Tag: Kenny Lofton

And the games keep getting longer

Baseball fans certainly got their moneys worth when they showed up at a major league ballpark to watch the Minnesota Twins play this past season. First and foremost they were able to see Paul Molitor‘s boys win 85 games and an average Twins game lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes. Four minutes longer on average than their previous longest game average of 3 hours and 7 minutes back in 2014. That is getting your moneys worth.

An average MLB game in 2017 averaged 3 hours and 5 minutes according to MLB about 4 1/2 minutes longer than a 2016 baseball game. 

Average MLB Game Time Rises to Record 3:05

In 2017 the Twins played 108 games that lasted 3 hours or more as compared to a season low of just 10 games over 3 hours back in 1981. The Twins longest game in 2017 lasted 386 minutes (6 hours and 26 minutes) and took place at Target Field back on May 28 in a 15 inning 8-6 loss to the Tampa Rays making it the second longest game in Twins history in terms of time and the longest game in terms of time in MLB in 2017. Nine Twins pitchers threw a total of 289 pitches and eight Rays pitchers threw 264 pitches. The Twins only had six extra-inning games in 2017 and only the 15 inning affair lasted 12 or more innings.

The Twins longest game in terms of time was played at Jacob’s Field on May 7, 1995 when the Twins and Indians played for six hours and 36 minutes and the Indians came out on top 10-9 on a Kenny Lofton walk-off single off Twins reliever Mark Guthrie in the bottom of the 17th inning with one out. It took nine Twins pitchers and 322 pitches to play that game.

Back in 1961 when major league baseball first moved to Minnesota, an average Twins game took 161 minutes (2 hours and 41 minutes) and just 32 of those games lasted more that three hours. That is exactly a half hour shorter for each Twins game from 1961 to 2017. Even back in 1984, Twins games averaged just 2 hours and 31 minutes and only 11 games went beyond three hours.

For additional information on the length of Minnesota Twins games in terms on time and/or innings, please visit our Length of games including longest Twins games page.

Twins all-opponent team center fielder

Center Fielder – Fred Lynn – What the heck is going on here? Another Boston Red Sox? There have been some great center fielders that have played against our favorite team the Minnesota Twins. What about players like Amos Otis, Paul Blair, Chet Lemon, Ken Griffey Jr., Kenny Lofton, Bernie Williams, Willie Wilson and I could go on and on.

Nope, the Twins all-opponent CF is Fred Lynn. Lynn was originally a New York Yankee third round selection in 1970 but he said no and went on to USC. In 1973 the Red Sox selected Lynn in round two, six picks after the Twins chose shortstop Ed McMahon, a Sporting News All-American out of the University of Massachusetts who they started out in AAA Tacoma in 1973 with the likes of Tom Kelly (I bet that was interesting). Then the Twins sent him to A ball in 1974 and after that season he was history. Did Ed McMahon going on to fame on the Johnny Carson TV show, no, that would be another Ed McMahon. Our man Fred Lynn however; had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox in 1974 and then went on to win the ROY award in 1975. In his first game against the Twins he went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and hit a two-run home run off Dave Goltz. 1975 turned out to be a pretty good season for Lynn, in addition to his ROY award he was also the AL MVP, an All-Star and a Gold Glove winner. During his 17 year career with five different teams he went on to be a nine-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover and for good measure he won the AL batting title in 1979.

Against the Minnesota Twins Lynn played in 130 games and hit .331 with an OPS of 1.054. Lynn had 160 hits against Minnesota pitching with 33 doubles, 38 home runs and 122 RBI. As a Baltimore Oriole in 1985 he walked-off the Twins on successive nights. On May 10 he hit a walk-off home run off Twins closer Ron Davis and on May 11 he hit another walk-off home run, this time off Twins reliever Curt Wardle who was brought in to replace Ron Davis on the mound.

According to the ever humble Fred Lynn,

“I really didn’t have any holes in my game other than the fact that I couldn’t stay on the field for the second half of my career.”

If you are a Twins fan you just gotta hate a guy like that…..

 

Our previous selections for the Twins all-opponent team

Catcher – Ivan Rodriguez

First Baseman – Paul Konerko

Second Baseman – Lou Whitaker

Third Baseman – Wade Boggs

Shortstop – Cal Ripken

Left Fielder – Jim Rice