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2023 – The Twins beat the Tigers at Comerica Park by a score of 9-3, earning their season-high fifth-straight victory. Pablo López (7-6) was the starter and winner, pitching 7 shutout innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts. Minnesota scored eight runs in the first three innings, including four in the first and three in the second. The offense recorded 12 hits, 10 coming off Tigers starter Joey Wentz, their most hits off a lefty starter since September 13, 2022 vs. Kansas City, when they recorded 10 off Kris Bubic. Jordan Luplow had three hits in his first start as a Twin. Carlos Correa (13) and Ryan Jeffers (9) each had three-run homers as Correa finished the night with four RBI and Jeffers with three. Jeffers hitting streak is now at 13 games. Box Score
2022 – The Twins lost to the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon at Target Field by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings, making them 4-6 in extras this season and 16-16 in one run games. Chris Archer was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 innings pitched, with no walks and four strikeouts. Caleb Thielbar (2-1) took the loss. The offense recorded 11 hits, three from Luis Arraez, who drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Toronto took the lead in the top of the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Cavan Biggio, scoring Whit Merrifield. Merrifield was originally called out on a throw from left fielder Tim Beckham but called safe upon replay review. It was ruled that catcher Gary Sánchez interfered with the path of the runner. Rocco Baldelli went wild arguing the overturn and was ejected for the third time this season. It was reported a couple days later that Baldelli was fined but not suspended. I thought for sure that Baldelli would get a suspension for his tantrum but that was not the case so MLB must have had some sympathy for the call. It was a big game-deciding play that could have playoff implications for both teams. It is a play that will go down in Twins lore and be talked about for a long time. The Twins now hit the road for the west coast where there first stop will be Chavez Ravine to face the Dodgers. The 57-51 Twins now have a one game lead in the division. Box Score
Rocco was not a fan of that call. ?#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/8u3HuETmMw
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) August 7, 2022
2021 – The Twins lost to the Astros at Minute Maid Park by a score of 4-0, suffering their sixth shutout of the season. Michael Pineda (4-7) was the starter and loser, allowing two runs on seven hits in 6 innings pitched with no walks and three strikeouts. Pineda threw 102 pitches. Luis Garcia the Astros starter and winner went six shutout innings striking out 8 and allowing just two hits. The Twins had just four hits, two of them doubles. Box Score
2020 – Here is an odd statistic for you, going into today’s game the Twins have scored 34 runs in the first and second innings combined, accounting for 50% of their offensive production of 68 runs scored so far in 2020. Kansas City Royals starter Jakob Junis limited the Minnesota Twins to two runs on five hits for 4.2 innings and four KC relievers took over from there and kept the Twins off the scoreboard allowing no hits and just one walk. The Twins started Devin Smeltzer at Kauffman Stadium making him the eighth starter they have used in just 15 games this season. In the fourth inning a sudden cloudburst delayed the game briefly, so short was the rain delay that the field didn’t even get covered and some players waited it out on the sidelines. The Twins decided that the 62 pitches that Smeltzer threw was enough and they brought in Matt Wisler to finish the fifth inning but in the sixth Wisler allowed a home run by Ryan McBroom and the Royals had the lead for good. Kansas City held on to win 3-2 and the Twins record dropped to 10-4. Wisler got dinged with his first Twins loss. Byron Buxton and Marwin Gonzalez hit home runs for the Twins but they were both solo shots. Gonzalez and Jorge Polanco each had two hits. Box Score
2019 – Today the Braves jump out to a 7-0 lead before the Twins score their first run and the Twins lose to the Braves by a score of 11-7 in spite of the fact that the Twins turned their second triple play (14th in team history) of the season again with Martin Perez on the mound. Pérez (8-5) was the starter and loser, allowing seven runs (6 earned) on 11 hits in 6 innings pitched (Twins pitchers have allowed 23 runs on 32 hits in their last two games). The offense recorded 13 hits and struck out 12 times, scoring all seven runs after the fifth inning. Miguel Sanó hit his 20th home run of the season and Jake Cave contributed two doubles. Box Score
2018 – Twins catcher Mitch Garver jumped on Carlos Carrasco for a 3-run home run in the second inning at Progressive Field and five Twins pitchers including Adalberto Mejia made it stand-up for a 3-2 victory over the tribe. Mejia held the Indians scoreless for 5 innings allowing just one hit before being removed from the game for what was described as a strained wrist. Eddie Rosario who plays day in and day out and is quickly becoming the face of the Minnesota Twins had four hits in five at bats. Box Score
2017 – Eddie Rosario scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a two-out balk by Brewer pitcher Oliver Drake. Ryan Pressly and Matt Belisle kept the Milwaukee Brewers off the board as the Twins took a 5-4 decision in Minneapolis. Jorge Polanco, hitting ninth was 4 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Buddy Boshers retired the only batter he faced on three pitches and was credited with the win, the only one he would get in a Twins uniform in 2017. This was the first time since the franchise moved from Washington to Minnesota in 1961 that the Twins won a game with the go-ahead and final run coming home on a balk in the seventh inning or later. Box Score
2010 – Both teams wore throwback uniforms at Jacobs Field, honoring the Negro Leagues, with the Twins wearing the 1909 St. Paul Gophers uniforms, and the Indians dressed like the 1946 Cleveland Buckeyes. The old Gophers uniforms are navy blue, with long, baggy sleeves and baggy pants. The shirts had a huge open collar that made them look kind of strange. The hats were white with short blue brims and a StPG logo. Carl Pavano and the Twins won 7-2. Joe Mauer was 4 for 5 with a double and Trevor Plouffe and Jason Kubel hit home runs. Carl Pavano went 7 innings for his 14th win of the season. Box Score
2009 – The visiting Twins allow the home-town Tigers to score six in the first inning off Twins starter Anthony Swarzak who lasts just the one inning and takes the loss. Alex Avila and Miguel Cabrera hit first-inning home runs for the Motor City team. Joe Mauer went 4 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBI and Denard Span went 4 for 6 with a RBI. Box Score
The Twins, in need of pitching help agree to send the Cleveland Indians “a player to be named later” and acquire pitcher Carl Pavano. The PTBNL is RHP Yohan Pino.
2008 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2005 – 40,982 fans at the Metrodome saw Twins outfielder Shannon Stewart give the ball to a fan after making a catch off the bat of Alex Cora, unfortunately, there were only two outs and the Red Sox scored 5 runs in the top of the first inning and ended up winning the game 11-7. The fact that Twins starter Joe Mays gave up six hits and five runs in the first inning didn’t help the situation either. Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield went 8 innings for the win striking out 11 along the way. Box Score
2002 – The Twins fall behind the Orioles 5-0 at Camden Yards and get four in the third inning on three hits and two Oriole errors but they go on to lose the game 6-4. Rick Reed got the loss and Scott Erickson won the game for Baltimore. The only Twins hitter with more than one hit was Cristian Guzman with two hits, a run scored, one RBI, and a stolen base. Box Score
Major leaguers agree to be checked randomly for illegal steroids starting next year. The proposal, which addresses a major issue in the current contract talks, ends the players decades-old opposition to mandatory drug testing.
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1992 – No game today. Twins game in Milwaukee against the Brewers was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.
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.
1976 – Steve Luebber’s Twins pitching career was short, just 58 games with 24 starts in parts of three seasons (71, 72, and 76). But on this day Luebber felt confident, he was facing the Rangers for the second time in a two-week period and he was coming off a complete game shutout of the Oakland A’s. After 6 perfect innings, Luebber had faced 18 batters and retired everyone one of them and the Twins had staked him to a 3-0 lead. In the 7th the Rangers loaded the bases with 2 walks and an error but Luebber buckled down and retired Toby Harrah for the final out of the inning and the no-hitter was still in play. Luebber retired the Rangers 1-2-3 in the 8th inning and went on to retire the first two batters in the ninth inning and was one batter away from a no-no. Roy Howell was the Texas batter and Lubber had him 2-2 and threw what he thought was strike 3 but umpire Art Frantz didn’t see it that way and the count went full. Luebber tried a fastball again but this time Howell hit a sharp single to center and the normally slick fielding Lyman Bostock let the ball get past him and Howell ended up on third base. The next batter, Mike Hargrove followed with a single and Howell scored and Luebber had lost his no-hitter and the shutout. At this point manager Gene Mauch had seen enough and brought in reliever Bill Campbell who struck out Jeff Burroughs to end the game, preserve the victory for Luebber and the Twins were 3-1 winners in Arlington Stadium. Larry Hisle was 2 for 3 with a home run, two RBI, and two stolen bases while DH Steve Braun was 3 for 4. Box Score
Patrick Reusse’s (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 3: Who? Almost threw a what?
1963 – The Twins won their sixth game out of their last seven when they came from four runs down after one inning to score the games next nine runs to beat the Los Angeles Angels Angels at Dodger Stadium 9-4. Camilo Pascual started for the Twins and struggled in the first inning giving up four runs (3 earned) on five hits, a walk and Zoilo Versalles 24th error of the season but got out of the inning. Pascual left for a pinch-hitter after seven innings trailing 4-2 but the Twins came back with three in the eighth inning and four more in the ninth and Pascual won his 13th game against six losses. Bill Dailey pitched the last two scoreless innings for his 17th save. Not only did Dailey get the save but he hit a three-run home run, his first in the big leagues and as it turns out his last. This home run is kind of a milestone blast, the 500th home run hit by a Twins player. Harmon Killebrew also had a three-run blast, his 26th of the season which leads the league. Box Score
1961 – For the second day in a row the Twins play a DH, this time at Fenway Park. The first game serves as a make-up for an April 19 game that was postponed due to cold weather. Lenny Green put the Twins up 1-0 in the first inning with a long home run to right field off off Red Sox starter Ike Delock but the Red Sox came back with two of their own in the bottom of the first. The Twins might have gotten out of the inning unscathed but Twins starter Don Lee said “he froze” (brain fart in today’s terminology) when with runners at first and second and no outs Carl Yastrzemski hits a bouncer back to the mound and Lee instead of throwing to second to start a double play (like first baseman Harmon Killebrew was yelling for him to do) Lee instead threw to first for the one out and the runners moved up to second and third. Vic Wertz grounded into the second out scoring a run and then Frank Malzone doubled in another run. A Don Buddin two-run home run in the second inning made it 4-1 Red Sox. The Twins scored three times in the fourth and it was a tie ballgame. It stayed that way until Yaz singled off Lee with two on and two out in the ninth inning scoring relief pitcher Mike Fornieles who had started all the problems in the inning with a one out double. The 5-4 walk-off loss was the third game in a row the Twins had lost in walk-off fashion and their seventh consecutive loss which started right after a six game winning streak. Fornieles got the win to up his record to 6-5 after pitching 5 scoreless innings of relief allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. With the loss Lee’s record dropped to 3-3. Bill Tuttle was the only Twin win more than one hit. Box Score game one
Game two starters were Jim Kaat for Minnesota and Don Schwall for Boston. The visiting Twins had a 3-0 lead but in the bottom of the fourth the Red Sox scored once and then knocked Kaat out of the game with a three run uprising in the fifth. The Twins made it a 4-4 tie game when Hal Naragon singled home Jim Lemon in the sixth. In the eighth inning with Pedro Ramos on the mound starting his third inning of relief the Reds Sox scored what turned out to be the winning run on a PH single by Vic Wertz and the Twins were losers of number eighth in a row, again by a 5-4 score, just like in game one. Ramos took the loss dropping his record to 8-13 and Schwall got the win moving his record to 13-2. The 200 pound 6′ 6″ right-handed Schwall would go on to win the 1961 ROY award with a 15-7 record and a 3.22 ERA. Zoilo Versalles led the Twins attack going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Only 11,241 fans showed up to see the twin-bill today. Box Score game two
1907 – Washington Senators’ hurler Walter Johnson wins his first major league game beating the Indians, 7-2. The ‘Big Train’ will tally 417 victories during his 21-year HOF career.
