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
The brooms were at the ready behind the Twins dugout as the Twins took on the White Sox on Sunday afternoon looking for a rare four-game sweep.
The Twins completed a four-game series sweep of the White Sox on Sunday in what was the first series sweep of four or more games in the majors this season. June 22 is the latest date on which a team completed the major leagues’ first series sweep of four or more games in a season since 1938. The White Sox were the first team to fashion such a sweep that year when they won all four games of a series against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park from June 27-30.
The sweep of the White Sox was the first-four-game sweep that Twins have ever had at Target Field where the team began play in April of 2010. The last time the Twins completed a four-game sweep was June 2-5, 2011 in Kansas City and the last time they had a four-game sweep at home was at the Metrodome on July 12-15, 2007 against the Oakland A’s.
Justin Morneau hit two homers and drove in five runs in the Twins’ win over the White Sox in the day portion of the day/night doubleheader at U.S. Cellular Field. Morneau is the first Twins player in almost two years to hit two homers and drive in at least five runs in a game. Luke Hughes was the last Twins player to do it on Aug. 28, 2011. It’s the sixth time in his career that Morneau has accomplished this, five of them have come in road games. Only two other players in Minnesota Twins history had six games with at least two homers and five runs batted in: Harmon Killebrew and Gary Gaetti had six each.
Brian Duensing
Twins reliever Brian Duensing picked up the win in both games as the Twins swept their day/night doubleheader against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Duensing is only the second pitcher in the history of the Twins franchise to win two games in one day. Walter Johnson won both games of a doubleheader against the Browns on September 17, 1923. “The Big Train” won the first game with three shutout innings in relief and then went out and threw a seven-inning complete game in the nightcap. Game 1 box score. Game 2 box score. The last major-league pitcher to win twice in one day was Luis Vizcaino for the Yankees against Tampa Bay in 2007.
However, I think a case could be made that Jim Perry was actually the first Twins pitcher to win two games in one day. According to MLB the Twins did not win two games on July 20 but if you are splitting hairs, here is what happened.
7/19/1969 – The Twins and the Seattle Pilots play for 16 innings and the game is deadlocked at 7-7 at Sick’s Stadium and the game is suspended by league curfew and resumed the next day (July 20). I believe there was also a 20 minute delay in the game for the Apollo 11 moon landing. Box score.
Jim Perry
7/20/1969 – The Twins and Seattle Pilots resume play in the 17th inning. The pitchers in the 17th inning are todays scheduled starting pitchers, Jim Perry for Minnesota and John Gelnar for Seattle. After a scoreless 17th inning, the Twins break through for 4 runs in the top of the 18th and win the game 11-7. The team’s end up stranding 44 base runners, the Twins had 16 hits and 18 walks in the game. Gelnar was pulled after pitching 1 1/3 innings and was the loser. In the regularly scheduled game, Jim Perry again faced off against John Gelnar and Perry pitched a complete game shutout with the Twins winning 4-0 and Gelnar took the defeat. So in reality, Jim Perry won two games on this date and John Gelnar lost both games on this date. Box score.
Winning and losing on the same day
Ray Moore
5/20/1962 – The Twins split a double-header at Yankee Stadium losing the first game 4-3 and winning the second game 4-2. Twins reliever Ray Moore becomes the first Twins pitcher to lose and win a game in the same day. Box score game 1. Box score game 2.
On the losing end twice in one day
5/27/1983 – Twins reliever Rick Lysander becomes the first Twins pitcher to lose both games of a double-header as the Tigers beat the Twins 7-4 and 2-1 at Tiger Stadium. Box score game 1. Box score game 2.
The Twins scored four runs in the top of the first inning last night at Fenway Park, the Red Sox countered with a five-run bottom of the first only to see the Twins raise them by scoring seven runs in the top of the second. This was only the second game in major-league history in which a team scored at least four runs in the top of the first, the home team then scored more runs in the bottom of the first, which was then topped by the road team in the top of the second. The only other game with such an odd line score was played on September 9, 1894 between the Brooklyn Grooms and St. Louis Browns in the second game of a doubleheader. Brooklyn scored four runs in the top of the first, St. Louis responded with five runs in the bottom of the first and then Brooklyn came up with six runs in the top of the second inning. The Twins ended up winning the game 15-8.
