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2023 – The Twins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 5-3 in walk-off fashion at Target Field, their ninth walk-off victory of the season. Dallas Keuchel made his Twins debut, allowing one run on eight hits in 5 innings pitched, with two walks and no strikeouts but ended up with a ND. Of Keuchel’s 15 outs recorded 10 came via ground ball, including two ground ball double plays. The Twins offense recorded six hits (the D-Backs had 11 hits), as Carlos Correa drove in two runs with a sixth-inning single. Max Kepler hit his team-leading 18th home run to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Two batters later, Matt Wallner hit a two-run, walk-off home run, the first walk-off hit of his career. Eight stolen bases by Arizona in eight attempts, the most versus the Twins in a game since a 12-inning game against Oakland on August 1, 1976. The win completed their three-game homestand/weekend series with a three-game series sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Twins are off to the Motor City to take on the Tigers. Box Score
2022 – The Twins beat the Blue Jays at Target Field by a score of 7-3. Dylan Bundy was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on five hits in 4 innings pitched, with one walk and six strikeouts. The club used six relievers to complete 5 innings of relief. Twins pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts, marking the fifth time in six games having double-digit strikeouts totals on this homestand. Trevor Megill (3-1) got the win. The offense recorded 11 hits, highlighted by Luis Arraez, who went 3-for-5, marking his 11th game of three-plus hits this season, third most in the American League. Box Score
2021 – The Astros scored the first three runs to take a 3-0 lead after four innings but the Twins scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth off Houston starter Zack Greinke and the game was tied at 3 to 3 at the end of regulation play. Each team scored a run in the tenth and the Twins scored again in the top of the eleventh. In the bottom of the eleventh with runners at the corners and two out Jose Altuve bunted towards third but Miguel Sano who had just moved to third base swooped in and threw a pea to Garver at first to end the game and give the Twins a 5-4 victory. Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on seven hits in 5 innings pitched. The bullpen combined to allow one unearned run over 6 innings pitched with three hits allowed, one walk and eight strikeouts. The offense recorded eight hits, highlighted by Mitch Garver’s 13th home run and Jorge Polanco’s 23rd double. Josh Donaldson went 1-for-5 and drove in the winning run in the top of the 11th inning. Juan Minaya who went the final 1.1 inning got the win to up his record to 2-0. After dropping their first eight extra-inning contests this season, the Twins have won eight of their last 10 games that have gone to extra frames. With the 11-inning victory, they also improved to 2-1 in games that went past the 10th inning. Box Score
2020 – Taylor Rogers the Twins fourth pitcher of the night took the mound for the bottom of the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead and a chance to help the Twins start 11-2 , which would have been a franchise record. But Kevin Newman’s two-run single through a drawn-in infield with one out gave the Pirates a walk-off victory after losing two games at Target Field and last night at PNC Park. Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on three hits in 6 innings pitched. It was Rogers first blown save and loss of the season. Jorge Polanco had three of the Twins nine hits while Miguel Sanó (3), Eddie Rosario (3) and Byron Buxton (1) each homered. For the Twins it was their first walk-off loss of 2020. Good-bye six game winning streak as the Twins head out for Kauffman Stadium. The Twins didn’t know it but their longest winning streak of the 2020 season was already behind them and they had played just 12 games. Box Score
2019 – The visiting Braves takes a 11-0 lead on Minnesota in front of 36,721 disappointed fans before the home town team scores a run in a 12-7 loss at Target Field. José Berríos (10-6) was the starter and loser, allowing a career-high nine runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The offense recorded 10 hits as Nelson Cruz went 4-for-5 with two home runs (31 and 32) and four RBI, Eddie Rosario added a home run, his 24th and Mitch Garver added a home run, his 21st. This was Cruz’s sixth multi-homer game, tying him with Harmon Killebrew for most in a single season. The four home runs gives the team 223, just two short of their all-time record set in 1963. The Twins are looking to win their 22nd series today (21-10-5), having gone just 4-7 in rubber games this season. Twins lead over second place Cleveland drops to just 3.5 games from a season high of 11.5 games. Box Score
2018 – The Cleveland Indians ambushed the Twins 10-0 at Progressive Field and showed the visiting Twins why they (Indians) belong in first place and Minnesota has a long way to go. The Twins only had three hits off Cleveland starter and winner Trevor Bauer who went six innings. Kyle Gibson started for the Twins but had one of his poorer starts of the season when he threw 95 pitches in five innings while allowing 6 runs. The hitting is not worth mentioning. This is the sixth time the Twins have been shutout this season and the third time in the last eight games. Box Score
2017 – The Texas Rangers scored five runs in the top of the first, but Minnesota overcame the early deficit to post a 6–5 victory at Target Field in a rain delayed game. Twins starter Jose Berrios earned his 10th win of the season by completing five innings and allowing only three hits after the first inning. Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler all hit home runs behind to help the Twins com-back cause. Berrios is the first pitcher to be credited with a win this season after allowing five or more runs in the first inning. Only one pitcher did so for the Twins since they moved to Minnesota in 1961 (Nick Blackburn in 2011). Box Score
2013 – Andrew Albers threw 8 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out two in his major-league debut in Minnesota’s 7-0 win at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. No other Twins pitcher has thrown more than seven scoreless innings in his first game in the big leagues since the team arrived in Minnesota (from Washington) in 1961. Albers might have had a complete game shutout had it not been for a questionable call on a possible double play ball in the ninth inning. Casey Fien retired the final two batters but Albers was credited with his first major league win. Brian Dozier, Justin Morneau and Chris Colabello all homered in support of Albers. Box Score
2012 – The No. 10 was featured prominently today at Progressive Field but it was another number that made it even more special for Justin Morneau. The Twins scored 10 times in the second inning to help give rookie left-hander Scott Diamond his 10th victory while handing the Indians their 10th straight loss with a 14-3 win. The 10 run second inning included home runs by Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, and Ryan Doumit. The innings also had two doubles, two singles, two walks and an Indians error. But for Morneau, the big number was 200, as the first baseman homered twice to reach the 200-home run plateau. He became the seventh Twins player to reach that mark and just the fourth Canadian-born player to reach the milestone. Ben Revere was 4 for 5 with 3 runs and 1 RBI. Box Score
2010 – The 61-49 second place Twins lose to the Indians 7-6 when Matt LaPorta hits a walk-off home run off reliever Matt Guerrier in the bottom of the ninth. But there is more to this story, the Twins were trailing 6-4 after eight innings but had a runner on base in the top of the ninth when pinch-hitter Jim Thome appeared to have hit a game tying two-run home run, but the umpires ruled it a double. The play was reviewed and although TV replays seemed to clearly show that it was indeed a home run, the umpires still ruled it a double which cause manager Gardenhire to come on to the field to argue and was automatically ejected for arguing a reviewable play. Alexi Casilla ended up hitting a double that knocked in two runs to tie the score at 6-6 but the Twins could do no more and in the bottom of the ninth LaPorta hit his dramatic walk-off blast for an Indians win. Jason Kubel was 2 for 4 with a home run and Casilla was 2 for 4 with a double and four RBI. Box Score
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.
1973 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1970 – Twins starter Bill Zepp and Angels starter Andy Messersmith each pitch seven scoreless innings before the Angels score in the top of the 8th inning on a Bill Voss home run. The Twins get one in the bottom of the inning when Angels reliever Mel Queen loads the bases and then hits Harmon Killebrew with a pitch to force in a run. The game remains tied until Twins catcher George Mitterwald leads off the bottom of the 14th with a walk-off home run off Paul Doyle at Met Stadium to beat California, 2 – 1. Danny Thompson went 3 for 5 with a double. Stan Williams (7-0) wins with two innings of work; Williams will be 10-1 for the year, all in relief. Box Score
1969 – Twins starter Jim Perry pitches a complete game three-hitter for the win as the Twins beat Mickey Lolich and the Tigers 3-1 at Tiger Stadium. Leo Cardenas was 2 for 4 and Tony O knocked in two runs. Box Score
Twins manager Billy Martin punches out his pitcher Dave Boswell after a scuffle between Boswell and teammate Bob Allison. Boswell is hospitalized and requires 20 stitches. The news of the fight did not break and did not become public until 5 days later in spite of the fact that Bob Allison was involved in the fight, Billy Martin missed the August 7 game and was sent ahead to his home in Baltimore, as was Dave Boswell after he was released from the hospital. You would not see this type of thing hidden now days but back then beat writers and announcers were kept in check by team management. Make sure you check out Sid Hartman’s column in the August 11 Tribune below.
Billy Martin fight night in Detroit
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1967 – 15 up and 15 down as Twins starter Dean Chance throws a perfect game through five innings against the Boston Red Sox at Met Stadium and wins 2-0 but the game was shortened due to rain and under MLB rule revisions in 1991, it is not recognized as an official no-hitter or a perfect game. According to the Star Tribune, Chance threw 49 pitches. After a 25 minute rain delay, the Twins score both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth on RBI hits by Bob Allison and Rich Rollins. The Twins only had four hits themselves but bunched three of their hits in the fourth inning. After a one hour rain delay and puddles in the outfield the umpires called the game. Even though he did not get credit for a no-no, Chance got the win and upped his record to 14-8 and Red Sox starter Jim Lonborg took the loss. Chance will throw a no-hitter that does count on August 25th. Box Score
Dean Chance is perfect for five innings by Stew Thornley
1961 – The Twins and Yankees have a DH scheduled for today and another scheduled for tomorrow. In game one Pedro Ramos faced off against the 19-2 Whitey Ford who was trying for win number 20. Surprisingly, after just three innings the Twins had 5 runs on the board on 5 hits which included two home runs. The Yankees tied the game at 5-5 after five innings and then the bats went to sleep on both sides and it was tied after nine but both teams scored a run in the tenth and the game went on. The Yankees scored the winning run in the 15th inning with the bases loaded and one out and the Twins attempt at an inning-ending double play off the bat of Yogi Berra came up a split second short on the relay throw to pitcher Ray Moore covering first. A 4 hour and 16 minute 15 inning walk-off loss is not the way you want game one of a DH to go. Ramos went the first 8 innings for the Twins giving up five runs, Bill Pleis gave up a run in the tenth and Ray Moore (4-4) who pitched the final 5.2 innings of relief took the loss. The Twins had three home runs Versalles with his fourth, Allison with number 24 and Bill Tuttle with number two in the game, all off Yankee starter Ford who went 10 inning but got a ND. Mantle had a great game with four hits including two home runs, a double, a SB, an IW, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI in 8 PA’s. This 15 inning game was one of the two longest games in terms of innings played by the Twins in 1961, the other game took place on May 22. Box Score game one
Game two had Twins starter Al Schroll (0-1) face off against Rollie Sheldon (8-3). Mickey Mantle’s 43 home run of the season leading off the second inning put the Yankees on the board first but the Twins came back with one of their own in the fourth on a Ted Lepcio sac fly. The Yanks jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the sixth when New York got an unearned run due to a Bill Tuttle error. The Twins fought back and tied it in the seventh after Scroll doubled and Lenny Green singled him home. In the ninth inning with two out and runners at the corners, Clete Boyer singled in Mantle and the Yankees walked off the Twins for the second time today in the 3-2 win. Both pitchers went the distance and Schroll who took the loss gave up 7 hits, 3 runs but only 2 earned while striking out 5 and deserved a better fate. Schroll also had two of the Twins 8 hits and scored once. Green and and Julio Becquer also had two hits for Minnesota. The two losses extended the Twins losing streak to six games which includes three walk-off losses in the last four games. The Twins are now off to Boston where they get to play another DH tomorrow. Box Score game two
