(click on images once or twice to make them larger)
2024 – The Twins lost to the Dodgers at Target Field by a score of 4-2, dropping their third-straight game. The Twins are playing the Dodgers in the regular season for the 23rd, 24th and 25th time in their history this week. The Twins are 7-16 all-time vs. Los Angeles. In the regular season, Minnesota is 2-9 all-time at Dodger Stadium, 2-7 at Target Field and 3-0 at Metrodome. The Twins .304 winning percentage against LA is their lowest versus any opponent in their history (since 1961). Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on three hits in 5 innings pitched, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Jay Jackson (0-1), who was trying to hold a 2-2 tie, was issued his first loss, allowing two runs on two hits, including solo home runs from James Outman and Shohei Ohtani in the seventh inning. Manny Margot had two of the Twins’ three hits, including his first homer as a Twin, a two-run, 416-foot shot in the third inning. Box Score
2023 – The Twins had a 9 to 4 lead over the visiting Houston Astros at Target Field after 8 innings but then things got a little testy in the ninth when Houston scored twice against Jovani Moran and had two runners on forcing the Twins skipper to bring in Jhoan Duran to bring closure to the game. Duran (2) struck out Yanier Diaz swinging to preserve the 9-6 win and get the save. Joe Ryan (2-0) was the starter and winner, allowing four runs on three hits in 6 innings pitched, including 10 strikeouts, the second double-digit strikeout game of his career. His only runs allowed were on a grand slam to Yordan Alvarez in the third inning. The pitching staff struck out 17 batters, their most since fanning 18 on September 22, 2021 at Chicago-NL. 33 batters struck out by the twins in the last two games were the most in any two-game span in Twins history. Kyle Farmer (1) and Byron Buxton (1) each hit three-run homers as Farmer had three of the team’s 12 hits. Box Score
2022 – Forty-five degrees and sunny with a 17 MPH wind blowing out to right field at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins open their 62nd season against the Seattle Mariners in a late afternoon start. This game was supposed to be played yesterday but was postponed due to rain/snow and cold weather. Joe Ryan starts for the Twins and Robbie Ray (1-0) goes for the Mariners. The Mariners got on the board first with a two-run home run by Mitch Haniger. The Twins responded with a base empty home run in the fourth inning by Gio Urshela to make it 2-1 and that is how the game ended. Neither team could score with a RISP going a combined 0 for 12. Ryan (0-1) didn’t have his normal good control and lasted just four innings (70 pitches) giving up the two runs on two hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Jhoan Duran made his major league debut with two innings of work with 4 strikeout throwing heat and his “splinker” pitch. The Twins had just four hits and one of those was a ninth inning pinch-it single by Luis Arraez. Attendance was 35,462 but it was not a sell-out. The game was played in a snappy (for these times) 2 hours 53 minutes. The Twins battery used the new PitchCom wearable system that transmits signals from the catcher to the pitcher for the first time in a regular season game. Sarah Johnson was the official scorer becoming the sixth woman in history (first in Minnesota) to perform that function. Box Score
2021 – The Twins completed their six-game road trip with a record of 4-2, going 2-1 in Milwaukee and 2-1 in Detroit. Today the Twins will open their 61st season in Minnesota and 12th season at Target Field with the first of three against the Seattle Mariners. The Twins are 34-26 all-time in home openers, going 12-9 at Metropolitan Stadium from 1961-1981, 16-12 at the Metrodome from 1982-2009, and 6-5 at Target Field since 2010. Twins have won four straight Home Openers. Four straight is their second longest Home Opener win-streak, their best being seven, done from 1964-1970. Recently retired following 29 seasons as a major league coach or manager, Ron Gardenhire will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Toby, who is set to manage the St. Paul Saints, the Twins’ new Triple-A affiliate. 2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins and Gardy was the third base coach of that club. Joe Berrios got home opener honors for the Twins and he faced off against the Seattle Mariners Marco Gonzales. The Twins beat the Mariners by a score of 10-2, marking their fifth consecutive Home Opener victory. José Berríos (2-0) was the starter and winner, allowing two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The offense recorded a season-high 16 hits, the most in a Home Opener since 1968 (also 16). Byron Buxton has hit safely in all of his six games to start the season, recording at least one extra-base hit in each, the first player in club history to start a season with a six-game XBH hit-streak. The Twins Home Opener drew 9,675 in attendance, which is limited to about 10,000 due to COVID restrictions. The Twins Home Opener was delayed for 16 minutes in the 4th inning due to quick rain shower. Grounds crew pulled tarp quick after rain and both starters remained in game. Box Score
2020 – The game between the Twins and Cleveland Indians at Target Field has been postponed due to COVID-19. That makes 13 games missed thus far.
2019 – No Game Today. However, the Twins trade 1B/DH Tyler Austin to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Malique Ziegler. Ziegler is out of baseball after the 2019 season.
2018 – No Game Today. The Minnesota Twins have announced that today’s (Sunday, April 8) 1:10 p.m. game against the Seattle Mariners has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on Monday, May 14 at 6:10 p.m., a mutual off day for both clubs.
2014 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2011 – The Twins Home Opener had the Oakland A’s in town to take on the Twins at Target Field. A crowd of 40,714 showed up making it the Twins 79th consecutive sellout. Carl Pavano had starting honors for the Twins and Brett Anderson had the same duty for Oakland. The A’s got the first run quickly in the first inning when Coco Crisp flew out, Daric Barton walked and with David DeJesus at the plate, Pavano threw a wild pitch advancing DeJesus to second. Pavano then had Barton picked off at second but a bad throw allowed Barton to reach third safely. DeJesus then hit a Sac Fly to center and Barton scored the A’s first run of the game without the benefit of a hit. Josh Willingham then singled and stole second but Hideki Matsui flew out deep to center to end the inning. The game then turned into a pitchers duel and it remained 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth when the Twins pushed across two runs on four singles with Denard Span and Joe Mauer getting the two RBI off Brett Anderson. Joe Nathan came in and registered his third save of the season. Anderson (0-1) went the distance for the A’s but took the loss going 8 innings (109 pitches) and allowing 2 runs on 8 hits. Pavano got his first win of the season going 8 innings (106 pitches) allowing just the one run on 4 hits. Delmon Young and Span each had 2 hits. Box Score
2008 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2005 – The Twins play their home opener at the Metrodome against the Chicago White Sox with a sellout crowd of 48,764 fans excited to see baseball again. Before the game began the Twins organization honored longtime Twins public address announcer Bob Casey who had passed away on March 27th. Governor Tim Pawlenty had declared this day as Bob Casey day. The Twins had previously announced that the 2005 season would be dedicated to Casey and that the number 44, representing the number of years he spent at the microphone, would not be worn by a Twins players in 2005. The starting pitchers were Kyle Lohse for the Twins and Orlando Hernandez for the White Sox. Chicago took a quick 1-0 lead but the Twins tied it 1-1 in the third inning. Lohse got into trouble in the sixth giving up home runs to Paul Konerko and Aaron Rowand that put the White Sox up 4-1 and he was asked to call it a day after 5.1 innings and 92 pitches after having given up the four runs on seven hits. Chicago added on another run and just like the season opener, the Twins lost again 5-1. The lone RBI for Minnesota again belonged to Jason Bartlett just like it did in the season opening loss to Seattle. The Twins had 8 hits and Bartlett had two of them. Box Score
2003 – Was a scheduled day off but instead the Twins played the Yankees in New York because the game yesterday was snowed out.
1997 – The Twins send pitcher Scott Klingenbeck to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.
1996 – No game today. The Twins were snowed out in Boston and will play the game tomorrow.
1994 – The Twins trailed the Oakland A’s 7-1 after six innings at the Metrodome before starting a furious rally with three in the seventh and fourth in the eighth to tie the game at 8-8 and send it to extra innings. The A’s scored two in the top of the tenth off Larry Casian (0-1) on three hits to take a 10-8 lead. The Twins were able to only plate one run in the bottom of the 10th and ended up as 10-9 losers in ten innings. Kirby Puckett collected five hits in six at bats including a double, four RBI and one run scored. The first of Puckett’s five hits was his 2,000 career hit and it was a single off the A’s Bob Welch in the third inning. The Twins had 17 hits and Rich Becker and Alex Cole each contributed three. The Twins are now 1-3 on the season. Box Score
1990 – No game today. Due to the lockout by MLB, today’s game at the Metrodome against the Seattle Mariners has been rescheduled for October 3 as the seasons final game.
1988 – The Twins win their first game of the season (after two losses) when they beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 at the Metrodome Home Opener behind the hitting of Dan Gladden who goes 4 for 5, scores 3 times, knocking in 4 runs, and hits two home runs. His first home run lead off the game and his second home run capped the Twins scoring in the 8th inning. In addition; Gladden steals home against pitcher David Wells and catcher Ernie Whitt while Kent Hrbek is batting in the bottom of the 7th inning. Bert Blyleven goes six innings for the win. Box Score
1986 – The Twins opened their 26th season of baseball playing in Oakland against the Athletics in Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Frank Viola and Chris Codiroli face off in the season opener for both teams. The Twins get on the board in the first inning on two unearned runs and held on to win 3-2 even though the A’s out-hit them 8 to 6. All of the runs scored by the Twins were unearned due to four A’s errors. No Twins player had more than one hit, one RBI or one run scored. Viola (1-0) got the win allowing 7 hits and 2 runs. Ron Davis picked up his first save of the season. Attendance was a very nice 44,726. Box Score
1975 – The Twins opened the 1975 season at Arlington Stadium against the Texas Rangers, their first season without Harmon Killebrew on the roster. Owner Calvin Griffith offered Killebrew a contract for 1975 at a much reduced salary and Killebrew asked for his release. Harmon, the last remaining player from the original 1961 Twins team ended up signing with the Kansas City Royals. About 4:00 PM, prior to the game, a helicopter being used to help dry the field lost power and dropped a few feet to the outfield grass but fortunately there were no injuries. The game featured two future Hall of Famers facing off as Bert Blyleven took the mound for the Twins and Fergie Jenkins went for the Texas Rangers. The Twins came smoking out of the gate with 3 in the first and 3 more in the second and Jenkins was history before the second inning ended. Blyleven went 6.1 innings allowing 6 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs but on this day that was good enough for the win. Bill Campbell finished up and got the save in the 11-4 Twins win. The Twins had 17 hits with Danny Thompson and Larry Hisle each having three. The Twins also got home runs from Tony Oliva and Larry Hisle. Lyman Bostock made his major league debut hitting second and playing left field had one hit, two walks and scored three times in four at bats. Three Rangers errors didn’t help their cause either. Attendance for the opener in Texas was 28,787 and game time the temperature was 66 degrees. Box Score
1974 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1972 – ON STRIKE – For the first time in history, the major leagues failed to open because of a player strike, which started on April 1. The Twins were scheduled to play the California Angels at Met Stadium today but that obviously that did not happen. Two games missed due to the strike so far.
1971 – No game today. Some kind of a “schedule change” moved the game at Chicago against the White Sox from April 8 to April 9, have no idea why as the schedule in the Twins media guide shows that the game was to be played on April 8 and April 9 was a day off. Stop the presses, we have now determined why the schedule change took place, thanks to our good friends at SABR and you can read about it as part of our April 9 recap of the Twins vs White Sox game which was Chicago’s home opener.
1970 – No Twins game today, scheduled day off.
1969 – The Royals play their first game in the history of the franchise and join the winners circle along with the other three new clubs making their debuts today. Pinch-hitter Joe Keough greets Twins reliever Dick Woodson with a walk-off single on Woodson’s first big league pitch with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning and the Royals are celebrating their first ever win in the season opener for both teams. Reliever Moe Drabowsky picks up the win as Kansas City beat the Twins in 12 innings, 4-3 in Kansas City Municipal Stadium and Twins reliever Joe Grzenda takes the loss. Graig Nettles hits his first home run of the season while Ron Perranoski pitched 5.1 innings of one-hit scoreless relief, but it was all for naught. Billy Martin loses his first ever game as a Minnesota Twins and MLB manager. Dick Woodson and Charlie Manual make their major league debuts. Box Score
Star_Tribune_Wed__Apr_9__1969_.pdf
Star_Tribune_Wed__Apr_9__1969_ (1).pdf
April 8, 1969: Baseball returns to Kansas City as Royals win debut
1968 – No game today. The Minnesota Twins were scheduled to open the 1968 season in Washington D.C. against the Senators but the game was postponed due to the civil unrest and rioting that was taking place in Washington due to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN on April 4.
1963 – Pitcher Bill Dailey was purchased from the Cleveland Indians.
