) Roberts, and Brandon (Tonya) Robertson and nine grandchildren.. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Catherine May Walton and brother-in-law, Vaughn “Duck” Bailey.

The Hardball Time did a great story on Danny Walton that you can read here.

Danny Walton Obituary

Rest in Peace Danny Walton and thank you for the wonderful memories.

According to ELIAS – Tribe’s K-Fest streak broken and Aaron Slegers

Tribe’s K-fest finally broken at Minnesota

Carlos Carrasco struck out nine batters over five innings and Cleveland’s bullpen struck out 10 more in the Indians’ 9–3 victory at Minnesota. That tied the team record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game, set in 2015 and tied earlier this season.

It also extended Cleveland’s streak of games with at least 10 strikeouts to 13, which is the longest streak in MLB history. The previous mark of nine consecutive 10-strikeout games was set earlier this season by the Diamondbacks and matched by the Yankees. The Indians more than doubled the former record of six straight games that was set by the Mets in 1990 and which stood until five years ago.

The streak ended when Cleveland pitchers struck out only nine Twins batters in the second game of the doubleheader.

 

Another Twins starting pitcher makes his MLB debut

Aaron Slegers made his major-league debut as the Twins’ starting pitcher in the second game of their doubleheader against the Indians. This is the first time since the team moved to Minnesota in 1961 that four Twins players made their major-league debuts as starting pitchers in one season. The others were Nik Turley, Felix Jorge, and Dietrich Enns.

The last time that four pitchers did so for the Washington Senators, the Twins’ predecessors, was in 1950. The fourth of those pitchers to debut was Carlos Pascual, whose 1–1 career record was overshadowed by that of his brother Camilo, who debuted for the Nats in 1954 and ranks fifth in franchise history with a total of 145 wins.

Aaron Slegers

As for Slegers’ performance, a big thumbs-up, as he allowed two runs on two hits over 6.1 innings in Minnesota’s 4–2 win. Over the last four seasons, only three other starting pitchers reached the seventh inning and allowed fewer than three hits in their major-league debuts: Ross Stripling of the Dodgers and Jharel Cotton of the A’s last season and Eric Skoglund of the Royals on May 30.

Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Jeff Manship

I didn’t get yesterday debut out here so we will do it today since there are no big league debuts as Twins on August 16.

Jeff Manship

Jeff Manship (P) – August 15, 2009 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. Threw a clean inning of relief in his debut against the Cleveland Indians at the Dome and struck out one albeit in a losing cause..

According to ELIAS – Indians enjoy Target Field

Indians feel at home in Minneapolis

 
The Cleveland Indians defeated the Twins yesterday for their ninth straight win at Target Field. That’s the second-longest current road winning streak by one major-league team over another; the Astros have won their last 10 games at the Oakland Coliseum. It’s Cleveland’s longest road winning streak against one team since taking 13 straight against the Angels in Anaheim from 1973 to 1975.