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
Cedar Rapids Kernels left-handed pitcher Alex Robinson has been named Twins minor league Player of the Week. The 22-year-old Robinson appeared in three games for the Kernels, pitching 4.0 shutout innings with eight strikeouts, no hits allowed, no walks and one save. In his third season of pro ball Robinson has had more innings pitched than hits allowed and more strikeouts than innings pitched.
The Queens, NY native was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Maryland.
After the White Sox took the first two games from the Minnesota Twins, 31, 141 fans packed White Sox Park to see the home town nine take two more from the visiting Twins. But, it was not to be, after spotting the Whitey’s a one run lead the Twins tied it in the fourth inning and then scored 2 in the 5th, 6th, and 8th innings and held on for a 7-4 win in game one. Jim Kaat hit his first home run of the season. Zoilo Versalles had 3 hits and Rich Rollins, Bob Allison and Jim Kaat each had 2 hits. Jim Kaat took home the win and Ron Kline registered the save. Box Score
In game two the Twins were out hit 8 to 6 but managed to out score the White Sox 5 to 1 and a double-header sweep was in the books. Dave Boswell was credited with the victory to even his record at 8-8 and Al Worthington notched his 12th save of the season. When the day was done the Twins still found themselves in third place but now only 2.5 games behind the league leading WSox but only a half game behind the Tigers at the All-Star break. Box Score
Pitcher Dean Chance along with Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva and Rod Carew (who missed the week-end series due to military obligations) left for the All-Star game in Anaheim after the DH was complete and were accompanied by manager Cal Ermer and owner Calvin Griffith.
The rest of the stories that I have done on the 1967 AL pennant race can be found here.
Only the one player made his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin on July the 9th. This debut is extra special however; because Ron Keller was the first player to be drafted and signed by the Minnesota Twins and make his big league debut wearing the colors of the Minnesota Twins.
Ron Keller
Ron Keller (P) – July 9, 1966 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 8th round of the 1965 amateur draft. The Twins were already down 5-0 when Ron Keller was called upon by Sam Mele to relieve Jim Merritt. Keller had a clean first inning on the Met Stadium mound but then allowed 3 runs in the next inning including a home run by future Hall of Famer Al Kaline and kept the Tigers off the board in his third inning of relief.
The Twins lost to the AL league leading Chicago White Sox for the second day in a row via a walk-off and again the White Sox did it with out the benefit of a hit. On Friday they lost on a walk-off error and today they lost on a walk-off Sac fly by Wayne Causey off Twins starting pitcher Jim Merritt.
Starting pitchers Tommy John and Jim Merritt was tied up in a scoreless pitching duel until the bottom of the ninth when the White Sox loaded the bases on a double and two intentional walks and Causey delivered the walk-off Sac fly. Merritt lost his first game of season and is now 6-1 and Tommy John who allowed just three hits, all to Tony Oliva upped his record to 8-5 and the White Sox stretched their lead over the now third place Twins to 4 1/2 games. The Twins and White Sox have a doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow.
The rest of the stories that I have done on the 1967 AL pennant race can be found here.
Twins spot the O’s a TD, win it with 3 field goals
The Twins spotted the Orioles a 6-0 early advantage built on three early home runs, but slow-and-steady won the race as Minnesota, without benefit of a single round-tripper, attained a 9-6 victory at Target Field last night. How did the Twins do it? Every player in the lineup either scored or drove in at least one run, and Paul Molitor’s crew produced seven hits in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That performance lifted the Twins’ season batting average with runners in scoring position to .254, the highest that it’s been since the first week in May.
Meanwhile, it was the second game that the Orioles have lost this season after leading by at least six runs. Back on April 28, the Orioles blew a 9-1 lead and wound up losing to the Yankees, 14-11. No other major-league team has lost two games after leading by six-plus runs this season.
Just one major league debut as a Minnesota Twin on July 8.
Mike Walters (P) – July 8, 1983 – Traded by the California Angels with Tom Brunansky and $400,000 to the Minnesota Twins for Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong on May 12, 1982. The Twins were down 10-0 at the Dome when Walters came in to pitch 4.2 innings of scoreless relief allowing just 2 hits and a walk while striking out four.
Two players made their major league debuts wearing Minnesota Twins duds on July 7th.
Ryan O’Rourke
Ryan O’Rourke (P) – July 7, 2015 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft. A nice clean inning with a strikeout on just 8 pitches at Target Field against the Baltimore Orioles in a 8-3 Twins win.
Pat Neshek (I love this card)
Pat Neshek (P) – July 7, 2006 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft. Closed out he game with 2 innings at Ameriquest Field in a 9-4 Twins loss. Where is Ameriquest Field you ask?
The Twins scored all six of their runs in the third inning in their win over the Orioles at Target Field last night. It’s the ninth time that the 2017 Minnesota Twins have scored a half-dozen runs in an inning this season, the highest total in the major leagues. Minnesota scored six runs in an inning only three times last season.
The Twins eight game winning streak came to an abrupt end at White Sox Park when the Mighty Whities walked off the Twins 2-1. The Twins scored one run in the first inning when Cesar Tovar led off the game with a double and Tony Oliva doubled him home with two out. These would be the only hits the Twins would get. Starters Gary Peters and the Twins Dean Chance dueled and after 8 innings it was still one to nothing Twins. But here the game seemed to take a turn in favor of the White Sox.
In the 8th inning Sox coach Kerby Farrell seemed to notice “a black substance on Dean Chance’s pitching hand” and Eddie Stanky complained to umpire Al Salerno who told Chance to wipe his hands clean. Chance stated that it was just resin build-up but all of a sudden Chance seemed to lose his control. After walking none through 7 innings Chance walked one in the 8th and 2 in the ninth before being lifted for reliever Al Worthington who inherited a bases-loaded one out situation. Worthington retired Don Buford on a foul pop-up to third but then Ron Hansen hit a ground ball to the left of second base but shortstop Zoilo Versalles was playing deep in the hole and the ball bounced off of Versalles glove and bounced into right field allowing two runs to score. Box Score.
Ervin Santana went all the way in a losing effort, throwing 117 pitches in the Twins’ 2-1 loss to the Angels at Target Field last night. Santana became only the second big-league pitcher this season to toss a nine-inning, complete-game loss; Marcus Stroman threw 100 pitches in a 2-0 loss to the Brewers on April 12. But it’s nothing new for Santana, who tossed a 97-pitch, nine-inning, complete-game loss against the Braves last July 26. He’s the first major-leaguer to throw nine-inning, complete-game losses in each of two consecutive seasons since James Shields did it for the Rays in 2012 and for the Royals in 2013.
Never mind a wing and a prayer; Angels win on a homer and a steal
Kole Calhoun homered in the first inning and Cameron Maybin stole home as part of a double steal in the sixth to account for the Angels’ runs in their 2-1 victory over Ervin Santana in Minneapolis.
You have to go back 14 years to find the last major-league game won by a team that scored just two runs—one on a homer and the other on a steal. On June 12, 2003, Cincinnati’s Austin Kearns took care of both ends of the equation in a 2-1 victory over the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg: Kearns stole home as part of a double steal in the second inning, then homered in the sixth. Wednesday’s contest was the first in Angels history in which they scored two runs on a game, on a homer and a steal of home.
