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2023 – The Twins win their third game in a row when they beat the White Sox at Target Field on Sunday afternoon by a score of 5-4 in 12 innings, their MLB-best ninth extra-inning win. It marked their 24th comeback win of the season and made them 3-44 when trailing after the eighth inning. Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs (2 earned) on five hits in 6 innings pitched, with no walks and six strikeouts. Oliver Ortega (2.0 IP), Jorge López (1.0 IP), Jhoan Duran (1.0 IP), Griffin Jax (1.0 IP) and Emilio Pagán (5-1) (1.0 IP) combined to allow just one unearned run 6 innings of relief. After trailing 3-0 since the fifth inning the Twins scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and force extras. Jeffers singled in the ninth to spark the winning rally and the singled in the winner in the 12th to walk-off the mighty whities marking his first career walk-off hit. The offense recorded 13 hits and were led by Ryan Jeffers, who went 3-for-5. The Twins left 16 runners on base, a season high todate. Ober has 10 consecutive starts in which he has given up three or fewer runs but the Twins offense has scored zero runs for him six times while Ober was in the game. Box Score
2022 – The Twins second half began on a positive note when they defeated the Tigers, 8-4 at Comerica Park, improving to 13-9 in their first game after the All-Star Break since 2000. Joe Ryan (7-3) was the starter and winner, allowing one run one four hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Minnesota jumped to an early 2-0 lead by the third inning and put up three more runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings. Three Twins recorded multiple hits, led by Luis Arraez, who had his 10th game with three-plus hits, and Carlos Correa, who hit his 12th homer of the season, a third-inning solo shot Twins also hit two sacrifice flies on the night, doing so for the fifth time this season (4-1 in those games). Box Score
2021 – The Twins beat the Angels by a score of 5-4, evening the series at 1-1 with two to play. The Twins entered the bottom of the eighth with a 3-4 deficit, but took the lead scoring on a Ryan Jeffers RBI-single and a Kurt Suzuki throwing error on one play. J.A. Happ was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing four runs on seven hits in 7 innings. Juan Minaya earned his first win as a Twin and Taylor Rogers recorded his 50th career save with a scoreless ninth inning. The offense recorded 13 hits, with three each from Jorge Polanco and Jeffers (career-high). Nick Gordon had a pair of hits, including an RBI-single, and scored the winning run. Box Score
2020 – The Minnesota Twins were scheduled to be in Chicago to play the White Sox if all the games this season would not have been postponed/canceled due to COVID-19. 105 Twins games missed so far this season. It turns out that the Twins are actually in Chicago and will be playing the Chicago White Sox in the new abbreviated 60 game 2020 season. The MLB season opens today with two games, Yankees at Nationals and Giants at Dodgers, but the Twins will not be playing until tomorrow. Prior to the NYY game, Major League Baseball had not played a game since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, a span of 266 days, the longest drought in MLB history
2019 – The game was game two of a scheduled three game series at Minnesota’s Target Field between two heavyweights in the American League, the AL East leading New York Yankees with a 64-35 record and the 61-39 AL Central leading Minnesota Twins. I am not sure how to describe this game and I watched all five hours and 3 minutes of it from the comfort of my easy chair. Many folks said it was the best baseball game they have ever seen. If it wasn’t the most fun game I have ever seen it was right up there with the very best in spite of the fact the Minnesota Twins lost in the end. The scoring started with the visitors (Yankees) scoring twice in the top of the first off Twins starter Kyle Gibson and ended with the Yankees scoring twice in the top of the tenth inning. During the ten innings of play, fans got see see six home runs (four by the Twins), 10 doubles, both teams starters beat up, both teams closers blowing the save, Rocco Baldelli and James Rowson ejected, 35 hits (20 by NYY), 26 runs (all earned), 17 strikeouts, 14 walks, and 14 pitchers throwing a total of 432 pitches. This all took place in ten innings, talk about getting your money’s worth. Did I mention that Twins rookie pitcher Cody Stashak made his major league debut in the midst of all this? Stashak relieved starter Kyle Gibson and pitched the sixth and seventh innings allowing 4 hits and striking out 3 without allowing a run. A very nice debut indeed. Miguel Sano had two home runs (16) and 5 RBI, Jorge Polanco had 3 hits including a double, home run (15) and 3 RBI and Nelson Cruz hit home run number 21. Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius was a real thorn in the Twins side going 5 for 5 with a home run, 2 doubles, 7 RBI and scored twice. Kohl Stewart (2-2) took the loss. Box Score
2018 – The Twins broke their nine game road losing streak but they had to go to another country to do it. The Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre by a score of 8-3. Adalberto Mejía earned his first win of the season in his second start of the season, allowing one run on eight hits in 5.1 innings pitched. The struggling Logan Morrison, recently off the DL hit his 12th home run of the season and drove in three runs. Max Kepler also hit a home run, his 13th and had two RBI. Joe Mauer and Mitch Garver each had three hits including a double in the game. Box Score
2017 – The Tigers beat the Twins 9-6 at Target Field in a nine inning game that lasts 4 hours and 19 minutes making it the longest 9 inning game in Twins history breaking the record by 8 minutes. The previous record was a game between the Twins and Red Sox exactly 1 year earlier at Fenway park. The Twins used seven pitchers and the second Twins pitcher, Trevor Hildenberger took the loss. The Twins committed three errors and were out 16 to 9. Brian Dozier was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double and Eduardo Escobar also hit a home run. Box Score
2016 – The Twins beat the Red Sox 11-9 at Fenway Park. The Twins had 19 hits and the Red Sox had 15 hits and each team has a five run inning. It was the longest nine-inning game in Twins history to that point but the record has since been broken. The game lasted 4 hours and 11 minutes. Eddie Rosario was 4 for 4 with 3 runs scored and a RBI and Miguel Sano was 3 for 5 with a home run. Ryan Pressly who was the fifth of seven Twins pitchers got the win. Box Score
2006 – In a 3-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field, Francisco Liriano and four Twins relievers establish a then club record (since broken) with 17 strikeouts in a nine inning game. The Minnesota starter reached double-digit whiffs (10) for the third time this season with Pat Neshek, Dennys Reyes, Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan adding seven more punch outs over the last four innings. Joe Mauer was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and Justin Morneau had 2 RBI. Liriano won his 12 game of the season. Box Score
1992 – No game today. Twins game in Boston rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.
1981 – MLB on strike.
1974 – No game today. The years All-Star game was played at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 7–2 before a nice crowd of 50,706. The Twins only representative was Rod Carew and he was a starter at second base. Box Score
1973 – No game today, All-Star break.
1969 – No game today. The game was originally scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, July 22, but heavy rains forced its postponement to the following afternoon. The 1969 contest remains the last All-Star Game to date to be played earlier than prime time in the Eastern United States.The All-Star game is played at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. and the NL beats the AL 9-3 for their 8th straight win. Rod Carew, John Roseboro, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva represented the Twins and they all played with the exception of Oliva who was hurt. Carew was the only Twins starter. Denny McLain was scheduled as the American League starter, but was late arriving to the stadium (via his own airplane) and pitched later in the game. Mel Stottlemyre started in his place. Box Score
1967 – The Twins lose to the California Angels on the road again and it is the same old story, they lose 2-1 for the third day in a row and they have lost all five game on this current road trip and six in a row. The Twins could only muster three hits off Angels spit-baller Jack Hamilton who is 5-1 since being acquired from the Mets and Minnie Rojas who earned the save with 3 innings of scoreless relief while allowing just 1 hit. Dean Chance pitched well enough to win for Minnesota but allowed 2 unearned runs in the third. Bobby Knoop reached on a Rod Carew error, Hamilton sacrificed Knoop to second. Jose Cardenal singled scoring Knoop from second. Cardenal then stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Chance then struck out Roger Repoz for the second out and that brought Woodie Held to the plate who was batting when Cardenal stole home and Chance then struck out Held but it was too late, the run would turn out to be the winner. Box Score
1966 – The Twins have a good news/bad news kind of day at Fenway Park when they whip up on the Red Sox 10-4. The bad news comes when they lose outfielder Bob Allison when he suffers a broken left hand when hit by a Jim Lonborg pitch. The tough Allison is back in the line-up a week later after missing just five games. The Twins bats banged out 17 hits including home runs by Killebrew and Ted Uhlaender. Jim Kaat pitches a complete game and with the win his record now stands at 14-6. Box Score
1964 – A’s rookie Bert Campaneris sends Minnesota to defeat 4-3 at Met Stadium with two home runs and a stolen base in his ML debut. The first comes on the first pitch thrown to him by Jim Kaat. The 21-year-old Cuban joins Bob Nieman as the only player since 1900 with 2 HR’s in his first ML game. Harmon Killebrew put the Twins ahead 3-1 in the sixth with a three-run shot to left but Campaneris hit his second home run with a runner on in the seventh to tie the game at 3-3 and that it is how it remained through 9 innings of play. In the 11th inning with Gerry Arrigo on the bump for Minnesota, A’s catcher Doc Edwards parked one in the left field seats and John Wyatt closed it out for the A’s win. Twins starter Jim Kaat went 9 innings but all he got for his day was a good workout. Box Score
Bert Campaneris homers twice, steals a base, and shines on defense in winning debut by Larry DeFillipo
1961 – The Twins are beating up the Cleveland Indians 6 to nothing when Minnesota catcher Earl Battey is beaned in the 7th inning by Indians pitcher Bobby Locke at Met Stadium, fracturing his cheek. Indians starter Barry Latman was 9-0 going into this game but the Twins took him behind the woodshed and put a serious beating on him over four innings. Twins infielder Ted Lepcio hits one of three Twins home runs and goes 3 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI in the 10-0 pounding of the Cleveland Indians at Met Stadium as 26,476 fans looked on. Pedro Ramos pitches the shutout for Minnesota and allows just six hits.
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Battey returns to action less than two weeks later at Yankee Stadium on August 4th wearing a special batting helmet. Back in his day, players were tough. Box Score