There are lots of cool events that occurred on September 27 in Minnesota Twins history. Stop by our Today in Twins History page daily to learn about the Twins wonderful history and bring back those great memories. Have fun!
Remembering 1965 – Part 23 – Twins clinch the pennant
September 26, 1965 – The Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Senators 2-1 at D.C. Stadium and clinch their first American League pennant with their 99th victory of the season. It is a bit ironic that the Twins win the pennant in Washington since they themselves were the Washington Senators before moving to Minnesota after the 1960 season.
Twins pitcher Jim Kaat pitched a complete game and struck out 10 while allowing one run (0 earned) on eight hits to earn his 17th win of the season. The Twins scored their two runs on a passed ball and a Sac fly. Senators pitcher Pete Richert also pitched a complete game allowing only three hits but end up the hard luck loser for the Gil Hodges managed Senators. Box score.
1965 Minnesota Twins win the Pennant (40 minute video)
Congratulations to Pete Mackanin on being named as Phillies skipper
Former Twins infielder and baseball lifer Pete Mackanin has been named as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies for 2016 and a team option for 2017. Mackanin served as the Phillies interim manager since June and has also been an interim manager for the Pirates and the Reds but this will be his first full-time gig as a big league skipper.
“The Phillies are pleased that Pete has accepted the position of manager for the 2016 season,” team president (and former Twins GM) Andy MacPhail said in a statement. “We believe that Pete is the best fit for the role. Since assuming the interim manager position in June, Pete has developed an excellent rapport with our players and has also connected well with the media and our fans. Equally as important is his eagerness to take on the challenge of rebuilding the team and further developing our players. We look forward to his contributions.”
Mackanin was a fourth round selection by the Washington Senators in 1969 and played in 548 games in the majors from 1973 to 1981 with the Rangers, Expos, Phillies and Twins. The Twins acquired Mackanin from the Phillies on December 7, 1979 for pitcher Paul Thormodsgard. Mackanin played in 185 games in a Twins uniform hitting .252 before leaving the team as a free agent after the 1981 season. Mackanin did not play in the majors again after leaving Minnesota. Mackanin’s tie to Minnesota Twins history is that he hit the last Twins home run in Met Stadium and also scored the last Twins run there.
According to ELIAS
Ervin evoking memories of Johan
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Ervin Santana came through again for the Twins on Tuesday night, holding the Indians to one run over seven innings and earning well-deserved credit for Minnesota’s 3-1 victory. Santana is now 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA over his last five starts, with 39 strikeouts in 36 innings. Source: ELIAS
We will never know what the Twins record might have been had Santana pitched for the Twins all year long. The old what if ………..
According to ELIAS
Duffey wins his fourth straight decision
Tyler Duffey pitched seven scoreless innings and was the pitcher of decision in the Twins’ 8-1 victory over the Angels. Duffey absorbed a loss to the Blue Jays in his major-league debut on August 5, when he allowed two homers and six runs in a two-inning start. But he is 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA in seven starts since then, while allowing only one home run in 43.2 innings. Source: ELIAS
Did you know?
Of the 15 remaining active Major Leaguers who were drafted in 1997 or earlier, four (LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter, A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Cuddyer) were selected by the Minnesota Twins as Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out. That doesn’t include Kyle Lohse, who was drafted in 1996 by the Cubs but played his first several big-league seasons with Minnesota.
Max Kepler deserves call-up in 2015
Twins 1B/OF Max Kepler deserves to be called up by the Minnesota Twins as soon as the Chattanooga Lookouts playoff run is completed. The 22 year-old Kepler is having a huge breakout season in his sixth year of pro ball. Kepler started the season playing a handful of games at Ft. Myers due to an injury but quickly was sent to Chattanooga where he has been a hitting machine and was selected as the Southern League MVP which is a league loaded with top prospects.
I know the Twins are in the chase for a wildcard spot but they need to call Kepler up to Minnesota where he can get a taste of big league life and be rewarded for his play this season. I know that first base and the outfield are crowded at Target Field but Kepler has earned his shot at putting on a Twins uniform and showing fans here in Minnesota another of their highly regarded prospects. Don’t let me down Mr. Ryan!
Kepler homers twice to even SL Final
Chattanooga Lookouts Even Southern League Championship Series
This Day in Twins History – September 19, 2002
September 19, 2002 – Twins rookie outfielder Mike Ryan gets 2 hits in the first inning of his major league debut in Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers. In what was a nine-run first inning for Minnesota, Ryan singled in his first two big league at-bats, and drove in two runs. But the glow of the feat was short-lived when his hits and Minnesota’s 9-0 lead were wiped out when rain forced the game to be called before the top of the third inning. In his official debut the next day Ryan goes 0 for 4.
This is the kind of situation where a player could play in a major league game and if his career ended at that point he would never go down in baseball history as having played in a big league game, this doesn’t seem right to me. You have to wonder how many other times this has happened. You could tell your grand kids you played in the majors and their might be no proof.
Don’t forget to check out our Today in Twins History page daily to learn more about Twins history.
The Twins longest games in terms of innings played
The Minnesota Twins have played a lot of games in the 55 years that they have called Minnesota home but only 33 of those games have gone 15 innings or longer. In those 33 games they have a 17-16 record. The three longest games that have lasted 20 inning or more have all been played at home, either at the Met or the Metrodome. I am sure you got your money’s worth if you attended any of those games.
The Twins longest road game was at Yankee Stadium back in 1976 and this might shock you I know but the Twins lost 5-4 on a walk-off single by Mickey Rivers. Just hearing the name Mickey Rivers brings back all kinds of memories, what a character he was.
Twins longest games by innings played
(The right-hand column tell you how long the game lasted in terms of minutes)
| Rk | Date | Opp | Rslt | IP | H | R | d I might ER | BB | SO | HR | UER | Pit | BF | AB | min. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-31 | CLE | W 5-4 | 22.0 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 288 | 85 | 76 | 377 |
| 2 | 1972-05-12 | MIL | L 3-4 | 22.0 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 76 | 347 | |
| 3 | 1967-08-09 | WSA | L 7-9 | 20.0 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 69 | 340 | |
| 4 | 1976-08-25 | NYY | L 4-5 | 18.2 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 64 | 326 | |
| 5 | 2004-08-08 | OAK | L 5-6 | 18.0 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 251 | 71 | 67 | 297 |
| 6 | 1969-09-06 | OAK | W 8-6 | 18.0 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 78 | 69 | 317 | |
| 7 | 1969-07-19 | SEP | W 11-7 | 18.0 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 82 | 76 | 341 | |
| 8 | 1967-07-26 (2) | NYY | W 3-2 | 18.0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 62 | 264 | |
| 9 | 1976-08-28 | CLE | L 3-4 | 16.2 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 59 | 295 | |
| 10 | 1969-04-09 | KCR | L 3-4 | 16.2 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 54 | 272 | |
| 11 | 1995-05-07 | CLE | L 9-10 | 16.1 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 322 | 82 | 71 | 396 |
| 12 | 2009-07-03 | DET | L 9-11 | 16.0 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 218 | 69 | 63 | 307 |
| 13 | 2005-08-16 | CHW | W 9-4 | 16.0 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 204 | 63 | 58 | 309 |
| 14 | 1986-06-11 | TEX | L 2-6 | 16.0 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 66 | 57 | 272 | |
| 15 | 1977-09-17 | TEX | L 4-5 | 16.0 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 65 | 55 | 312 | |
| 16 | 1969-07-25 | CLE | W 4-2 | 16.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 55 | 266 | |
| 17 | 1982-04-20 | OAK | L 3-4 | 15.2 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 57 | 303 | |
| 18 | 1975-07-12 | NYY | L 7-8 | 15.2 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 70 | 61 | 311 | |
| 19 | 2012-06-17 | MIL | W 5-4 | 15.0 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 250 | 66 | 61 | 290 |
| 20 | 2004-06-10 | NYM | W 3-2 | 15.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 231 | 59 | 51 | 246 |
| 21 | 2004-05-04 | SEA | L 3-4 | 15.0 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 245 | 65 | 55 | 288 |
| 22 | 2004-04-06 | CLE | W 7-6 | 15.0 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 223 | 59 | 55 | 300 |
| 23 | 2002-06-10 | ATL | W 6-5 | 15.0 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 209 | 58 | 52 | 263 |
| 24 | 1999-05-21 | OAK | W 2-1 | 15.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 59 | 51 | 295 |
| 25 | 1992-07-04 | BAL | W 3-2 | 15.0 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 250 | 64 | 54 | 280 |
| 26 | 1980-08-28 | TOR | W 7-5 | 15.0 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 51 | 264 | |
| 27 | 1980-06-20 | CLE | L 3-4 | 15.0 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 55 | 268 | |
| 28 | 1974-09-10 | CHW | W 8-7 | 15.0 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 60 | 247 | |
| 29 | 1973-06-06 (1) | CLE | W 7-3 | 15.0 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 66 | 56 | 254 | |
| 30 | 1972-06-06 | BAL | W 5-4 | 15.0 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 63 | 53 | 265 | |
| 31 | 1972-05-13 | MIL | W 5-4 | 15.0 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 50 | 216 | |
| 32 | 1964-09-29 | KCA | L 6-7 | 15.0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 61 | 53 | 290 | |
| 33 | 1961-05-22 | CLE | L 5-7 | 15.0 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 58 | 248 |
Please take some time to check out our Length of games including longest Twins game page.
Remebering 1965 – Part 22 – Versalles, World Series tickets, Mele
September 2 – Left Fielder Bob Allison strikes out five times in a 5-4 loss to the Tigers at Met Stadium. Allison is the only Twins batter to strike out five time in a nine inning game. Sandy Valdespino (1967), Bobby Darwin (1972), and Roy Smalley (1976) all struck out five times in extra inning games. Box score
September 14 – The Twins beat the Kansas City Athletics managed by Haywood Sullivan 4-3 at Met Stadium. Three KC pitchers walk eight Twins batters including five intentional walks, Tony Oliva (2), Don Mincher, Earl Battey and Jerry Kindall. Box score
As of September 15 the first place Twins are 94-54 after 148 games and 10 games up on the second place Baltimore Orioles and riding an eight game winning streak. Even though the Twins are just days away from clinching the AL pennant, their last two home games at the Met against the Kansas City Athletics have drawn a total of 19,105 fans.
