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2023 – The Twins completed the sweep of the Oakland Athletics, winning the series finale 5-4 while completing their 20th comeback victory of the season. The three-game sweep marked the Twins’ first such sweep of the A’s in Oakland since July 18-20, 1997. The A’s took an early 3-0 lead but Minnesota bounced back, scoring a pair of runs on solo homers by Christian Vázquez and Alex Kirilloff in the fifth. The Twins then took the lead on Kirilloff’s bases-loaded double in the seventh; AK finished the day 2-for-4 with a career-high-tying four RBI. Joe Ryan was the starter but received a ND, allowing three runs on five hits (1 HR), with three walks and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. The Twins won despite being out-hit, 6-7, just their 12th such win this season. Attendance over the three games the Twins played in Oakland Coliseum was 9,264. The first place Twins are now off to Seattle. Box Score
2022 – The Twins beat the White Sox at Target Field by a score of 6-3, snapping their three-game losing streak to Chicago on the day that the Twins retire Jim Kaat’s number 36. Dylan Bundy (6-4) was the starter and winner, allowing three runs on five hits in 5.1 innings pitched. Jhoan Duran earned his
sixth save with 2 scoreless innings of relief becoming the first Twins rookie since Mike Trombley (1993) to earn a 2-inning save. The offense recorded 10 hits, marking their 39th double-digit hit total, third-most in baseball. Luis Arraez hit a leadoff home run (5), while Carlos Correa (11) and Jorge Polanco (14) also homered. The club earned their 50th (50-44) win; last season they didn’t reach 50 victories until August 11 (50-65). Box Score
The Twins honored 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame electee Jim Kaat, who had his uniform number 36 retired in an on-field ceremony prior to today’s game against the White Sox – the team for which he collected 45 of his 283 career wins. Kaat, 83, joins Harmon Killebrew (No. 3 – 1975), Rod Carew (No. 29 – 1987), Tony Oliva (No. 6 – 1991), Kent Hrbek (No. 14 – 1995), Kirby Puckett (No. 34 – 1997), Bert Blyleven (No. 28 – 2011), Tom Kelly (No. 10 – 2012) and Joe Mauer (No. 7 – 2019) as the ninth Twins player or manager to have his number retired by the organization, while he is also just the second pitcher, alongside Blyleven. The Twins, in conjunction with all of Major League Baseball, retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in 1997.
2021 – No game(s) today. Intense and lasting rainfall throughout the morning and afternoon forced the teams to cancel the first games back from the All-Star break. The Tigers were supposed to host the Twins at 2:10 p.m. to make up the Mother’s Day rainout back on May 9. Friday’s originally scheduled game at 7:10 p.m. is also postponed. The first postponed game has been rescheduled for 1:10 p.m. Saturday (July 17). Detroit and Minnesota were originally scheduled to play at 6:10 p.m. Saturday, so now, both games will be seven innings as part of a split doubleheader. The second postponed game from Friday has been rescheduled for 2:10 p.m. Aug. 30. That was originally supposed to be an off day for the Tigers
2020 – The Minnesota Twins and all of baseball would be taking the day off for the All-Star break if all the games this season would not have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. 98 Twins games missed so far. Twins Summer Camp 2020 remains underway at Target Field and CHS Field.
2019 – The New York Mets stop by Target Field for a two-game inter-league play series. Michael Pineda (6-5) was the starter and loser, allowing three runs (1 earned) on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The bullpen combined for 3 scoreless innings. Jonathan Schoop hit his 15th home run, the fifth Twin with 15 homers this season. Twins went 1-for-9 with RISP and left 10 men on base. The bottom of the ninth was an exciting one for Minnesota as PH Luis Arraez had one of the most exciting ABs seen at Target Field. Here is what I wrote in another blog.
“The Twins were down 3-2 to the New York Mets going into the bottom of the ninth against Mets closer Edwin Diaz. Diaz struck out Miguel Sano swinging for out one and then had to face Jonathan Schoop and on his second pitch after a swing and a miss Schoop grabbed his ribs and was removed from the game. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli brought in Luis Arraez to face the hard-throwing Diaz with an inherited 0-2 count. Arraez fouled off four pitches while working the count full before taking a walk bringing the Target Field crown to its feet. Mitch Garver singled but Jorge Polanco struck out for the second out of the inning. Marwin Gonzalez reached first base loading the bases on an infield single and Nelson Cruz stepped to the plate with the bases loaded but on a full count he popped up to the Mets third baseman in foul territory retiring the Twins and giving the Mets a 3-2 victory. The Arraez AB is an AB that will go down in Twins lore as one of the best ever.”
The Twins record drops to 58-35 and their lead over the second place Indians shrinks to just 5 games. Twins fans are starting to jump off the bandwagon… Box Score
2018 – No Game Today, All-Star break.
2015 – No game today, All-Star break.
2014 – No Game Today, All-Star break.
2013 – No game today. The 84th MLB All-Star game was played at Citi Field in Queens, New York City, the home of the New York Mets. The American League shut out the National League for the third time in All-Star game history; the National League has six shutouts. This game marks the first time that there have been shutouts in consecutive All-Star games. The AL beat the NL 3-0. Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins were Twins All-Star selections with Mauer being named the starting catcher while Perkins did not play in the game. Box Score
2012 – The Twins scored seven runs in the first inning and cruised to a 19-7 victory over the Orioles, setting a single-game scoring record for one team at Target Field. The previous high was 15 runs, set by the Twins in 2010 and equaled by the Rays and the Dodgers in 2011. Twins starter Scott Diamond gave up 5 runs in his 6 innings but it still got him his eighth win of the season. The Only Twins home run was hit by Joe Mauer. Justin Morneau and Ben Revere each had four hits in the game. Every Twins starter in the line-up had at least one RBI except for Josh Willingham. Chris Tillman was the unfortunate Orioles starter who didn’t make it out of the first inning and gave up 7 run but only one was earned. Box Score
2011 – The Minnesota Twins retired Bert Blyleven’s number 28 at Target Field. Number 28 joins an exclusive list that includes Harmon Killebrew’s No. 3, Tony Oliva’s No. 6, Kent Hrbek’s No. 14, Rod Carew’s No. 29 and Kirby Puckett’s No. 34. Blyleven went 149-138 with a 3.28 ERA and 2,035 strikeouts over 11 seasons with the Twins. He was with them from 1970 to 1976 and returned from 1985 to ’88. Blyleven was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA and 3,701 strikeouts in his career. Blyleven was voted into the Hall of Fame this past January.
Once the game started the Twins jumped out to a quick lead but by the time the eighth inning rolled around the Kansas Royals and Twins were knotted at 3-3. Michael Cuddyer’s single in the home half of the eighth put the Twins up 4 to 3 and they hung for their 43rd win of the season. Cuddyer was the only Twins with more than one hit but Jason Repko did hit a home run. Glen Perkins got the win in relief of Carl Pavano and Joe Nathan slammed the door for the save. Box Score
2009 – No Game today, scheduled day off.
2008 – No game today, All-Star break.
2007 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2003 – No Game Today, All-Star break. But the Twins trade outfielder Bobby Kielty to the Blue Jays and receive outfielder Shannon Stewart and pitcher Dave Gassner. Gassner pitched in two games for Minnesota and was 1-0.
2000 – The Twins and Cardinals do battle at the Metrodome and the Twins come up winners in a 5-2 game. Second baseman Jay Canizaro and DH Midre Cummings each have two hits for Minnesota and starter Mark Redman goes seven innings, strikes out seven and gets his seventh win of the season. Rick Ankiel was the Cards losing pitcher and later in his career he leaves the mound and became an outfielder. Box Score
Minnesota trades outfielder Butch Huskey and second baseman Todd Walker to Colorado for cash and first baseman Todd Sears.
1986 – No game today, All-Star break.
1985 – No Game Today – However; the NL beats the AL 6-1 at Minnesota’s Metrodome for its 13th win in the last 14 All-Star Games. San Diego’s LaMarr Hoyt allows one unearned run in 3 innings and is named MVP. Tom Brunansky is the lone Twins player in the game. MLB’s 56th All-Star game and the second All-Star game hosted in Minnesota had an attendance of 54,960. Box Score
National League wins 6-1 in drama-free All-Star Game in Minnesota by Stew Thornley
1981 – MLB on strike.
1979 – No game today, All-Star break.
1975 – No game today, All-Star break.
1974 – The Brewers bats and fists were too much at Met Stadium as the Twins came up on the short end of a 5-4 score. The Twins were down early but scratched and clawed their way back in to the ball game but came up short. Craig Kusick was 2 for 2 with a double and a home run. Things got a bit rowdy in the seventh inning when Twins reliever Ray Corbin beaned Brewers outfielder Bob Coluccio. In 2013 Pat Reusse wrote in an article that “The wildest baseball brawl that I’ve witnessed came on July 16, 1974 – Twins vs. Brewers on a Tuesday night at Met Stadium”. Here is his story. Box Score
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1973 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1969 – Rod Carew steals home for the 7th time, as the AL-West leading Twins sweep a twin bill, winning 9-8 and 6-3 from the White Sox. Carew ties Pete Reiser’s 1946 record for steals of home in a season. Rod talks about stealing home.
Carew stole home his record tying seventh time on July 16, 1969 in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox in the first game of a double-header at the Twins home park, Metropolitan Stadium. The Twins ended up winning the game 9-8. Shown here is Carew sliding past White Sox catcher Don Pavletich, the umpire is Bob Stewart, and the batter (number 13) is John Roseboro.
The Twins won game 1 behind the hitting of Rich Reese who was 3 for 5 with two home runs and 5 RBI and Rod Carew who stole two bases including home was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. The pitching wasn’t much to write home about except for Al Worthington‘s four innings of relief and allowing just one run to score that earned him the win.
In game 2, the Twins jumped out to a lead and held on for the 6-3 win which was their 8th win in a row. Jim Perry was the Twins starter and winner and he almost had a complete game but need assistance from Ron Perranoski to get the final out. Ted Uhlaender was the hitting star in this game with 3 hits in 4 at bats and 3 RBI. When the day ended the Twins were in first place with a five game lead over Oakland.
1962 – No Twins game, scheduled day off.
1961 – For the fourth time this season the Twins take on a different team in a Sunday game(s) then they played in the Saturday game the day prior. In this case the Twins stop off in Cleveland after playing in Detroit a day earlier. Even stranger, their stop today is just for a one day scheduled doubleheader. Scheduling was a bit different back in the early 60’s.
Game one box score – The (36-51) Twins send starter Jim Kaat out to take on the (48-41) Indians and the Indians jump all over Kaat at the get-go and darn near tear his face off, here is what transpired in the bottom of the first inning. Johnny Temple walks, Bob Nieman singles, Tito Francona is HBP to load the bases, Bubba Phillips bounces a slow grounder to Jose Valdivielso at short who tosses poorly to Billy Martin at second on the force-out attempt and everyone is safe, Phillips is credited with a hit scoring Temple. Valdivielso picks up the ball and fires home to nail Nieman for the first out. Willie Kirkland singles and Francona scores. Chuck Essegian hits a three-run homer run (his first of two home runs) and chases Kaat to an early shower. John Romano greets Twins reliever Chuck Stobbs with a shot to the left field bleachers and Woodie Held follows with a double before Stobbs gets pitcher Gary Bell to ground out for out number two. Johnny Temple the 10th Indian to bat in the long inning is retired on a flyball and the Twins are finally out of the inning but find themselves down 6-0. The Twins scratch and claw to get back in the game but the closest they can get is 7-5 when Julio Becquer hits a two-run homer in the ninth and that is how the game ends. Lenny Green gets 3 hits including a triple, one RBI and scores one run.
Game two box score – Lenny Green who was 3-for 5 in game one is still on fire in game two as he goes 5 for 6 with a double and triple, two RBI and 3 runs giving him 8 hits on the day. The Twins jump out to a 4-0 lead after three innings but the Indians score four times in the bottom of the third on two two-run home runs off Twins rookie starter Bert Cueto to tie the game at 4-4. Both starters in the game, Cueto for Minnesota and Wynn Hawkins for Cleveland went 2.2 innings before heading for the clubhouse. Twins reliever Don Lee pitched better then the Indians relievers did going the final 6.1 innings allowing just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three and garnering his first win of the season again 2 losses. The Twins had 15 hits in this game giving them 26 hits on the day. The Twins win 12-5 but remain in eighth place and have a day off on their way to LA to play the Angels.
