Dozier dazzles in defeat
Brian Dozier slammed three homers, his 36th, 37th and 38th of the season in a Labor Day afternoon game at Target Field, though the Royals came away the 11-5 victors in Minneapolis. Dozier has now hit 21 homers in his last 35 games, and he became the first major-leaguer to connect for that many homers over a 35-game span since Shawn Green connected for 22 round-trippers over a 35-game span (including four in one game) for the Dodgers in 2002. Dozier has hit 24 homers in 50 games since the All-Star break, with 22 of them coming while in the game as a second baseman (the other two came in a game in which he was the designated hitter). Dozier broke the American League record for homers by a second baseman after the break; the old mark had belonged to Hall-of-Famer Joe Gordon since 1940, when he hit 21 post-break homers with the Yankees.
Dozier’s season total of 38 home runs has been reached by only one other player since the Twins moved from Washington to Minnesota in 1961. The Hall-of-Famer Harmon Killebrew reached that level in eight different seasons in Minnesota (he had also done it once while the team still played in the nation’s capital), knocking out a team-record of 49 homers in 1964 and 1969.
Minnesota Twins 3 home run games
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BOP | Pos Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Dozier | 2016-09-05 | MIN | KCR | L 5-11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2B |
| 2 | Max Kepler | 2016-08-01 | MIN | CLE | W 12-5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | RF |
| 3 | Justin Morneau | 2007-07-06 (2) | MIN | CHW | W 12-0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1B |
| 4 | Tony Oliva | 1973-07-03 | MIN | KCR | L 6-7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | DH |
| 5 | Harmon Killebrew | 1963-09-21 (1) | MIN | BOS | W 13-4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | LF |
| 6 | Bob Allison | 1963-05-17 | MIN | CLE | W 11-4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | RF |
Opponents 3 home run games
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BOP | Pos Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Donaldson | 2016-08-28 | TOR | MIN | W 9-6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3B |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | 2015-07-25 | NYY | MIN | W 8-5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | DH |
| 3 | Curtis Granderson | 2012-04-19 | NYY | MIN | W 7-6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | CF |
| 4 | Jose Bautista | 2011-05-15 | TOR | MIN | W 11-3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | RF |
| 5 | Evan Longoria | 2008-09-18 | TBR | MIN | L 8-11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3B |
| 6 | Nick Markakis | 2006-08-22 | BAL | MIN | W 6-3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | RF |
| 7 | Hee-Seop Choi | 2005-06-12 | LAD | MIN | W 4-3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1B |
| 8 | Ellis Burks | 2001-06-19 | CLE | MIN | L 9-10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | DH |
| 9 | Edgar Martinez | 1999-05-18 | SEA | MIN | W 10-1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | DH |
| 10 | Ivan Rodriguez | 1997-09-11 | TEX | MIN | W 7-0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | C |
| 11 | Geronimo Berroa | 1996-08-12 | OAK | MIN | W 11-1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | RF LF |
| 12 | Ernie Young | 1996-05-10 | OAK | MIN | W 15-5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | CF |
| 13 | Darnell Coles | 1994-07-05 | TOR | MIN | W 14-3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3B |
| 14 | Juan Gonzalez | 1992-06-07 | TEX | MIN | W 5-4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | CF |
| 15 | Dave Henderson | 1991-08-03 | OAK | MIN | L 6-8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | CF |
| 16 | Dave Winfield | 1991-04-13 | CAL | MIN | W 15-9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | RF |
| 17 | Joe Carter | 1989-07-19 | CLE | MIN | W 10-1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | LF |
| 18 | Cory Snyder | 1987-05-21 | CLE | MIN | W 6-3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | RF |
| 19 | Harold Baines | 1984-09-17 | CHW | MIN | W 7-3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | RF |
| 20 | Doug DeCinces | 1982-08-03 | CAL | MIN | L 4-5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3B |
| 21 | Jeff Burroughs | 1981-08-14 (2) | SEA | MIN | W 13-3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | RF |
| 22 | Eddie Murray | 1979-08-29 (2) | BAL | MIN | W 7-4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1B |
| 23 | Al Oliver | 1979-05-23 | TEX | MIN | W 7-2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | CF |
| 24 | Bobby Grich | 1974-06-18 | BAL | MIN | W 10-1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2B |
| 25 | Joe Lahoud | 1969-06-11 | BOS | MIN | W 13-5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | RF |
| 26 | Tommy McCraw | 1967-05-24 | CHW | MIN | W 14-1 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1B |
