Did you know?

When Minnesota Twins pitcher Yohan Pino will made his Major League debut Thursday night at 30 years, 175 days old at Target Field against the Chicago White Sox. He became the oldest Twin (since 1961) to make his big league debut. Yohan became the 49th starting pitcher in Major League history since at least 1914 to make his Major League debut at age 30-or-older, and just the 14th since 1982. Starters making their Major League debut at age 30-or-older have won each of their last three starts and four of the last five. Since 1982, teams are 7-6 in the 13 occurrences. The 13 pitchers have combined to go 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA (27 earned runs in 72.1 innings) with
26 walks and 52 strikeouts.
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has hit 15 home runs while swiping 15 bases this
season, stealing his 15th earlier this week. It marks the 15th time in Club history and 12th different player with the previous ?ve being Torii Hunter in 2007 (28 homers/18 steals), Lew Ford in 2004 (15 homers/20 steals), Hunter in 2004 (23 homers/21 steals), Hunter in 2002 (29 homers/23 steals) and Corey Koskie in 2001 (26 homers/27 steals). Dozier accomplished the feat in his 68th game which is the fastest ever by a Twin and fastest in baseball since Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers did it in his 68th game.
Upon Further Review – Through 1,073 games played this season (through
Wednesday), Major League Baseball has had 541 replay reviews, which have taken an average of one minute and fifty-one seconds.

*541 Replay Reviews
*130 Confirmed
*153 Stands
*251 Overturned
*7 Record Keeping
*1:51 Average Time

Through June 18th the American League has a 79-68 record in Interleague play and is hitting .255 and their pitchers have a 3.80 ERA. National League batters are hitting .254 and their pitchers have a 3.78 ERA.
The CWS (College World Series) Legends Team includes former Twins Todd Walker, Eddie Bane, and Dave Winfield (former Minnesota Gopher as well).
In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start was developed by sportswriter John Lowe in 1985 while writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The most quality starts in a season for a Twins pitcher since 2003 is 25 by Johan Santana in 2004. If you use the QS formula going back to 1961, then Bert Blyleven‘s 31 QS in 1972 would be the leader.

Twins career QS leaders from 1961 to present day

Rk	Player	QS	From	To	G	GS	CG	SHO	W	L	W-L%	SV	IP	SO	ERA	HR	BF	BA
1	Jim Kaat	253	1961	1973	468	422	133	23	189	152	.554	6	2959.1	1824	3.28	270	12385	.256
2	Bert Blyleven	218	1970	1988	348	345	141	29	149	138	.519	0	2566.2	2035	3.28	243	10542	.246
3	Brad Radke	208	1995	2006	378	377	37	10	148	139	.516	0	2451.0	1467	4.22	326	10244	.276
4	Jim Perry	156	1963	1972	376	249	61	17	128	90	.587	5	1883.1	1025	3.15	166	7791	.242
5	Frank Viola	144	1982	1989	260	259	54	10	112	93	.546	0	1772.2	1214	3.86	213	7450	.260
6	Dave Goltz	129	1972	1979	247	215	80	11	96	79	.549	3	1638.0	887	3.48	119	6887	.264
7	Johan Santana	112	2000	2007	251	175	6	4	93	44	.679	1	1308.2	1381	3.22	144	5281	.221
8	Camilo Pascual	101	1961	1966	184	179	72	18	88	57	.607	0	1284.2	994	3.31	123	5362	.233
9	Kevin Tapani	98	1989	1995	181	180	19	6	75	63	.543	0	1171.1	724	4.06	109	4897	.270
10	Eric Milton	83	1998	2003	166	165	10	4	57	51	.528	0	987.1	715	4.76	149	4196	.259
11	Scott Baker	76	2005	2011	163	159	4	2	63	48	.568	0	958.0	770	4.15	123	4004	.266
12	Dave Boswell	76	1964	1970	187	150	37	6	67	54	.554	0	1036.1	865	3.49	106	4344	.217
13	Scott Erickson	73	1990	1995	155	153	14	7	61	60	.504	0	979.1	527	4.22	83	4244	.275
14	Geoff Zahn	71	1977	1980	133	126	36	7	53	53	.500	0	852.0	348	3.90	68	3621	.289
15	Nick Blackburn	69	2007	2012	145	137	5	0	43	55	.439	0	818.2	388	4.85	117	3577	.303
16	Allan Anderson	69	1986	1991	148	128	15	3	49	54	.476	0	818.2	339	4.11	87	3474	.282
17	Francisco Liriano	68	2005	2012	156	130	1	1	50	52	.490	1	783.1	788	4.33	76	3341	.247
18	Kyle Lohse	67	2001	2006	172	152	4	3	51	57	.472	0	908.1	561	4.88	128	3982	.285
19	Mudcat Grant	67	1964	1967	129	111	36	10	50	35	.588	1	780.2	377	3.35	88	3227	.260
20	Joe Mays	66	1999	2005	193	146	10	6	48	65	.425	0	946.1	487	4.85	127	4110	.282

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/22/2014.

If you took the list from above and looked at QS%, the Twins career leader is Johan Santana with .640% followed by Bert Blyleven at .632%. Nick Blackburn was not always a fan favorite but his career QS% is .504%, 14th best in team history. Who has the best career QS% in the AL since 1961? That would be Pedro Martinez at .751%. How about the NL you say? That is non other than Sandy Koufax at .782%.

Check out the BA column on the list above, the best is an amazing .217 career BA allowed by the late great Dave Boswell, the man has not gotten his due here in Minnesota and should be in the Twins Hall of Fame. Aren’t statistics fun?

Baseball is such an amazing game, you never know what you will see next and how many times have you watched a game and told yourself, Geez, I have never seen that happen before. How about this one, Brewers score three on one wild pitch.

Former Twins OF Revere finally gets off the home run schneid

Ben Revere hit his first major-league home run in his 1466th at-bat in the Phillies’ home loss to the Rockies. That was the longest start-of-career homer-less streak by any player since the Pirates’ Frank Taveras connected for an inside-the park grand slam at Cincinnati on August 5, 1977 in his 1594th at-bat.

Twins batters with 100 or more at bats and zero home runs

Rk	Player	AB	From	To	G	PA	H	2B	3B	RBI	BA
1	Al Newman	1647	1987	1991	618	1876	380	59	7	135	.231
2	Ben Revere	989	2010	2012	254	1064	275	22	11	64	.278
3	Houston Jimenez	384	1983	1984	144	409	75	16	2	28	.195
4	Luis Gomez	362	1974	1977	241	403	72	6	2	22	.199
5	Junior Ortiz	304	1990	1991	132	338	85	12	2	29	.280
6	Mudcat Grant	263	1964	1967	151	298	45	10	2	23	.171
7	Bert Blyleven	235	1970	1988	348	265	34	3	0	9	.145
8	Tsuyoshi Nishioka	233	2011	2012	71	254	50	5	0	20	.215
9	Dick Stigman	213	1962	1965	138	233	20	4	0	6	.094
10	Dean Chance	209	1967	1969	104	246	9	0	0	4	.043
11	Jim Merritt	206	1965	1968	122	236	27	6	0	7	.131
12	Nelson Liriano	185	1990	1990	53	211	47	5	7	13	.254
13	Jose Morales	158	2007	2010	74	181	47	9	0	14	.297
14	Sergio Ferrer	138	1974	1975	56	157	36	3	3	2	.261
15	Dan Monzon	131	1972	1973	94	154	32	2	1	9	.244
16	Tom Hall	130	1968	1971	145	146	25	2	0	2	.192
17	Bruce Look	118	1968	1968	59	139	29	4	0	9	.246
18	Dick Woodson	117	1969	1974	129	129	9	0	0	2	.077

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/28/2014.

20 Game Winners

One of the most frequent requests that I receive on this web site is from folks that are looking to find the names of the Twins pitchers that have won 20 or more games in a season so I have decided to publish the list in a post for easy look-up.

Thirteen different Twins pitchers have won 20 or more games in a season on just 15 occasions and no pitcher has won 20 games since Johan Santana did it back in 2004. Two pitchers have done it twice, Camilo Pascual and Jim Perry. Camilo and Jim Perry are the only Minnesota pitchers to win 20 or more in back-to-back seasons. 1969 is the only season that the Twins had multiple 20 game winners when Boswell and Perry each had 20 victories. A big part of the reason for not winning 20 games no days is that with the five man rotation starters only get 32 to 34 starts and the other big reason is that managers today bring in relievers at the drop of a hat or the sight of a baserunner late in the game. 20 game winners are getting as rare as hens teeth, since 1980 the Twins have had four 20 game winners and three no-hitters.

Rk	Player	Year	W	Age	G	GS	CG	SHO	L	IP	SO	ERA	BA
1	Johan Santana	2004	20	25	34	34	1	1	6	228.0	265	2.61	.192
2	Brad Radke	1997	20	24	35	35	4	1	10	239.2	174	3.87	.257
3	Scott Erickson	1991	20	23	32	32	5	3	8	204.0	108	3.18	.248
4	Frank Viola	1988	24	28	35	35	7	2	7	255.1	193	2.64	.245
5	Jerry Koosman	1979	20	36	37	36	10	2	13	263.2	157	3.38	.268
6	Dave Goltz	1977	20	28	39	39	19	2	11	303.0	186	3.36	.247
7	Bert Blyleven	1973	20	22	40	40	25	9	17	325.0	258	2.52	.242
8	Jim Perry	1970	24	34	40	40	13	4	12	278.2	168	3.04	.243
9	Dave Boswell	1969	20	24	39	38	10	0	12	256.1	190	3.23	.226
10	Jim Perry	1969	20	33	46	36	12	3	6	261.2	153	2.82	.247
11	Dean Chance	1967	20	26	41	39	18	5	14	283.2	220	2.73	.229
12	Jim Kaat	1966	25	27	41	41	19	3	13	304.2	205	2.75	.235
13	Mudcat Grant	1965	21	29	41	39	14	6	7	270.1	142	3.30	.247
14	Camilo Pascual	1963	21	29	31	31	18	3	9	248.1	202	2.46	.224
15	Camilo Pascual	1962	20	28	34	33	18	5	11	257.2	206	3.32	.241

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/16/2014.

You would think that over the years there would have been a number of Twins pitchers that came up just short of joning the 20 game winners list by winning 19 games but that is not the case. Since 1961 the Twins have had one pitcher, Johan Santana in 2006 tht ended the season with 19 games in the win column.

Twins career ERA leaders

A list of Minnesota Twins pitchers with the best Twins career ERA’s with a requirement of having pitched at leat 500 innings in a Twins uniform. Only Dean Chance has an Twin career ERA of under 3.00 and only 18 Twins pitchers have thrown 500 or more innings and have an ERA under 4.00. It just goes to show the state of Twins pitching over the years. But how do the Twins compare to the rest of the American League?

Rk	Player	ERA	IP	G	GS	CG	SHO	W	L	SV	SO	BA
1	Dean Chance	2.67	664.0	104	93	34	11	41	34	2	504	.221
2	Jim Merritt	3.03	686.2	122	89	28	6	37	41	6	527	.228
3	Jim Perry	3.15	1883.1	376	249	61	17	128	90	5	1025	.242
4	Johan Santana	3.22	1308.2	251	175	6	4	93	44	1	1381	.221
5	Bert Blyleven	3.28	2566.2	348	345	141	29	149	138	0	2035	.246
6	Jim Kaat	3.28	2959.1	468	422	133	23	189	152	6	1824	.256
7	Camilo Pascual	3.31	1284.2	184	179	72	18	88	57	0	994	.233
8	Dick Woodson	3.35	561.0	129	73	15	5	33	30	2	303	.233
9	Mudcat Grant	3.35	780.2	129	111	36	10	50	35	1	377	.260
10	Dave Goltz	3.48	1638.0	247	215	80	11	96	79	3	887	.264
11	Dave Boswell	3.49	1036.1	187	150	37	6	67	54	0	865	.217
12	Rick Aguilera	3.50	694.0	490	30	5	0	40	47	254	586	.243
13	Dick Stigman	3.69	643.2	138	85	26	4	37	37	7	538	.229
14	Jack Kralick	3.74	510.1	77	75	19	4	26	26	0	289	.267
15	Jerry Koosman	3.77	601.1	94	83	20	3	39	35	7	361	.271
16	Ray Corbin	3.84	652.1	181	63	12	3	36	38	17	348	.258
17	Frank Viola	3.86	1772.2	260	259	54	10	112	93	0	1214	.260
18	Geoff Zahn	3.90	852.0	133	126	36	7	53	53	0	348	.289

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/13/2014.

Let’s take a look at how the Twins compare to the rest of the American League from 1961 to current again with the requirement of 500 innings.

Team	ERA under 2.00	ERA under 3.00	ERA under 4.00
Angels	0	3	30
Yankees	0	7	29
Orioles	0	6	26
Whie Sox	1	4	25
A’s	0	5	25
Red Sox	0	2	22
Tigers	0	1	20
Rangers	0	0	20
Indians	0	4	19
Royals	0	1	19
Twins	0	1	18
Blue Jays	0	1	11
Mariners	0	0	7
Rays	0	0	5

The only ERA under 2.00 belongs to Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm who had a 1.92 ERA for the Pale Hose in 675.2 innings but he only had 3 starts in those 361 games between 1963-1968.

Twins pitchers that went the extra mile

The Twins have been in Minnesota for 53 years and have played 8,455 games winning 4,204 and losing 4,243. (just a FYI, the Angels who also started play in 1961 have won 4,220 games). Over the 53 years and 8,455 games Twins starters have pitched 9 innings or more in a start exactly 300 times (3.55%). Keep in mind that I am talking 9 innings or more pitched in a start, not complete games.

But sometimes just going 9 innings does not get the job done as you can see in the table below. In these 71 games the Twins starter took the mound in inning number 10 and sometimes even innings 11 and 12. The last Twins starter to hurl more than 9 innings in a start was Brad Radke in 1997.

But only one starting pitcher for the Twins, Jim Merritt has gone 13 innings and that remains a team record that in today’s pitch count world will probably never be broken. The franchise record is 18 innings held by Hall of Famer Walter Johnson who went the distance in a 1-0 Washington Senators win over the Chicago White Sox at Griffith Stadium in just 2 hours and 50 minutes on May 15, 1918.

Rk	Player	Date	Tm	Opp	Rslt	App,Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	BF
1	Jim Merritt	1967-07-26 (2)	MIN	NYY	W 3-2	GS-13	13.0	7	2	2	1	7	46
2	Camilo Pascual	1963-07-23	MIN	CLE	L 2-3	CG 13 ,L	12.2	7	3	3	2	11	46
3	Dave Boswell	1969-07-14	MIN	CHW	W 4-3	GS-12	12.0	10	3	2	0	7	46
4	Jim Kaat	1969-05-20	MIN	BAL	W 3-2	GS-13 ,W	12.0	8	2	1	4	4	47
5	Camilo Pascual	1964-10-01	MIN	KCA	L 4-5	CG 12 ,L	12.0	12	5	1	3	14	52
6	Jim Roland	1964-05-19	MIN	NYY	W 7-2	GS-12 ,W	12.0	7	2	2	6	8	50
7	Camilo Pascual	1962-09-12	MIN	CHW	L 1-2	CG 12 ,L	12.0	12	2	2	2	7	47
8	Dave Goltz	1977-07-25	MIN	OAK	W 2-1	CG 11 ,W	11.0	8	1	1	1	14	41
9	Bill Singer	1976-09-01	MIN	MIL	W 3-2	GS-11	11.0	6	2	2	6	3	43
10	Dave Goltz	1976-05-18	MIN	OAK	W 4-3	CG 11 ,W	11.0	7	3	3	3	7	43
11	Bert Blyleven	1975-08-27	MIN	MIL	W 1-0	SHO11 ,W	11.0	6	0	0	1	13	39
12	Jim Kaat	1973-06-23	MIN	CAL	L 1-3	CG 11 ,L	11.0	11	3	3	4	6	46
13	Jim Kaat	1972-05-24	MIN	KCR	W 1-0	GS-11 ,W	11.0	5	0	0	3	7	40
14	Jim Perry	1970-08-07	MIN	OAK	W 2-1	CG 11 ,W	11.0	5	1	1	3	7	41
15	Jim Kaat	1969-04-09	MIN	KCR	L 3-4	GS-12	11.0	8	3	2	5	4	42
16	Jim Kaat	1964-04-26	MIN	DET	W 3-2	CG 11 ,W	11.0	7	2	2	3	11	43
17	Jim Kaat	1962-08-01	MIN	BAL	W 3-1	CG 11 ,W	11.0	9	1	1	4	12	47
18	Pedro Ramos	1961-04-28	MIN	LAA	L 5-6	GS-11	11.0	6	4	4	4	10	43
19	Mudcat Grant	1966-08-28 (1)	MIN	CHW	L 3-4	GS-11	10.2	9	3	3	4	2	44
20	Jack Kralick	1961-04-30	MIN	CHW	L 3-5	GS-11 ,L	10.2	12	5	5	6	6	50
21	Bert Blyleven	1972-09-27 (1)	MIN	OAK	L 0-1	CG 11 ,L	10.1	7	1	1	2	9	39
22	Jim Kaat	1962-08-10	MIN	LAA	L 0-1	CG 11 ,L	10.1	6	1	1	4	8	42
23	Brad Radke	1997-09-21	MIN	MIL	W 2-1	CG 10 ,W	10.0	6	1	1	0	9	36
24	Allan Anderson	1986-06-11	MIN	TEX	L 2-6	GS-10	10.0	8	2	2	4	3	37
25	John Butcher	1985-05-15	MIN	DET	W 5-4	GS-10	10.0	12	4	4	2	7	45
26	Frank Viola	1984-09-20	MIN	CHW	W 5-4	GS-10	10.0	4	4	4	2	6	36
27	Darrell Jackson	1980-08-14	MIN	OAK	L 1-2	GS-10	10.0	6	1	1	3	4	38
28	Jerry Koosman	1980-07-30	MIN	NYY	W 2-1	CG 10 ,W	10.0	3	1	1	5	4	38
29	Darrell Jackson	1980-05-10	MIN	NYY	W 1-0	GS-10 ,W	10.0	5	0	0	1	2	35
30	Dave Goltz	1979-09-27	MIN	CHW	L 2-4	CG 10 ,L	10.0	12	4	4	1	5	42
31	Paul Hartzell	1979-07-01	MIN	CHW	W 2-1	CG 10 ,W	10.0	8	1	1	2	1	38
32	Dave Goltz	1978-08-24	MIN	TEX	L 1-4	CG 10 ,L	10.0	6	4	4	1	4	36
33	Roger Erickson	1978-08-17	MIN	KCR	W 6-5	CG 10 ,W	10.0	8	5	5	4	3	41
34	Dave Goltz	1976-06-29	MIN	KCR	L 0-1	CG 10 ,L	10.0	3	1	0	4	2	36
35	Bert Blyleven	1975-09-15	MIN	CAL	W 7-6	GS-10	10.0	12	6	5	3	12	42
36	Bert Blyleven	1975-07-17	MIN	BAL	L 3-6	GS-10	10.0	8	3	3	5	7	42
37	Vic Albury	1974-06-22	MIN	CHW	L 1-3	CG 10 ,L	10.0	5	3	3	4	5	40
38	Ray Corbin	1973-09-29	MIN	CAL	L 3-4	GS-10	10.0	7	3	3	3	5	39
39	Bert Blyleven	1973-08-30	MIN	TEX	W 5-2	GS-11 ,W	10.0	12	2	2	2	7	43
40	Dick Woodson	1973-07-17 (1)	MIN	NYY	L 3-4	GS-10	10.0	5	3	2	4	2	37
41	Ray Corbin	1972-08-27 (2)	MIN	DET	L 0-1	GS-10	10.0	5	0	0	3	2	36
42	Ray Corbin	1972-08-06 (1)	MIN	OAK	L 3-6	GS-10	10.0	8	3	1	2	4	43
43	Bert Blyleven	1972-07-08	MIN	NYY	L 0-1	GS-10	10.0	7	0	0	6	10	41
44	Bert Blyleven	1971-09-01	MIN	CHW	L 0-2	GS-10	10.0	5	0	0	1	6	36
45	Jim Perry	1971-07-15	MIN	BOS	L 0-3	GS-10	10.0	3	0	0	4	5	36
46	Jim Perry	1968-09-11	MIN	CLE	L 0-1	GS-10	10.0	8	0	0	0	5	37
47	Jim Merritt	1968-04-22	MIN	BAL	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	10.0	6	2	2	2	6	36
48	Jim Kaat	1967-09-18	MIN	KCA	W 2-0	SHO10 ,W	10.0	6	0	0	0	12	36
49	Dean Chance	1967-08-30	MIN	BAL	L 2-4	CG 10 ,L	10.0	9	4	3	1	7	41
50	Jim Kaat	1964-09-10	MIN	CHW	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	10.0	8	2	2	2	5	40
51	Dick Stigman	1964-07-03	MIN	NYY	W 1-0	SHO10 ,W	10.0	4	0	0	2	5	32
52	Camilo Pascual	1963-08-25	MIN	BAL	W 5-3	CG 10 ,W	10.0	10	3	1	7	8	45
53	Dick Stigman	1963-05-03	MIN	NYY	L 3-4	CG 10 ,L	10.0	8	4	4	2	8	39
54	Jim Kaat	1962-08-05 (1)	MIN	DET	W 8-3	GS-10 ,W	10.0	7	2	2	1	5	37
55	Camilo Pascual	1961-09-06 (2)	MIN	CHW	L 2-4	CG 10 ,L	10.0	10	4	2	4	3	47
56	Jim Hughes	1975-06-19	MIN	OAK	L 2-5	GS-10 ,L	9.2	9	5	5	6	5	43
57	Jim Kaat	1971-06-09	MIN	BAL	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	9.2	11	2	1	0	6	40
58	Jim Merritt	1968-05-20	MIN	DET	L 3-4	GS-10 ,L	9.2	6	4	1	2	6	39
59	Camilo Pascual	1961-05-02	MIN	NYY	L 4-6	GS-10 ,L	9.2	7	6	6	5	7	41
60	Kevin Tapani	1992-08-20	MIN	CLE	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	9.1	3	2	2	2	4	32
61	Neal Heaton	1986-10-02	MIN	CHW	L 4-8	GS-10 ,L	9.1	7	6	5	1	6	35
62	Brad Havens	1982-09-22	MIN	TOR	L 2-3	GS-10 ,L	9.1	6	3	2	1	8	33
63	Roger Erickson	1981-05-23	MIN	KCR	L 0-1	GS-10	9.1	7	0	0	1	7	34
64	Pete Redfern	1981-05-09	MIN	CLE	L 1-2	GS-10 ,L	9.1	10	2	1	3	7	39
65	Jerry Koosman	1981-05-04	MIN	BAL	L 3-4	GS-10 ,L	9.1	10	4	3	4	6	41
66	Roger Erickson	1980-07-18	MIN	BOS	L 0-1	CG 10 ,L	9.1	8	1	1	2	3	38
67	Jerry Koosman	1980-07-02	MIN	KCR	L 3-4	GS-10 ,L	9.1	10	4	4	2	5	38
68	Dave Goltz	1976-06-21	MIN	CAL	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	9.1	8	2	2	2	1	36
69	Ray Corbin	1972-09-27 (2)	MIN	OAK	L 1-2	CG 10 ,L	9.1	9	2	2	1	5	39
70	Jim Kaat	1962-05-20 (2)	MIN	NYY	W 4-2	GS-10	9.1	4	2	1	7	7	38
71	Camilo Pascual	1961-09-29	MIN	DET	L 4-6	GS-10 ,L	9.1	12	6	6	4	7	43

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

What about the relievers?

But it is not just starting pitchers that have toiled long and hard to win a game. Here I look at relievers who have pitched 7 or more innings of relief in a game and Ray Corbin holds the team record for pitching 10.1 innings of relief against the Tigers in 1975. Corbin who was a starter/reliever during his five years in Minnesota pitched in just 11 more big league games after this long relief outing allowing at least one earned run in each appearance and never again pitched in a big league game.

Rk	Player	Date	Tm	Opp	Rslt	App,Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	BF
1	Ray Corbin	1975-05-21	MIN	DET	W 6-5	1-11f,W	10.1	7	2	1	4	4	42
2	Jim Kaat	1969-09-06	MIN	OAK	W 8-6	9-18 ,W	9.1	8	1	1	5	10	44
3	John Sutton	1978-08-07	MIN	SEA	L 5-6	5-13	9.0	5	0	0	3	4	34
4	Vic Albury	1975-06-30	MIN	CAL	L 3-10	1-9f	9.0	6	4	1	7	4	38
5	John Verhoeven	1980-07-21 (1)	MIN	BAL	W 8-7	3-11f,W	8.2	7	2	2	2	2	34
6	Tom Burgmeier	1976-08-30	MIN	MIL	W 10-3	1-9f ,W	8.2	3	1	1	0	4	29
7	Tom Burgmeier	1976-04-25	MIN	BAL	W 7-2	1-9f ,W	8.2	5	1	1	1	1	30
8	Al Worthington	1967-08-09	MIN	WSA	L 7-9	8-16	8.2	2	0	0	2	8	30
9	Tom Johnson	1976-09-02	MIN	MIL	W 8-4	1-9f ,W	8.1	6	1	1	0	6	31
10	Bill Campbell	1975-06-10	MIN	CLE	W 5-3	1-10	8.1	7	1	1	1	3	32
11	Tom Hall	1969-08-17	MIN	WSA	W 4-3	3-11	8.0	2	1	1	3	5	30
12	Pedro Ramos	1961-06-16	MIN	CHW	W 6-1	2-9f ,W	8.0	4	0	0	1	4	28
13	Dennis Burtt	1985-10-04	MIN	CLE	L 6-8	1-8 ,L	7.2	6	3	3	0	2	28
14	Pete Filson	1985-05-19	MIN	TOR	W 8-2	2-9f ,W	7.2	3	1	1	1	2	27
15	Mac Scarce	1978-06-07	MIN	CHW	L 3-8	2-9f	7.2	6	1	1	2	4	27
16	Tom Burgmeier	1976-08-25	MIN	NYY	L 4-5	12-19f,L	7.2	3	1	1	2	1	25
17	Vic Albury	1975-06-24	MIN	OAK	L 4-6	1-8f	7.2	6	2	2	7	4	34
18	Bill Butler	1974-09-13	MIN	KCR	W 6-5	2-9	7.2	2	0	0	4	3	28
19	Jim Kaat	1962-05-12	MIN	KCA	W 5-4	2-9f ,W	7.2	2	0	0	1	4	25
20	Dave Goltz	1974-07-19	MIN	DET	W 7-5	1-8 ,W	7.1	7	2	2	1	4	29
21	Danny Fife	1973-08-22	MIN	BAL	L 3-4	1-8f ,L	7.1	3	1	1	4	3	28
22	Dave Boswell	1965-05-11	MIN	CAL	W 3-2	1-8	7.1	4	1	0	2	9	28
23	Lee Stange	1962-08-04	MIN	DET	W 4-3	2-9f ,W	7.1	6	0	0	1	3	27
24	Bill Pleis	1962-07-04 (1)	MIN	BOS	W 8-4	2-9f ,W	7.1	5	2	2	1	2	28
25	Jack O’Connor	1982-06-26	MIN	TOR	W 4-3	1-8	7.0	6	1	1	0	5	27
26	Jeff Holly	1977-05-01	MIN	DET	W 6-5	3-9f ,W	7.0	2	0	0	1	6	23
27	Tom Johnson	1975-08-11	MIN	MIL	W 8-7	3-9f ,W	7.0	5	1	1	2	4	28
28	Ray Corbin	1975-07-24	MIN	BOS	L 2-6	3-9f	7.0	5	3	2	4	1	29
29	Jim Hughes	1975-05-04	MIN	KCR	W 6-3	3-9f ,W	7.0	4	0	0	4	5	30
30	Bill Campbell	1974-08-08	MIN	KCR	W 3-2	8-14f,W	7.0	5	1	0	6	2	31
31	Bill Hands	1973-09-01	MIN	TEX	W 10-7	3-9f ,W	7.0	6	1	0	1	6	28
32	Ray Corbin	1971-07-17	MIN	WSA	W 5-3	3-9f ,W	7.0	4	0	0	1	4	25
33	Jim Perry	1964-08-06	MIN	BOS	W 6-5	1-7 ,W	7.0	7	1	1	4	6	31

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

This Day in Twins History – September 25

9/25/1965 – The Twins Mudcat Grant one-hits the Washington Senators to win the first game of the DH, 5 – 0 at D.C. Stadium. Senators Don Blasingame‘s double in the 3rd is the only hit for Washington; it is the 4th time that Blasingame has collected the only hit for his team. This is Mudcat’s 20th win of the season and he becomes the first African-American pitcher to win 20 games in the American League. The Twins win the night-cap 5-3.

9/25/1985 – Bert Blyleven beats the Texas Rangers 5-1 at Arlington Stadium and the Twins rack up win number 2,000.

9/25/2000 – In only the second three-team doubleheader in the majors since 1900 and first since Sept. 13, 1951, the Cleveland played host to two different teams, beating the White Sox 9-2 before losing to Minnesota 4-3. It was the Indians’ third doubleheader in six days. By the time Minnesota’s players arrived at the ballpark for their 4-3 win in Cleveland on Monday night, the only trace that Chicago had used the visitor’s clubhouse earlier in a 9-2 loss to the Indians was a pair of white socks left behind by one of the White Sox players.

9/25/2006 – The Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-1 at the Metrodome and clinch at least a wildcard playoff spot. This is the first time in history that the wildcard has come from the American League Central Division. It has been an amazing run from a 25-33 start and 11 1/2 games out of first as of June 7th.

9/25/2008 – The Twins cap a thrilling three-game sweep of the Mighty Whities to reclaim first place in the AL Central. The team came back from a 6-1 deficit to win the game on Alexi Casilla‘s walk-off single in the 10th inning for a 7-6 victory. After the game, manager Gardenhire was quoted as saying “I can’t even breathe” while closer Joe Nathan said that “this was the most intense series I have ever been a part of”. On the other side of the coin, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sighed and said “We wasted 26 innings in this town.”

9/25/2010 – The Twins scored five runs in the first inning and another five in the fifth before dropping an 11-10 decision in 13 innings at Comerica Park. It was the first time since relocating to Minnesota in 1961 that the Twins lost a game in which they scored at least five runs in each of two different innings. It happened only one other time in franchise history. That was on July 1, 1907, when the Washington Senators suffered a 16-15 loss to the Highlanders in the first game of a doubleheader at New York’s Hilltop Park.

This Day in Twins History – September 20, 1965

A Catfish whips a Mudcat, at least on this day

Just 537 fans paid to watch the Kansas City A’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter beat Jim “Mudcat” Grant 8-2 at Met Stadium in a makeup game in a cool 52 degree drizzle. Don Mincher hits two home runs. It is the smallest paid crowd to ever watch the Twins play at home. B-R shows paid attendance of 547 but Twins media guide states 537.

The Twins were up by 9.5 games going into this game and would clinch the 1965 AL pennant just 6 days later. The team went on to win 102 games in 1965 the most in Twins history and yet the Twins would finish 1965 with an attendance of just 1,463,268 in 77 home dates for an average of 19,003 fans per game. The Twins played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Twins first ever World Series and lost 4 games to 3.

How do you get a nicknames like Mudcat and Catfish? Legend has it that this is how it came to be. Jim Grant was with the Indians and was the roommate of his boyhood idol Larry Doby when he first came to Cleveland, and Doby dubbed him “Mudcat”, saying that he was “ugly as a Mississippi mudcat”. The nickname stuck. As for Jim Hunter, it was in 1965 that the PR-conscious Athletics’ owner Charles O. Finley that gave Hunter the nickname “Catfish” in an effort to pique fan interest. A story circulated that Hunter’s family gave him the nickname as a child when he went missing and was later found with a string of catfish but there seems to be no truth to that story.

Twins “games started” history

The Twins will have three starters that will start 20 or more games during this 2013 season. Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey, and Scott Diamond have all passed that mark and there is no chance of anyone else joining that group. Samuel Deduno had 18 starts but he is done for the season. In 2012 the Twins had just one starter with 20 or more starts and that was Scott Diamond. 2012 was the first time in Twins history that they had only one starter with 20 or more starts. The Twins had only two starters with 20 or more starts only twice and those were the strike shortened 1981 and 1995 seasons. The Twins have had three starters start 20 or more games 12 times, four starters with 20 or more starts 17 times and five starters with 20 or more starts on eight occasions with the last two being 2010 and 2011. Only 6 teams in AL history have had 6 starters with 20 or more starts in a season and they were the 1937 White Sox, the 1942 Tigers, the 1944 Philadelphia A’s, the 1962 Senators, and the 2001 Rays. The Rays will be joining that group again on Monday when Alex Cobb makes his 20th start of 2013.

Twins starters with 20 or more starts

Year	Tm	#Matching
2011	Minnesota Twins	5	Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Brian Duensing / Francisco Liriano / Carl Pavano
2010	Minnesota Twins	5	Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Francisco Liriano / Carl Pavano / Kevin Slowey
2008	Minnesota Twins	5	Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Livan Hernandez / Glen Perkins / Kevin Slowey
2005	Minnesota Twins	5	Kyle Lohse / Joe Mays / Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2003	Minnesota Twins	5	Kyle Lohse / Joe Mays / Brad Radke / Rick Reed / Kenny Rogers
1990	Minnesota Twins	5	Allan Anderson / Mark Guthrie / Roy Smith / Kevin Tapani / David West
1979	Minnesota Twins	5	Roger Erickson / Dave Goltz / Paul Hartzell / Jerry Koosman / Geoff Zahn
1963	Minnesota Twins	5	Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual / Jim Perry / Lee Stange / Dick Stigman
2007	Minnesota Twins	4	Scott Baker / Boof Bonser / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2004	Minnesota Twins	4	Kyle Lohse / Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2002	Minnesota Twins	4	Kyle Lohse / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Rick Reed
2000	Minnesota Twins	4	Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Mark Redman
1999	Minnesota Twins	4	LaTroy Hawkins / Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke
1998	Minnesota Twins	4	LaTroy Hawkins / Eric Milton / Brad Radke / Bob Tewksbury
1997	Minnesota Twins	4	LaTroy Hawkins / Brad Radke / Rich Robertson / Bob Tewksbury
1994	Minnesota Twins	4	Jim Deshaies / Scott Erickson / Pat Mahomes / Kevin Tapani
1993	Minnesota Twins	4	Willie Banks / Jim Deshaies / Scott Erickson / Kevin Tapani
1992	Minnesota Twins	4	Scott Erickson / Bill Krueger / John Smiley / Kevin Tapani
1991	Minnesota Twins	4	Allan Anderson / Scott Erickson / Jack Morris / Kevin Tapani
1989	Minnesota Twins	4	Allan Anderson / Shane Rawley / Roy Smith / Frank Viola
1988	Minnesota Twins	4	Allan Anderson / Bert Blyleven / Charlie Lea / Frank Viola
1987	Minnesota Twins	4	Bert Blyleven / Mike Smithson / Les Straker / Frank Viola
1985	Minnesota Twins	4	John Butcher / Ken Schrom / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1984	Minnesota Twins	4	John Butcher / Ken Schrom / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1983	Minnesota Twins	4	Bobby Castillo / Ken Schrom / Frank Viola / Albert Williams
1982	Minnesota Twins	4	Bobby Castillo / Brad Havens / Frank Viola / Albert Williams
1980	Minnesota Twins	4	Roger Erickson / Darrell Jackson / Jerry Koosman / Geoff Zahn
1978	Minnesota Twins	4	Roger Erickson / Dave Goltz / Gary Serum / Geoff Zahn
1977	Minnesota Twins	4	Dave Goltz / Pete Redfern / Paul Thormodsgard / Geoff Zahn
1976	Minnesota Twins	4	Dave Goltz / Jim Hughes / Pete Redfern / Bill Singer
1974	Minnesota Twins	4	Vic Albury / Bert Blyleven / Joe Decker / Dave Goltz
1973	Minnesota Twins	4	Bert Blyleven / Joe Decker / Jim Kaat / Dick Woodson
1970	Minnesota Twins	4	Bert Blyleven / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry / Bill Zepp
1968	Minnesota Twins	4	Dave Boswell / Dean Chance / Jim Kaat / Jim Merritt
1967	Minnesota Twins	4	Dave Boswell / Dean Chance / Jim Kaat / Jim Merritt
1966	Minnesota Twins	4	Dave Boswell / Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1964	Minnesota Twins	4	Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual / Dick Stigman
1961	Minnesota Twins	4	Jim Kaat / Jack Kralick / Camilo Pascual / Pedro Ramos
2013	Minnesota Twins	3	Kevin Correia / Scott Diamond / Mike Pelfrey
2009	Minnesota Twins	3	Scott Baker / Nick Blackburn / Francisco Liriano
2006	Minnesota Twins	3	Brad Radke / Johan Santana / Carlos Silva
2001	Minnesota Twins	3	Joe Mays / Eric Milton / Brad Radke
1996	Minnesota Twins	3	Brad Radke / Rich Robertson / Frankie Rodriguez
1986	Minnesota Twins	3	Bert Blyleven / Mike Smithson / Frank Viola
1975	Minnesota Twins	3	Bert Blyleven / Dave Goltz / Jim Hughes
1972	Minnesota Twins	3	Bert Blyleven / Jim Perry / Dick Woodson
1971	Minnesota Twins	3	Bert Blyleven / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1969	Minnesota Twins	3	Dave Boswell / Jim Kaat / Jim Perry
1965	Minnesota Twins	3	Mudcat Grant / Jim Kaat / Camilo Pascual
1962	Minnesota Twins	3	Jim Kaat / Jack Kralick / Camilo Pascual
1995	Minnesota Twins	2	Brad Radke / Kevin Tapani
1981	Minnesota Twins	2	Pete Redfern / Albert Williams
2012	Minnesota Twins	1	Scott Diamond

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/15/2013.

Seasons with 20 or more starts

Rk		Yrs	From	To	Age
1	Brad Radke	12	1995	2006	22-33	Ind. Seasons
2	Jim Kaat	12	1961	1973	22-34	Ind. Seasons
3	Bert Blyleven	9	1970	1988	19-37	Ind. Seasons
4	Frank Viola	8	1982	1989	22-29	Ind. Seasons
5	Kevin Tapani	6	1990	1995	26-31	Ind. Seasons
6	Dave Goltz	6	1974	1979	25-30	Ind. Seasons
7	Jim Perry	6	1963	1972	27-36	Ind. Seasons
8	Scott Baker	5	2007	2011	25-29	Ind. Seasons
9	Joe Mays	5	1999	2005	23-29	Ind. Seasons
10	Eric Milton	5	1998	2002	22-26	Ind. Seasons
11	Camilo Pascual	5	1961	1965	27-31	Ind. Seasons
12	Nick Blackburn	4	2008	2011	26-29	Ind. Seasons
13	Carlos Silva	4	2004	2007	25-28	Ind. Seasons
14	Johan Santana	4	2004	2007	25-28	Ind. Seasons
15	Kyle Lohse	4	2002	2005	23-26	Ind. Seasons
16	Scott Erickson	4	1991	1994	23-26	Ind. Seasons
17	Allan Anderson	4	1988	1991	24-27	Ind. Seasons
18	Mike Smithson	4	1984	1987	29-32	Ind. Seasons
19	Geoff Zahn	4	1977	1980	31-34	Ind. Seasons
20	Dave Boswell	4	1966	1969	21-24	Ind. Seasons
21	Francisco Liriano	3	2009	2011	25-27	Ind. Seasons
22	LaTroy Hawkins	3	1997	1999	24-26	Ind. Seasons
23	Ken Schrom	3	1983	1985	28-30	Ind. Seasons
24	Albert Williams	3	1981	1983	27-29	Ind. Seasons
25	Roger Erickson	3	1978	1980	21-23	Ind. Seasons
Rk		Yrs	From	To	Age
26	Pete Redfern	3	1976	1981	21-26	Ind. Seasons
27	Mudcat Grant	3	1964	1966	28-30	Ind. Seasons
28	Scott Diamond	2	2012	2013	25-26	Ind. Seasons
29	Carl Pavano	2	2010	2011	34-35	Ind. Seasons
30	Kevin Slowey	2	2008	2010	24-26	Ind. Seasons
31	Rick Reed	2	2002	2003	37-38	Ind. Seasons
32	Bob Tewksbury	2	1997	1998	36-37	Ind. Seasons
33	Rich Robertson	2	1996	1997	27-28	Ind. Seasons
34	Jim Deshaies	2	1993	1994	33-34	Ind. Seasons
35	Roy Smith	2	1989	1990	27-28	Ind. Seasons
36	John Butcher	2	1984	1985	27-28	Ind. Seasons
37	Bobby Castillo	2	1982	1983	27-28	Ind. Seasons
38	Jerry Koosman	2	1979	1980	36-37	Ind. Seasons
39	Jim Hughes	2	1975	1976	23-24	Ind. Seasons
40	Joe Decker	2	1973	1974	26-27	Ind. Seasons
41	Dick Woodson	2	1972	1973	27-28	Ind. Seasons
42	Jim Merritt	2	1967	1968	23-24	Ind. Seasons
43	Dean Chance	2	1967	1968	26-27	Ind. Seasons
44	Dick Stigman	2	1963	1964	27-28	Ind. Seasons
45	Jack Kralick	2	1961	1962	26-27	Ind. Seasons
46	Mike Pelfrey	1	2013	2013	29-29	Ind. Seasons
47	Kevin Correia	1	2013	2013	32-32	Ind. Seasons
48	Brian Duensing	1	2011	2011	28-28	Ind. Seasons
49	Glen Perkins	1	2008	2008	25-25	Ind. Seasons
50	Livan Hernandez	1	2008	2008	33-33	Ind. Seasons
Rk		Yrs	From	To	Age
51	Boof Bonser	1	2007	2007	25-25	Ind. Seasons
52	Kenny Rogers	1	2003	2003	38-38	Ind. Seasons
53	Mark Redman	1	2000	2000	26-26	Ind. Seasons
54	Frankie Rodriguez	1	1996	1996	23-23	Ind. Seasons
55	Pat Mahomes	1	1994	1994	23-23	Ind. Seasons
56	Willie Banks	1	1993	1993	24-24	Ind. Seasons
57	John Smiley	1	1992	1992	27-27	Ind. Seasons
58	Bill Krueger	1	1992	1992	34-34	Ind. Seasons
59	Jack Morris	1	1991	1991	36-36	Ind. Seasons
60	David West	1	1990	1990	25-25	Ind. Seasons
61	Mark Guthrie	1	1990	1990	24-24	Ind. Seasons
62	Shane Rawley	1	1989	1989	33-33	Ind. Seasons
63	Charlie Lea	1	1988	1988	31-31	Ind. Seasons
64	Les Straker	1	1987	1987	27-27	Ind. Seasons
65	Brad Havens	1	1982	1982	22-22	Ind. Seasons
66	Darrell Jackson	1	1980	1980	24-24	Ind. Seasons
67	Paul Hartzell	1	1979	1979	25-25	Ind. Seasons
68	Gary Serum	1	1978	1978	21-21	Ind. Seasons
69	Paul Thormodsgard	1	1977	1977	23-23	Ind. Seasons
70	Bill Singer	1	1976	1976	32-32	Ind. Seasons
71	Vic Albury	1	1974	1974	27-27	Ind. Seasons
72	Bill Zepp	1	1970	1970	23-23	Ind. Seasons
73	Lee Stange	1	1963	1963	26-26	Ind. Seasons
74	Pedro Ramos	1	1961	1961	26-26	Ind. Seasons

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/15/2013.

Bonus tidbit

Trivia question for you. How many different Twins pitchers have started at least one game since the Twins came into existence?

The Twins and tie games

Who says that there no tie games in baseball? In major league baseball, games end with tie scores only in rare cases when conditions make it impossible to continue play. A tie game does not count as a game in the standings – a 2008 rule change made all tie games suspended unless and until not needed for the sake of determining playoff teams, and no longer replayed; however, though undecided, and not factored in the championship standings and the playoff reckoning, a tie game goes on the record and player and team statistics from the game are counted. Inclement weather may also shorten games, but at least five innings must be played for the game to be considered official; four-and-a-half innings are enough if the home team is ahead. Previously, curfews and the absence of adequate lighting caused more ties and shortened games – now, games interrupted from ending in such circumstances are, at least initially, suspended. Also, with more modern playing surfaces better able to handle light rains, the process for calling or shortening a game due to weather has changed; it is more common than in the past to delay a game as much as two hours before a cancellation; also, a delay usually does not occur anymore until the rain is moderate-heavy and/or there is standing water on some part of the playing field.

Since the Minnesota Twins came into existence in 1961 they have played 8 games that have ended in a tie but none since their last tie game in 1999.

10/3/1999 – The Twins ended their miserable 1999 season (63-97) against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park II with a 1-1 tie game. The game was called due to rain, wind and cold in the middle of the seventh inning after the Twins scored in the top of the seventh after two were out when Doug Mientkiewicz singled and Torii Hunter doubled him home. Previous to the Twins scoring in the top of the seventh, the game had been scoreless since the bottom of the first when the White Sox scored their lone run. The game went on the books as a tie game. Box Score

4/29/1981 – On a 61 degree day albeit cloudy, windy with intermittent rain, 2,171 fans are in the stands to watch the Twins take on the Seattle Mariners at Met Stadium. Going into the bottom of the eighth inning with Mariner reliever Dick Drago on the mound the Twins find themselves trailing 7-4. Outfielder Gary Ward leads off with a single, 2B Pete Mackanin also singles and the Twins have runners on first and second. “Papa” Jackson who is playing 1B grounds out for the first out of the inning but at least moves the runners along. Twins manager Johnny Goryl decided to have Danny Goodwin pinch-hit for catcher Sal Butera and Goodwin delivers with a double to left scoring both runners. Dave Engle is the next batter and he hits a ball off the LF fence scoring Goodwin and tries to stretch it in to an inside-the park home run but is thrown out at the plate and after 8 innings the game is tied up at 7-7. At this point with one out in the inning the umpires delay the game due to rain but the game is never resumed and goes into the books as a tie game. Box Score.

4/11/1974 – Just four games into the 1974 season the winless Chicago White Sox are at Met Stadium to take on the Twins in the final game of a three game series but the game is called after 6 innings and ends in a 4-4 tie. Jim Kaat is again involved in a tie game but this time he is the White Sox starter and the Twins beat him up pretty good. After 6 innings the umpires call for a halt in play due to rain and 38 minutes later the game is called due to unplayable conditions. Box Score

7/25/1967 – The Twins and New York Yankees play to a 1-1 tie at Yankee Stadium I when the game is called after 9 innings due to rain. The only runs of the game are scored via the long ball when Harmon Killebrew gets ahold of one off Yankee starter Al Downing in the top of the first inning with two outs and Mickey Mantle hits one off of Jim Kaat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kaat pitches a complete game giving up 9 hits but gets nothing for his effort. The Twins were on a 6 game losing streak going into this game and note the unusual batting order that Twins skipper Cal Ermer employed for this game. He had Bob Allison leading off, Tony Oliva hitting second, Harmon Killebrew hitting third, Rich Rollins hit fourth, Cesar Tovar hit in the five hole, Zoilo Versalles hit sixth, Rod Carew hit seventh, Earl Battey hit in the eight spot and Jim Kaat hit in the nine hole. The Twins played the Yankees in a double-header the next day and lost the first game 6-1 to stretch their losing streak to seven before beating the Bronx Bombers 3-2 in 18 innings in game two with Twins starter Jim Merritt going the first 13 innings giving up the two runs. Merritt faced 46 batters allowing 7 hits and striking out 7 so I wonder how many pitches he threw that day. By the way, the winning run in the top of the 18th inning was unearned. The game ended 4 hours and 24 minutes after it started. Box Score for the tie game. Box Score for the 3-2 18 inning affair.

6/21/1967 – The Twins were playing the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium and jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead off Tiger pitcher Earl Wilson but the Tigers came back and by the end of the 7th inning the game was knotted at 5-5. Neither team scored in the 8th. In the top of the 9th inning 2B Rod Carew led off with a single and 1B Harmon Killebrew stepped to the plate having gone 2 for 3 with a walk and two home runs. Unfortunately, Carew tried to steal 2B and was thrown out by Tiger catcher Bill Freehan and at that point the game was halted for rain and never restarted. Box Score

6/22/1964 – The Twins have a 8-2 lead over the Cleveland Indians at Met Stadium after 4 innings but Camilo Pascual, Mudcat Grant, and Gerry Arrigo can’t hold the lead and the Indians tie the game at 8 apiece after 8 innings are in the books. The teams continue play and after 10 innings the game remains tied but then the rains come and force the game to be called. Box Score

8/22/1962 – The Twins and Washington Senators played to an 8-8 at Met Stadium when the game was suspended due to a local curfew regulation. The game was tied 5-5 after 8 innings but then both teams scored 2 in the 9th inning and again the score was tied. In the 10th inning both teams scored again but the game remained tied and after 3 hours and 51 minutes the umps had no choice but to suspend the game due to curfew. Box Score

9/5/1961 – The first tie game in Minnesota Twins history occurred at Met Stadium when the game against the Chicago White Sox was called after 9 innings with the score knotted at 3. Twins hurler Jack Kralick and White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce had dueled for 7 innings and each team had scored a run. The Mighty Whities scored one in the top of the 8th and the Twins came back with two of their own in the home half of the 8th on a single with two runners on base by Bill Tuttle. The White Sox led off the 9th inning with a long home run to left by Al Smith and the score was tied at 3-3. The Twins then retired the White Sox without any additional runs scoring but could not score in the bottom of the 9th. At that point, according to local Twins historian and official scorer Stew Thornley, the game was called due to a heavy fog. Box Score

Twins that have not jogged around the bases

The home run hitters of baseball have been idolized by baseball fans for years, but what about those “Punch-and-Judy” hitters that just have not been able to put one out over the fence and haven’t even been lucky enough to get an inside the park home run? These guys probably could not hit one out even if you let them stand on second base and hit. A Punch-and-Judy is said of a hitter who tends to hit well-placed but weakly-hit balls for singles. The first reference was made by former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston when asked about a home run by Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants. “When he belts a home run, he does it with such authority it seems like an act of God. You can’t cry about it. He’s not a Punch and Judy belter.”

From what I can determine, the player with the most at bats in the big leagues without ever getting a home run is Bill Holbert. Holbert was a catcher who played a little outfield and infield in 1876 and 1878-1888 with six different teams. Holbert is credited with 2,335 official at bats without hitting a single round tripper. But that was a long time ago and if you look at more modern times, the record holder is Tom “Rebel” Oliver, an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox from 1930-1933 who had 1,931 official at bats and 534 hits but not a homer in the bunch.

So let’s see who among Twins position players going back to 1961 with 100 or more at bats were or are true “Punch-and-Judy” type hitters and who had the most official at bats without a four-bagger on their Minnesota Twins resume.

Number 1 on this list is Al Newman. Newman played 2B/SS/3B for the Twins from 1987-1991 when they played in the Metrodome and Al had 1,647 at bats in a Twins uniform and he failed to hit a single home run. Newman also played for Montreal in 1985-1986 and for Texas in 1992. Between those three teams Newman had 2,107 at bats and he had one home run. Newman’s only career home run took place on July 6, 1986 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium off Atlanta Braves starter Zane Smith.

Number 2 on the list is current Twins outfielder Ben Revere. Revere has been with the Twins off and on since 2010 and during those three season he has 809 at bats through August 12, 2012 without a home run to his credit but he has a ways to go to catch up with Al Newman.

Number 3 on the list is SS/2B Houston Jiminez. Jiminez played for Minnesota in 1983-1984 and had 384 at bats in a Twins uni without a single home run. Jiminez also played for the Pirates in 1987 and the Indians in 1988. Jiminez had 411 career at bats without a homer.

Fourth on the list is SS Luis Gomez. Gomez played for the Twins from 1974-1977 and had 362 official at bats without a long ball. Gomez went on to play for the Blue Jays in 1978-1979 and the Braves in 1980-1981 but when his career ended he had 1,251 major league at bats and a “0” in the home run column.

In the fifth spot on this list is another current Twins player, 2B/SS/3B Jamey Carroll. Through today Carroll has 352 Twins at bats and he still has not cleared the fences. Carroll is in his 11th big league season and is playing for his sixth team and he has hit 12 home runs in his 3,326 career big league at bats.

Number six on our list is catcher Junior Ortiz. Ortiz played in the big leagues for 13 seasons with 5 organizations and he did hit 5 home runs in 1,894 at bats but as a Twins catcher in 1990-1991 he had 304 at bats and not a single home run. Maybe that is why he wore the number “0” on his back as a Minnesota Twin?

Lucky number seven on the list is yet another current Minnesota Twins player, fan favorite (NOT) Tsuyoshi Nishioka who has played 2B and SS. Nishioka has 233 big league at bats to his credit and zero home runs.

Eighth on the list is a Liriano, no, not Francisco but 2B Nelson Liriano. Nelson Liriano has 25 home runs in his 11 seasons and 2,216 at bats in the bigs but as a Minnesota Twin in 1990 he came up empty in the home run column in 185 at bats

Ninth we have another catcher, Jose Morales. Morales was with the Twins parts of 2007, 2009-2010 and hit .297 in 158 at bats but none of the long ball variety. Morales spent 2011 in Colorado and had 60 AB’s there but again came away without a home run.

Number 10 on the Twins homerless list is SS/2B Sergio Ferrer. Ferrer had zero home runs in 138 at bats as a Twin in 1974-1975. Ferrer played for the Mets in part of 1978-1979 and had 40 more at bats there with zero long balls.

Eleventh on the Twins homerless list we have 2B/3B Dan Monzon who came up void of any home runs in his 131 career big league at bats in 1972-1973 with the Minnesota Twins.

Our twelfth and final Minnesota Twins position player with 100 or more at bats with zero home runs is catcher Bruce Look. Look spent all of his 118 big league at bats with the Twins in 1968 and he had no luck hitting one out of the park.

So between these 12 position players we have 4,821 Twins at bats and not a single home run in the group. Isn’t it strange that three players (numbers 2, 5, and 7) on this list are currently playing for the 2012 Twins? That completes a look at the position players with 100 or more at bats with zero home runs on their Twins resumes. The two Twins pitchers with the most at bats as Twins with zero home runs are Mudcat Grant who had 298 regular season at bats in a Twins uni with no homers. We all know about the Mudcat’s home run in-game 6 of the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers and Grant did hit 6 home runs in his 14 year big league career but he did not hit any for the Twins. The other pitcher is Bert Blyleven who had 451 career at bats with zero home runs and 235 of these at bats were as a Minnesota Twins pitcher.

UPDATE AS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 – Jamey Carroll homered against the Chicago White Sox pitcher Hector Santiago at US Cellular Field in the fifth inning of yesterdays game to end his Twins streak of 412 consecutive at bats without a home run. This streak of 412 homer less games moves him up to number 3 on the Twins list behind Al Newman and Ben Revere.

CORRECTION as of September 5, 2012 – It was brought to my attention that I missed outfielder Jason Tyner who had 442 Twins at bats before hitting a home run off Jake Westbrooke at Jacobs Field on July 28, 2007. Todate Jason Tyner career home run count stands at 1. This would put Tyner number 3 on the Twins list.

However; the original intent of my story was to list the Twins with the most at bats that had zero home runs on their entire Twins resume and not really to list the most consective Twins at bats without a homer, thus Jamey Carroll and Jason Tyner really would not belong on this list.

Tag: Mudcat Grant

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