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2023 – The Twins beat the Diamondbacks at Target Field by a score of 3-2. Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 5 innings (104 pitches) pitched. Dylan Floro (1.0 IP), Caleb Thielbar (W, 1.1 IP), Emilio Pagán (0.2 IP) and Jhoan Duran (S, 1.0 IP) combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings of relief. The offense recorded seven hits, highlighted by solo homers from Jorge Polanco (3rd inning), Max Kepler (6th inning) and Michael A. Taylor (7th inning). Box Score
2022 – A game that started as a pitchers duel turned ugly for Minnesota in the eighth inning as the Twins lost to the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field by a score of 9-3. Sonny Gray was the starter but did not factor into the decision, pitching 5 shutout innings, with one hit allowed, five walks and five strikeouts, throwing 96 pitches. Gray held the Jays hitless through 4.2 innings. The bullpen work was disastrous as Emilio Pagan, Trevor Megill and Tyler Duffey combined to allow nine runs (8 earned) on 12 hits in 4 innings of relief. Long time Twins pitcher Duffey was DFA’d after the game. The offense recorded three hits, a single by Carlos Correa, a double from Nick Gordon and a home run from Jake Cave. The attendance was 39,030, marking a 2022 high, the second sellout at Target Field this season and highest regular season attendance since September 17, 2019 vs. Cleveland (39,573). The reason for the big crowd was the Twins first ever after-game concert (Cole Swindell). Box Score
Target Field converts to Cole Swindell concert venue after the game.
2021 – The Twins come up short as they lose to the Reds in Cincinnati by a score of 6-5. The Twins trailed 6-1 after seven and scored four in the eight to make it 6 to 5 but that is as close as they would get. Rookie Charlie Barnes (0-2) was the starter and loser, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4 innings pitched. The offense recorded 11 hits, three from Luis Arraez and two from both Ryan Jeffers and Jorge Polanco. Polanco’s belted his 18th home run of the season. The last place 45-63 Twins are now off for four games at Houston against the Astros. Box Score
2020 – The Twins came flying out of the Target Field starting gate with by scoring three times on a walk, two singles, a double and a sac fly off Pittsburgh Pirates starter Joe Musgrove. They added on another run in the second for a 4-0 lead before the Pirates scored their first run in the top of the fourth. The Twins countered the Pirate run with one of their own in the bottom of the inning and could have had even more had Jorge Polanco not been thrown out at the plate for the second out. Twins starter Jose Berrios had things under control but ran into a snag, not of his own doing when a drone appeared over the field with two out in the fifth inning and delayed the game for about eight minutes. Some bullpen pitchers tried to knock it out of the sky with baseballs to no avail and it eventually left over the right field scoreboard not to be seen again. Berrios got out of the inning unscathed and left the game after six innings having allowed one run, four hits, three walks and striking out six and earned his first win of the season against one loss. Caleb Thielbar relieved Berrios and made his first appearance in the big leagues since April 30, 2015 when he was with the Twins and was demoted to Rochester. Thielbar had some arm issues and spent 2016 and 2017 with the independent league St. Paul Saints and then spent 2018 and 2019 in the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves minor league systems but thought he was all through with MLB when he didn’t get a call-up in 2019. He resigned with Minnesota on December 19 even though he had already accepted a college pitching coach position with Augustana University in Sioux Falls and here he is pitching in the majors once again after a long journey back. Thielbar had a clean seventh and eighth inning before running into trouble in the ninth. He finished the day with a game ball from Rocco Baldelli after going 2.1 innings and allowing two runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Nelson Cruz led the Twins with three hits and one RBI and Eddie Rosario chipped in with two hits and two RBI. The 7-3 win over the Pirates was the Twins fifth win in a row and brought their season record to 9-2 and completed their eight game homestand with a 7-1 record. The Twins announced today that they have placed left-handed pitcher Rich Hill on the 10-day Injured List with left shoulder fatigue. Hill, who signed with the Twins in the offseason made his first start on July 29 versus St. Louis, pitching 5 shutout innings. This marks Hill’s 17th career time landing on the Injured List (2 times in 2019). The Twins are now off to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates in their park for the next two days. Box Score
2019 – After inducting former Twins executive Jerry Bell into the team Hall of Fame, the Twins beat the Royals by a score of 3-0, their eighth sweep and eighth shutout of an opponent this season. Starter Devin Smeltzer earned his first major league victory with 6 shutout innings, two hits, one walk and four strikeouts. The Twins bullpen did a nice job the last three innings holding the Royals hitless. Jason Castro hit his 11th home run of the season as the offense recorded six hits, two from both Luis Arraez and Eddie Rosario. This was the 65th consecutive game the Twins had an extra base hit but the Twins record is 98 going back to 2009 so they have a long ways to go to beat that. Box Score
2018 – With the Twins up 1-0 at Target Field over the visiting Royals, Twins starter Jose Berrios walked the bases full of Royals and then proceeded to give up a single to Alex Gordon that scored two but he managed to wriggle off the hook and the Royals didn’t score again. Berrios allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings and got the win in Johan Santana type fashion. Max Kepler had three of the Twins 11 hits, including his 14th home run of the season. Logan Morrison (15) and Eddie Rosario (20) each homered, making the Twins 9-3 this season when homering three times in a game. Reliever Oliver Drake who the Twins picked up off waivers the other day made his first appearance for the Twins pitching a clean inning and striking out one. When Drake, 31, took the mound for Minnesota he set a new MLB record for pitching for five big league teams in one season. Drake had previously pitched for the Brewers, the Indians, the Angels and the Blue Jays this season. When the final out was made the scoreboard said Twins 8 and Royals 2. Box Score
August 4, 2018: Oliver Drake sets major-league record by pitching for fifth team in one season
2017 – Brian Dozier hit a pair of homers and Robbie Grossman hit one to back a complete game by Bartolo Colon, as the Twins pushed past the Rangers by a score of 8-4 at Target Field. It was Colon’s first win as a Minnesota Twin, marking his 10th different organization that he has earned a victory with. Colon, who gave up four runs on nine hits and a walk, is now one club shy of matching the Major League record. At 44 years, 72 days, Colon is the oldest pitcher in Senators/Twins franchise history to pitch a complete game. Box Score
2014 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1997 – Brad Radke of Minnesota posted his 12th straight victory tying a team record as he pitched seven strong innings in the Twins’ 9-3 win over Toronto. The victory upped his record to 16-5 in a season that he would lead the league in starts with 35. Chuck Knoblauch was 3 for 5 with a double, triple and two runs scored. However; Greg Colbrunn‘s pinch-hit grand slam off Chris Carpenter was the big blow. Radke is only the 3rd pitcher since 1950 to win 12 consecutive starts. Bob Gibson of St. Louis did it in 1968 and Pat Dobson did it with Baltimore in 1971. Box Score
1994 – The 68-38 New York Yankees thump the 48-59 Minnesota Twins 9-2 at the Metrodome when they out-hit the home town team 19 to 6. Twins starter Scott Erickson got roughed up early and took his 11th loss of the season. The lone bright spot was Kent Hrbek who was 2 for 3 with a home run. Box Score
Twins first baseman and fan favorite Kent Hrbek announces his retirement effective at the end of the season. The Twins first baseman, who played his entire 14-year career in Minnesota, ranks in or near the top in virtually every team offensive category. The 1994 season and Hrbek’s career ended prematurely when the players walked out on August 12 and the season and associated playoffs were cancelled.
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1993 – Kent Hrbek, 33 years-old became the second Twins player to reach 1,000 career RBI’s in a Minnesota uniform in a game against the Red Sox at the Metrodome when he hits a double off Jeff Russell and scores Chuck Knoblauch but the rally falls short and the Twins lose 5-4. Scott Erickson pitched a complete game for the Twins allowing 11 hits and came up the loser. The complete game by Erickson was the only one he threw in that tough year when he led the league in losses with 19 and hits with 266. Box Score
1988 – Allan Anderson pitches a complete game for the Twins in 2 hours and 9 minutes and beats the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 at Exhibition Stadium. In the process Anderson neither strikes out a batter nor walks a batter and becomes the only pitcher in Twins history to pitch a complete game with no KO’s and no walks. Anderson throws 102 pitches but only 65 are strikes as he faces just 29 batters. Anderson only allowed four hits and George Bell had two of them, a triple and a home run. The Twins got a home run from Kirby Puckett and a 2 for 4 day with a double from Brian Harper. Apparently this a rare feat now days but in Twins/Senators franchise history it was not that unusual as it was done 20 times by Washington Senator pitchers from 1908 through 1960. Box Score
1987 – In the fourth match up of 300-game winners since 1900, Angels’ hurler Don Sutton (317) allows four hits in six innings to beat Steve Carlton (328) and the Twins, 12-3 at Anaheim Stadium. The 645 combined victories is the largest number of wins ever accumulated by pitchers starting the same major league game. Carlton lasted just 4.2 innings giving up 11 hits and 9 runs while walking 4 Angels and took the loss making his record 5-10. Sutton went 6 innings for the win. Steve Lombardozzi was 1 for 3 with a home run and 3 RBI. Box Score
1985 – In a day of milestones, Tom Seaver becomes the 17th pitcher to win 300 games and Rod Carew becomes the 16th player ever to collect 3,000 career hits. Seaver pitches the White Sox to a 4-1 six-hit victory on Phil Rizzuto Day at Yankee Stadium as 54,032 New Yorker’s cheer him on, while Angel first baseman Rod Carew bloops a single to left off Twins starter Frank Viola in the 3rd inning of the Angels 6-5 win over the Twins in Anaheim Stadium. Carew is the first 3,000 hit member that was born in a foreign country. Twins second baseman Tim Teufel was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. Frank Eufemia takes the loss for Minnesota in what turns out to be his final loss in the big leagues. Box Score
video of Rod Carew’s 3,000 hit
Angels’ Rod Carew gets 3,000th hit against former mates on same day Seaver wins 300th game by Stew Thornley
Tom Seaver wins his 300th game in New York as Carew reaches 3,000-hit milestone on same day by Steven C. Weiner
1981 – The two sides reached an agreement on July 31 to end the 1981 MLB strike, and play resumed on August 9 with the All-Star Game, with regular season play resuming one day later.
1967 – Twins starter Jim Merritt ups his record to 8-3 when he shuts out the Red Sox on 5 hits and the Twins beat the Sox 3-0 in a crisp 2 hour 30 minute game at the Met. Merritt allows just 5 hits and no walks and strikes out six. Tony Oliva goes 2 for 3 with an RBI in addition to an IW and a HBP. It is nice to get back in the win column after getting walked-off in Washington. Box Score
1961 – The Twins and Camilo Pascual were down 4-0 at Yankee Stadium before they finally got two of their own in the fourth inning. The Yankees went up 5-2 in the sixth inning but the Twins bounced back with a three-run home run by Harmon Killebrew (33) in the eighth off Luis Arroyo to tie the game at 5 runs each. The game remained tied at the end of regulation play. The Twins put runners on first and second in the tenth but Bob Allison hit into an around the horn double-play ending the threat. Bill Pleis who relieved Pascual after seven innings started his third frame by retiring the first two batters but Mickey Mantle walked, Yogi Berra singled with Mantle going to third. Catcher Johnny Blanchard was up next and on a 2-1 pitch he got the curve he was waiting for and deposited it in RF for his 14th home run of the season giving the New York Yankees an 8-5 walk-off win over the Twins. The Yankees committed three errors but their three home runs accounted for 7 of the teams 8 runs. Luis Arroyo (9-3) got the win after blowing the save on Killebrew’s home run and Pleis (3-2) took the loss. Lenny Green had 3 hits for Minnesota and Killebrew had three RBI with his home run. The 46-59 Twins have now lost three straight games. Box Score
