August 28 – This Day in Twins History

(click on images once or twice to make them larger)

 

2023BATS BRING THE THUNDER, ‘PEN BRINGS THE FUNDER: The Twins beat the Guardians at Target Field by a score of 10-6, giving them four wins in their last five games. Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing six runs on seven hits in 4 innings pitched. Kody Funderburk (1-0) was the winner in his major league debut, pitching 2 perfect innings, with three strikeouts. Funderburk became the first Twins pitcher to earn the win in his major league debut since Fernando Romero (start) on May 2, 2018 and first to do so in relief since Todd Ritchie on April 3, 1997. Josh Winder pitched 3 perfect innings to earn his first career save. Royce Lewis had two of the Twins’ 12 hits, including his second grand slam in as many days, the first player in Twins/Senators franchise history (since 1901) to hit grand slams in consecutive games. Matt Wallner was hit by a pitch for the 11th time in just 48 games this year. Box Score

Royce Lewis
Kody Funderburk
John Winder

 

 

 

 

 

2022 – Twins put a whipping on the Giants and sweep them out of town. The Twins beat the Giants at Target Field by a score of 8-3. Aaron Sanchez was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 3.2 innings pitched, with one walk and two strikeouts. Devin Smeltzer (5-2) earned the win with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. The offense recorded 11 hits, highlighted by Jake Cave, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run (2) and tied a career-high with four RBI. Max Kepler went 2-for-4 and recorded his 400th career RBI, the 22nd player in Twins history (1961-present) to reach 400 RBI. The Twins remain two games out of first place behind the Guardians. Box Score

Jake Cave
Max Kepler
Devin Smeltzer

 

 

 

 

 

2021 – The Twins beat the Brewers by a score of 6-4 at Target Field, securing the series win, their 13th of the season. Charlie Barnes was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing four runs (3 earned) on four hits in 4.0 innings pitched. Caleb Thielbar (2.0 IP), Juan Minaya (2.0 IP) and Alexander Colomé (1.0 IP) combined to pitch five scoreless innings of relief. Thielbar got the win upping his record to 6-0 and Colome got his ninth save. The offense recorded seven hits, two apiece from Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson and Miguel Sanó. The attendance was 29,342, marking a 2021 single-game high at Target Field. Box Score

Caleb Thielbar
Miguel Sano
Josh Donaldson

 

 

 

 

 

2020 – The Twins and Tigers again faced a postponement today and this time, the players had less of a say in the matter, as both halves of a planned straight doubleheader at Comerica Park were rained out, delaying the start of the series by another day after both clubs had voted not to play Thursday. One of the games will be made up as part of a straight doubleheader on tomorrow. The other postponed game will be made up during a straight twin bill on September 4 at Target Field. Today was Jackie Robinson Day across all of MLB but it appears the Twins and Tigers will move their celebration back a day. Jackie Robinson Day, normally scheduled for April 15 but with COVID-19 delaying baseball’s start until late July it was rescheduled for August 28 to coincide with the “March on Washington” that took place in 1963.

2019 – The Twins build a 5-1 lead over the White Sox and coast to an 8-2 win, their fourth win in a row. Jake Odorizzi (14-6) was the starter and winner, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out 8 in 6 innings (98 pitches). Three more scoreless inning of relief by the bullpen. The offense recorded 12 hits, three from Mitch Garver who added a home run, his 24th of the season and Jonathan Schoop hit two home runs (20, 21), marking his fifth multi-homer game this season. Schoop has been aced out of his starting role at second by the hot Luis Arraez but since Arraez has cooled off, Schoop has gotten playing time and responded. The Twins have 34 homers against the White Sox this season with four games between these two team remaining. Box Score

Jake Odorizzi – credit to Duane Burleson/Getty Images
Mitch Garver
Jonathan Schoop (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 –  The Twins lose to the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field by a score of 8-1. Kyle Gibson was the starter and loser, allowing five runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings pitched. Jake Cave hit a home run and Joe Mauer had 2 hits in 4 at bats. One of Mauer’s hits was a double, tying him with Joe Judge for second on the Twins/Senators franchise list in doubles. Box Score

Joe Mauer
Jake Cave
First baseman Joe Judge

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 – No Game Today

2009 – The Twins score all three of their runs in the bottom of the first inning at the Dome on four hits and hold on for the 3-2 over the visiting 71-55 Texas Rangers. Each team had seven hits but Brian Duensing who gave up one run on three hits in seven innings got the best of Tommy Hunter who also went seven inning but gave up 3 runs on 7 hits. Denard Span was 2 for 4 with a double and Brendan Harris was 2 for 3. Box Score

Brian Duensing
Denard Span
Brendan Harris

 

 

 

 

 

The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash.

Job Rauch

The Twins also announced that the sod installation is completed at Target Field.

2008 – The Oakland A’s walk-off the Twins 3-2 at McAfee Coliseum when pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki doubles in the winning run off Jesse Crain with one out. Nick Blackburn went 5.2 innings for the Twins and gave up two runs but took a ND. Justin Morneau and Nick Punto had the Twins RBI. Box Score 

Nick Blackburn
Justin Morneau
Nick Punto – Credit Getty Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

MLB implemented instant replay for the first time but the policy only applies to home run balls. The Twins game in Oakland was one of the first games played under instant replay rules. 

2006 – No game today, scheduled day off.

1994No Game Today

1993 – The White Sox and Jason Bere keep the Minnesota Twins off the board for eight innings in spite of Bere giving up 4 hits and 6 walks and have a 4-0 lead before the Twins finally score a run in the ninth off Roberto Hernandez at Comiskey Park II. Chuck Knoblauch is 1 for 2 with a double and the Twins only RBI on the last play of the game as he tried to stretch it to a triple but was thrown out at third for the final out of the game. Kevin Tapani took the loss went he went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs. Box Score

Chuck Knoblauch

The Giants and Twins make a deal. The Twins get pitchers Greg Brummett, Aaron Fultz, and infielder Andres Duncan while the Giants get pitcher Jim Deshaies.

Aaron Fultz
Andres Duncan
Greg Brummett
Jim Deshaies

1989 – Twins closer Jeff Reardon blows his 10th save of the season when he allows the Seattle Mariners to tie the game in the ninth at the Dome but gets the win in the 10th when the Twins walk-off Seattle on a Kirby Puckett double that scores Gladden. Second baseman Wally Backman was 3 for 5 with a run scored. Box Score

Kirby Puckett
Wally Backman
Jeff Reardon

 

 

 

 

 

One year to the day after outfielder Jim Dwyer is acquired, he is sent to the Expos for a PTBNL that turns out to be outfielder Alonzo Powell. Powell never puts on a Twins uniform.

Jim Dwyer
Alonzo Powell

 

 

 

 

 

1988 – The Twins were up 3 to nothing going into the bottom of the sixth inning at Royals Stadium when the Royals exploded for 5 runs in the sixth and seven more in the seventh and pounded the Twins 12-3 behind home runs from George Brett, Bo Jackson and Jamie Quirk. Allan Anderson whose record dropped to 12-8 had a two-hit shutout after five innings but the poop hit the fan in the sixth. The Twins had 8 hits total and Kent Hrbek and Al Newman had 3 hits each. Box Score

Kent Hrbek
Al Newman

 

 

 

 

 

The Twins deal pitcher Doug Kline to Baltimore for outfielder Jim Dwyer.

Doug Kline
Jim Dwyer

 

 

 

 

 

1981 – There were about 5,415 fans at Met Stadium when the 24-50 Minnesota Twins played host to the 42-32 Detroit Tigers. Each of the starters Dave Rozema for the Tigers and Fernando Arroyo for the Twins went 6.1 innings but Rozema gave up five runs and Arroyo did not give up any runs and the home-town Twins went on to win the game 6-0 in a quick 2 hour 15 minute game. Catcher Tim Laudner, hitting eighth becomes the 2nd Twins player in 4 days to homer in his first major league game and he also had a single, a run scored and 2 RBI. Gary Ward was 3 for 4 with a double, 3 RBI and scored a run. Box Score 

Fernando Arroyo
Tim Laudner
Gary Ward

 

 

 

 

 

1980 – An odd game for sure at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. The game officially lasted 15 innings and 4 hours and 24 minutes but the game was actually not completed until the next day, August 29. The game was scheduled as a day game because the Canadian National Exhibition (Canada’s version of a state fair) was going on next door to the ballpark and as part of the event, a concert stage was erected next to the stadium for a daily nighttime concert and it was declared that no inning could begin after 5:00 PM local time. The teams played for 14 innings and were tied at 5 apiece when the curfew kicked in. You can see more about this game on August 29, 1980.

The game resumed the following afternoon but both of the line-ups had to be modified because Blue Jays 1B Otto Velez and the Twins OF Bombo Rivera were injured in an auto accident after the game. Rivera was in no condition to play and Blue Jay Otto Velez was injured and out for the season and since Toronto had used all their position players, the Blue Jays sent pitcher Dave Stieb (who was scheduled to start that day’s game for Toronto) out to left field. As often happens in these situations, the Twins scored two runs quickly in the top of the 15th and Al Williams held the Blue Jays scoreless in the bottom of the inning for a Twins win. Minnesota then won the regularly scheduled game for that day 5-2 and naturally, Dave Stieb was the losing Toronto pitcher. A strange two days at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. John Verhoeven only won 3 games in his Twins career and this was one of them.

1979No game today. Scheduled game against the Baltimore Orioles was rained out and will be played as game two in a DH tomorrow at the Met.

1975No game today, scheduled day off.

1969No game today, scheduled day off.

1967 – With the score tied at 2-2 after six and 1/2 innings at the Met, Orioles pitchers Pete Richert had allowed just two hits and retired Killebrew on a flyball to lead off the bottom of the seventh. But then Rich Rollins singled, rookie Rod Carew reached first on a dribbler with Rollins going to second. Zoilo Versalles then hit a come-backer to the pitcher Richert for the apparent double play to end the inning but he threw wildly into center field allowing Rollins to score the Twins third run which would hold up for a 3-2 Twins win. Jim Perry who allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in 7 innings was the winner with Al Worthington getting the save with two innings of hitless ball. Box Score

Jim Perry
Rich Rollins
Zoilo Versalles

 

 

 

 

 

1966 – The Twins are at White Sox Park to take on their favorite patsy this season as they prepare to play two against the team that they have beaten 12 out of the thirteen times they have faced them this season. The third place 69-61 Twins are 14 games back of the Baltimore Orioles but still think they have a shot at catching them. Today with a relatively small crowd of 21,576 on hand for a Sunday afternoon double-header things prove to be much tougher than they expected. In game one Mudcat Grant is on his game but the Twins can only score one run and the game goes to extra innings knotted at 1-1. Both teams score twice in the eleventh inning and play continues. In the bottom of the fifteenth inning with two outs and runners at first and second, Tommie Agee singles off Twins reliever Pete Cimino and the White Sox walk off the Twins 4-3 after 4 hours and 30 minutes of play. Grant went 10.2 innings allowing 9 hits and 3 runs and took a ND on the day. Cimino (1-5) takes the loss. Harmon Killebrew had a solo blast his 29th on the year. The Twins had 10 hits but left 10 runners on the bases.   Box Score game one

Mudcat Grant
Harmon Killebrew
Pete Cimino – Credit TOPPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

In game two Camilo Pascual was supposed to start for Mele’s boys but begged off but then did pitch 6.1 innings of relief following starter Dwight Siebler 2.2 inning start. The scoring started early in this game with the Twins scoring two in the first on a Killebrew two-run homer and the White Sox followed with two of their own. The Twins then scored three in the third on a big three-run blast by Tony Oliva but the WSox came back with two to make it a 5-4 Twins lead. The Whitey’s then scored an unearned run in the fourth and the game was knotted at 5-5. Chicago went ahead 6-5 with run in the sixth but then it was the Twins turn to come back and they scored one in the seventh on a sac fly by Ted Uhlaender off of the future Hall of Fame knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. The score remained tied and the game went extra innings but came to an abrupt end when Jerry Adair took Twins reliever Al Worthington deep leading off the bottom of the eleventh and the White Sox had a double-header sweep walking off the Twins in both games. Wilhelm (2-0) who had blown the save got the win with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief while Worthington (4-3) took the loss for the Twins. Don Mincher had a nice game going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. This game lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes so after 7 hours and 33 minutes of play all the Twins had to show for their work was two losses and a thumb injury to catcher Earl Battey. The Twins finished their nine-day three city road trip with a 5-5 record and now head home to take on the Washington Senators. Box Score game two

 SABR Game Project write-up – August 28, 1966: White Sox sweep doubleheader with two extra-inning, walk-off wins

Camilo Pascual
Tony Oliva
Don Mincher

 

 

 

 

 

1963No Game Today

1961No game today, scheduled day off.

 

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