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2024 – The Twins lost to the Dodgers at Target Field by a score of 6-3 in a game that was not as close as the score might indicate. Louie Varland (0-2) was the starter and loser, allowing six runs on seven hits in 5 innings pitched, including two three-run homers from Will Smith and James Outman. Cole Sands pitched 2 scoreless inning of relief, striking out four of his eight batters faced. The offense recorded six hits, struck out 15 times, did not draw a walk and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Minnesota scored their three runs on solo home runs from Ryan Jeffers in the eighth inning, and Carlos Correa and Alex Kirilloff (back-to-back) in the ninth inning. Austin Martin recorded his first career hit with a third-inning double and followed that up with another double in his next at-bat in the sixth inning. According to Elias, he is the first Twin to start his career with consecutive doubles since Trevor Larnach did it from May 12-13, 2021. Dodger starter Tyler Glasnow, fired 7 scoreless innings on 88 pitches, allowing three hits and striking out a career-matching best 14 batters improving his record to 3-0 on the season and lowering his ERA to 2.25. Glasnow is the first MLB pitcher on record in the pitch-count era to strike out at least 14 on no more than 90 pitches. This game was totally one-sided until Glasnow was taken out of the game. It was like the Dodgers were playing a high school team. The Twins hitters now have a string of 0 for 29 going with RISP. The Twins record now stands at 3-6 with a 4 game losing streak, all 4 games at home. Box Score
2023 – The Twins lose to the Houston Astros on Easter Sunday at Target Field with 14,316 fans looking on by a score of 5-1. Tyler Mahle (1-1) was the starter and loser, allowing four runs on eight hits in 6 innings pitched, with one walk and six strikeouts. The offense put on a meager display recording just two hits, one being a single from Byron Buxton and one being an RBI-double from Donovan Solano. The Twins are now 2-1-0 in series play this season, 1-0-0 at home and 1-1-0 on the road and await the arrival of their division rival Chicago White Sox. Box Score
2022 – The Twins drop to 0-2 with a loss to the Mariners at Target Field by a score of 4-3, suffering their second-straight one-run defeat. Sonny Gray made his Twins debut by allowing two runs on four hits in 4.2 innings pitched. The sluggish offense recorded just four hits, including a go-ahead two-run homer from Byron Buxton in the bottom of the eighth. Luis Arraez celebrated his 25th birthday and added a solo home run in the first inning, the seventh of his career. Tyler Duffey was called on to save it in the ninth but allowed two runs on three hits and was dealt the loss and blown save. Box Score
2021 – No game today, the Twins had a scheduled day off.
2020 – The Twins had an off day scheduled for today but that does not change the fact that the season thus far has been postponed due to COVID-19. That makes 13 games missed thus far.
2019 – The Twins visit the Mets at Citi Field and knock last years NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom out after just four innings after he gives up 8 hits including 3 home runs and 6 runs. Mitch Garver and Jonathan Schoop each hit 2 home runs, and Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario hit one each. Polanco who hit for the cycle just a few days earlier had 3 hits and came up a double short of getting another cycle. Kyle Gibson started but lasted just 4.2 inning so he did not get the win. Chase De Jong who was just called up pitched the ninth inning and struggled by giving up 3 hits, three walks and 4 runs. Shortly thereafter he boarded a plane for AAA Rochester. The 14-8 win upped the Twins record to 6-3. Box Score
2018 – The Houston Astros shut down the Twins 2-0 at Target Field behind Justin Verlander’s seven innings of four hit ball. The temperature was only 35 degrees when the first pitch was thrown and Twins bats never warmed up. Catcher Jason Castro had 2 of the Twins 6 hits. Taylor Rogers took the loss. Box Score
2012 – The Twins were happy to get home and start playing at Target Field and looking to put a game on the “W” side of the ledger after losing three games in Baltimore but it didn’t happen in their Home Opener as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beat them 5-1 to make the Twins record 0-4 on the season. On a windy 45 degree day the announced crowd was 39,414 but some reports had the stadium half empty. Twins hitting woes continued as they had just six hits, went 0-2 with RISP and committed two errors. Twins starter Nick Blackburn took the loss and probably pitched better then his numbers showed in his six inning (99 pitches) of work in which he allowed all five runs. The Angels starter C.J. Wilson went 7 innings (104 pitches) and got the win with one run allowed on three hits. Josh Willingham (2) the only Twin that seems to be hitting went 2 for 4 with a home run. Box Score
2010 – Twins catcher Drew Butera made his major league debut against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, and it marked a special milestone for the organization. Butera’s father, Sal, was a catcher for Minnesota from 1980-82 and 1987. So the two become the first father-son combo to play for the Twins. It wasn’t quite a great night at the plate for Butera, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a sacrifice bunt. Twins shortstop J.J. Hardy knocked in the winning run with a single in the 11th and Jon Rauch earned the save. After the 4-3 victory in 11 innings, manager Ron Gardenhire lauded the performance of the rookie catcher behind the plate. Sal Butera made his big league debut on April 10, 1980 (almost 30 years to the day from Drew’s debut) against the A’s in Oakland and he too struck out in his only at bat. Box Score
2004 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2001 – The Twins faced the Detroit Tigers in the Season Opener in Detroit and here it is about a week later and the Twins play their Home Opener and guess who their opponent is, the Detroit Tigers of course. The Twins beat the Tigers at Comerica Park with their Ace Brad Radke on the mound and low and behold it is Radke’s turn to take the mound again. The Tigers go with Steve Sparks and take a 1-0 lead thanks to a Robert Fick home run in the first. The Twins put 6 runs on the board in the third inning but thanks to a Detroit error four of the runs are unearned. The Twins chase Sparks in the sixth inning after he allows 8 runs but just 4 earned on 9 hits and he takes the loss in the 11 to 5 Twins win. Radke (2-0) gets the win allowing 3 runs on 9 hits in 7.1 innings. Cristian Guzman (1) hitting lead-off gets two hits, 3 RBI and scores 3 with a home run and a double. Doug Mientkiewicz (1) also has two hits and one of those is a home run. Denny Hocking has two hits and two RBI. Box Score
2000 – In the Twins 13-7 win over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, Minnesota’s Ron Coomer, Jacque Jones and Matt LeCroy hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning. The Royals’ Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Mike Sweeney repeated the feat in the eighth inning, marking the first time in major league history that both teams hit three consecutive home runs in the same game. Neither team had hit back-to back-to back home runs in the 90’s. Twins starter Eric Milton retired the first 20 KC batters he faced before giving up a total of 4 hits in 7.2 innings and being lifted with a 13-0 lead. The Royals scored seven times in the bottom of the 8th but Milton still got the win. Butch Huskey and Matt Lawton also hit round-trippers for the Twins giving them a total of six (Coomer hit two home runs). Box Score
1995 – Twins Hall of Famer Bob Allison passed away in Rio Verde, Arizona, at the age of 60 after a long battle with ataxia. Allison was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2003.
1991 – The Twins opened the 1991 season against the Oakland A’s in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the second year in a row and just like last year they came out on the short end of the score, this time they lost 7-2 in front of 44,373 joyous fans. Jack Morris (0-1) made his first start for Minnesota and it was not one he will want to remember as he lasted just 4.2 innings (111 pitches) allowing 8 hits, 5 walks and 7 runs although only 3 were earned. Errors by Kirby Puckett and Chuck Knoblauch, playing in his first big league game proved costly allowing 4 unearned runs to cross the plate. Dave Stewart picked up the win for the A’s going 7 solid innings allowing just one run on three hits. The Twins were out hit 13 to 5 and two of those five hits belonged to Greg Gagne, both for extra bases as he had a home run and a double. Chili Davis knocked in the other run with his first home run. Box Score
1990 – The 1990 Major League Baseball lockout was the seventh work stoppage in baseball. Beginning in February, the lockout lasted 32 days, virtually wiping out spring training, moving Opening Day back a week to April 9 and extending the season three days to accommodate the normal 162-game schedule. The Twins were originally scheduled to play the Opener at home at the Metrodome against the Oakland A’s (3 games) and then the Seattle Mariners (3 games) before hitting the road to play in Oakland. With everything pushed back about 6 days, the Twins now open the season on the road in Oakland at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum against the World Series champion Athletics. Allan Anderson drew his first season opener honors for Minnesota and the A’s went with Dave Stewart. The A’s played like the champions they were and the Twins played poorly committing just one official error but there could have been more along with several mental misplays. The A’s jumped out in front and had four runs on the board before the Twins got their first run and the A’s won 8-3. Anderson (0-1) lasted just four innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned on while allowing 7 hits and 3 walks and took the loss. Oakland had just one more hit than Minnesota’s ten but the A’s got their hits in opportune times. Kirby Puckett had 3 hits for the Twins while Randy Bush, Brian Harper, and Greg Gagne chipped in two each. Gagne also hit the Twins first home run of the Twins season. Dave Stewart (1-0) went 5.2 innings for the win as 48,219 fans cheered their team on. Box Score
1985 – The Twins open the 1985 season on the road at Anaheim Stadium against the California Angels and come up winners by a 6-2 score. Frank Viola started for Minnesota and got the win going 7.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two. Ron Davis finished up for his first save of the season. The Twins out hit the Angels 12 to 4 and had home runs from Tom Brunansky (1) and Mickey Hatcher (1) along with three hits from Kirby Puckett. Mike Witt took the loss for California. Box Score
1981 – The Twins open their 21st season of MLB in what will be their final season of play at the only home park they have known, Metropolitan Stadium. A new domed stadium is being built in downtown Minneapolis. Jerry Koosman gets opening honors for the home team and Mike Norris starts for the visiting A’s. There was a record opening-day crowd of 42,658 fans feeling the excitement of a new baseball season until the A’s broke up Koosman’s perfect game in the fourth inning with two runs on three hits, a walk and an error. That was actually all the visitors would need as Norris (1-0) pitched a complete game allowing just six hits and one run while striking out three and got the win. Koosman (0-1) went 7.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and took the loss. The Twins scored their only run on a RBI single off the bat of Hosken Powell in the fifth inning. The A’s added on three more and walked away 5-1 winners on this day. The temp was 65 degrees when the first pitch was thrown and the game was over in 2 hours 46 minutes. Charles Johnson retired Sports Editor of the Star Tribune and Gerald Moore a former President of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce were honored for helping to bring MLB to Minnesota and threw out the first balls. Box Score
1979 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1977 – The Twins open the 1977 season on the road in Oakland before a small opening day crowd of 12,562 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mike Torrez gets OD honors for the A’s and Dave Goltz starts for Minnesota. Both teams trade runs for the first five innings and the scored is tied at 4-4. Goltz is gone after 4.1 innings after giving up four runs, three earned on five hits and four walks. The A’s take their first lead of the game in the sixth inning on a Earl Williams home run off Twins reliever Ron Schueler and they add on two more runs in the eighth but they prove to be unnecessary as Oakland hangs on for a 7-4 opening day win. Schueler (0-1) is pinned with the loss in his first game as Twin while Torrez (1-0) gets a complete game win, the first of three he will get before he is traded to the New York Yankees. Box Score
1976 – President Ford took a break from campaigning in Texas to throw out the first ball to open the baseball season for the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins in Arlington. It was the first time since 1969 that a President has opened the baseball season in the traditional manner. 28,947 fans were in attendance in Arlington Stadium to watch baseball once again as the Rangers opened the season against the Twins. The starters were Bert Blyleven for Minnesota and Gaylord Perry had the honors for Texas. The Rangers got on the board first when Jeff Burroughs led off the bottom of the second with a long home run to left off Blyleven. The scored remained 1-0 for Texas until the sixth inning when with one out Steve Braun singled, Larry Hisle struck out for the second out of the inning, Lyman Bostock singled advancing Braun to second, catcher Butch Wynegar who was making his major league debut singled for his first big league hit and his first big league RBI when Braun scored but Bostock was thrown out at third base for the final out of the inning. The game remained a pitchers duel and both starters were still in the game after regulation play ended in a 1-1 deadlock. Gene Mauch blinked first when told Blyleven he was done after nine innings and brought in Bill Campbell but Texas stuck with 37 year-old Perry. The Twins could not score in the tenth or eleventh innings and the Rangers loaded the bases in the bottom of the eleventh with two out bringing up Toby Harrah who singled over the out-stretched glove of shortstop Danny Thompson scoring Jim Sundberg and the Rangers had a 2-1 walk-off win to start the 1976 season. Gaylord Perry went the entire 11 innings for the win allowing seven hits and one run while striking out four. Blyleven went 9 innings allowing one run on six hits and 8 strikeouts but all he got for his work was a ND. Campbell (0-1) took the loss. The game was over in 2 hours and 48 minutes, not bad for an 11 inning affair. Box Score
1974 – Governor Wendell Anderson threw out the first ball on a sunny 53 degree day at Met Stadium as the Twins played the Chicago White Sox in Minnesota’s home opener. Bert Blyleven faced off against Wilbur Wood and the Twins got the first run when Harmon Killebrew hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning. The White Sox tied it up in the third when Bucky Dent tripled and Dick Allen doubled him home two outs later. It would be the only run that Chicago would score. Bobby Darwin doubled Rod Carew home in the bottom of the third and the Twins were up 2-1. A Larry Hisle home run in the sixth provided some insurance. Blyleven tired in the ninth and manager Frank Quilici wasted no time going to the bullpen for Tom Burgmeier to get the first out and then Bill Campbell to get the final two outs. Blyleven (1-0) got the win and Wood (0-2) got the loss. 10,409 baseball fans attended the Twins home opener. Box Score
1973 – 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. Three Twins games missed due to the strike so far.
1971 – The schedule showed this game was to be played yesterday but for some reason it was moved to today and the reason was listed as “schedule change”. However; we now know why the schedule change took place and you can read about it below in the Sporting News March 27 edition. The Twins are in Chicago at White Sox Park to play in the White Sox home opener. Tommy Hall gets the start for the Twins versus Tom Bradley for the Sox. The White Sox have a 2-0 lead after seven innings but the Twins score twice in the top of the eighth inning on a Rich Reese single that scores Tony Oliva and Paul Powell who was pinch-running for Harmon Killebrew. But in the bottom of the ninth with Ron Perranoski on the mound and two out and a runner on third, pinch-hitter Rich McKinney singles to left and walk-off the Twins 3-2 in front of a crowd of 43,253 cheering fans and the White Sox remain undefeated at 3-0. Perranoski (0-1) takes the loss. Cesar Tovar, Oliva and Killebrew each had two hits. Box Score
Sporting News March 27, 1971 P45
1970 – Playing in front of just 1,474 fans the visiting Twins beat the Chicago White Sox at White Sox Park 6-4. The home town team went with Joel Horlen on the mound and the visiting Twins went with Luis Tiant who made his first start as a Twin. The Twins jumped out to a 3-0 lead but Tiant ran into trouble in the fifth and was pulled with 2 runs in and 1 out. The Twins added 2 more in the sixth and another in the ninth and held on for a 6-4 victory. Stan Williams (1-0) who relieved Tiant vultured the win and Horlen (0-1) took the loss. The Twins out hit the White Sox 15 to 10 and three White Sox errors didn’t help their cause. The score could have been much higher with Minnesota just 3 for 12 wit RISP and Chicago 4 for 18 with RISP. Tony Oliva (1) was 3 for 5 with a home run and a double and Hamon Killebrew (1) also had a home run. George Mitterwald also had 3 hits in the game. Steve Barber who just was called up from the minors pitched the final two innings in his major league debut allowing no runs and earning his first big league save. Box Score
1969 – Day two of the 1969 season ends the same way as game one did with the Twins getting walked off by the expansion Kansas City Royals once again by a 4 to 3 score in extra innings, only this time it was 17 innings versus 12 the night before. Jim Kaat started for Minnesota going the first 11 innings and giving up just three runs (2 earned) on eight hits and five walks but ended up with a ND. Lou Piniella’s walk-off single off Bob Miller scored the winning run with two out in the 17th inning. Ron Perranoski who pitched 5.1 scoreless innings went 2.1 additional scoreless innings today. Rod Carew had three of the Twins nine hits and in the fifth inning stole home safely for the first time in his big league career while Tony Oliva took a rare 0 for 7 on the day with three strikeouts. Box Score
1968 – No game today. The Twins vs Washington Senators 1968 Opening Day game was again postponed due to civil unrest in Washington D.C. and the Martin Luther king Jr. funeral.
1963 – The Twins lose their 1963 season opener to the Cleveland Indians at the Met by a 5-4 score. This marks the first time that the Twins have ever opened the season with a home game. Lenny Green and Vic Power hit home runs for the Twins but Camilo Pascual allowed four home runs in 7 innings and takes the loss. Indians starter Mudcat Grant pitches a complete game for the win in spite of shoddy fielding behind him as the Indians commit three errors. Box Score
