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2023 – The Twins beat the Mariners on SKOL Night at Target Field in a back-and-forth game by a score of 4-3 in 10 innings, giving them their second-straight extra-innings win (5-4, 12-inning win on Sunday vs. CWS). The win marked the club’s 10th extra-innings win this season and eighth walk-off, both of which lead baseball. Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on six hits in 6.1 innings pitched, with two walks and eight strikeouts. The offense recorded eight hits, three from Max Kepler, who drove in the game-tying run with a ninth-inning double. Carlos Correa went 1-for-5 and drove in the winning run with a 10th-inning single. Minnesota went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, making them 16-for-43 (.372) on this homestand in such instances. The Twins recorded their first consecutive-extra inning walk-off wins since September 13 (3-1 vs. San Diego in 10 innings) and September 14 (3-2 vs. Toronto in 10 innings), 2017. Jax has given up two home runs this season, both were off the bats of Seattle Mariners this past week. Box Score
2022 – The Twins begin play after the All-Star game with a two game sweep of the Detroit Tigers when they win today at Comerica Park 9-1. Sonny Gray (5-3) was the starter and winner going 6 innings (84 pitches) and allowing one run on two hits while striking out seven. Three Twins relievers kept the Tigers off the board the rest of the day while allowing just one harmless hit. Jose Miranda led the hitting barrage with 3 hits and 2 RBI. Jorge Polanco and Gio Urshela chipped in two hit apiece. After today’s game, the team heads to Milwaukee for an off-day tomorrow, before continuing the current nine-day, seven-game roadtrip with two games in Milwaukee against the Brewers on Tuesday-Wednesday, another off-day on Thursday and three games in San Diego. Twins are 27-22 at home and 24-22 on the road. Box Score
TWINS HELP IN SCARY MOMENT
The Twins were witnesses to a frightening situation as they headed from Comerica Park to the airport following the club’s finale in Detroit, as a collision between two vehicles directly in front of one of the team buses resulted in a black SUV flipping in a rollover collision that involved three people in all. As traffic ground to a halt, Twins personnel quickly sprang into action, with manager Rocco Baldelli, bench coach Jayce Tingler, travel director Mike Herman and clubhouse attendant Frank Hanzlik among those who helped extricate the driver of the SUV through the broken sunroof of the vehicle. Fortunately for all involved, Herman and Baldelli said there did not appear to be injuries as a result of the crash, though the Twins’ athletic training staff helped attend to the people involved until first responders arrived at the scene. “Truthfully, if something like that is sadly going to happen, I’m glad we were there to help out because we had trainers that have medical experience that were there and were able to lend a hand,” Baldelli said. “We played a small part in just helping some people out in a real unfortunate situation.”
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 comprised of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz and six Era Committee selections — former Twins teammates Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, the late Minnie Miñoso, former Dodgers star and Mets manager Gil Hodges, and Black pioneers Buck O’Neil and Bud Fowler. All seven were inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown Sunday.
2021 – The Twins lose to the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 at Target Field. Jose Berrios started for Minnesota against the Angels Patrick Sandoval. The Angels got two unearned runs in the first of Berrios and held on for a 2-1 win. Sandoval had a no-hitter for 8.1 innings before Brent Rooker broke it up with a double to right and retired the next batter before he was pulled having given up just one hit and one walk in 8.2 innings (108 pitches) while striking out 13 Twins. Berrios gave up 2 runs (both unearned) on 3 hits in 7 innings (101 pitches) while striking out four. The Twins record dropped to 42-57 and they remain in last place in the AL Central. Josh Donaldson had the Twins only RBI with a double that scored Rooker. Box Score
2020 – The Minnesota Twins open their 60th season today at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago as they played the White Sox in the new and revised 60 game schedule. The Twins missed 105 of the 2020 originally scheduled games. Ironically the Twins were scheduled to play the White Sox in Chicago on this date in the original 162 game schedule. In today’s season opener the Twins Jose Berrios squared off against White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. Twins right fielder and lead-off hitter Max Kepler hit Giolito’s first pitch of the ball game and sent it over the right field fence to give the Twins a quick 1-0 lead. The Twins scored three more times in the first and had a 4-0 lead and the White Sox hadn’t even stepped up to the plate. The WSox scored on in the bottom of the inning and the Twins put one more run on the board in the second inning when Kepler again took Giolito deep to right field in his second at bat and the Twins were up 5-1 but the Whitey’s fought back with four of their own and suddenly it was a 5-5 ballgame after just two innings played. The hitters were mashing the ball and neither of the teams aces was around long, Giolito lasted just 3.2 innings and Berrios lasted 4 innings. The Twins retook the lead in the fourth when a Jorge Polanco single scored two and then in the seventh they added three more insurance runs and when it was all said and done the Twins had 10 runs on the board and the White Sox had 5. It was the Twins largest margin of victory in a road opener since an 11-4 win over Texas on April 8, 1975. The bullpen of Trevor May (who got win), Tyler Clippard, Tyler Duffey and Cody Stashak combined for 5 scoreless innings allowing just two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. The Twins road opener win was the first time since 2003, snapping a nine-game road-opener losing streak. Max Kepler became the eighth player in baseball history to hit at least two home runs on Opening Day while batting first. Former Twins outfielder Jacques Jones also accomplished this feat on April 1, 2002 against the Kansas City Royals. Former Twins outfielder Shannon Stewart did it in 2000 versus the Royals when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kepler however; is the first Twins player to homer in his first two AB’s of the season. The Twins open the 2020 season with 16 players on their 30-man roster who were not on the 2019 Opening Day roster: pitchers (11) – Homer Bailey, Tyler Clippard, Randy Dobnak, Rich Hill, Zack Littell, Kenta Maeda, Sergio Romo, Devin Smeltzer, Cody Stashak, Lewis Thorpe and Matt Wisler; catcher (1) – Alex Avila; infielders (2) – Luis Arraez and Josh Donaldson; and outfielders (2) – LaMonte Wade, Jr. and Aaron Whitefield. Of the 30 players on the Twins active roster, 15 began their professional careers in the Twins organization. Whitefield is the only Twin looking to make his major league debut. The Twins debuted their 60th season anniversary patch that they will wear all season on their right sleeve. The Twins also wore a round RC memorial patch for their minor league prospect Ryan Costello who was found dead in his hotel room in New Zealand on November 18, 2019. Five Twins players had two hits in the game. Fan attendance at the game was zero just like it is at all MLB games at this time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Box Score
2019 – The Twins jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two run homer run by Eddie Rosario but the lead was to be short lived as the New York Yankees scored four times in the second, twice in the third and three times in the fourth to take a 9-6 lead after four innings. When the final score was posted in the Twins final game of their nine-game homestand it showed the Yankees with 10 and the Twins with 7. The Twins completed their long homestand with a record of 3-6, going 0-2 versus the Mets, 2-2 versus the A’s and 1-2 against the Yankees. Jake Odorizzi (11-5) was the starter and loser, allowing a career-high nine runs on 10 hits in 4 innings pitched. Devin Smeltzer did a great job in relief by allowing one run in 5 innings of pitching. The offense recorded nine hits, including home runs from Nelson Cruz (22), Marwin Gonzalez (12) and Eddie Rosario (22). The Twins 194 home runs are the most in baseball and seventh most in club history. The attendance was 40,127 marked the eighth sellout of the season and first crowd of at least 40,000 since Opening Day of 2016 (40,638). The Twins season record is now 61-40 and their lead in the Central Division over second place Cleveland has dropped to a season low 2 games. Box Score
2018 – The Twins beat the Blue Jays last night at Rogers Centre by a score of 5-0, their seventh shutout of an opponent this season and the fourth started by José Berríos. Berrios pitched 7 innings with four hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts. Trevor Hildenberger and Ryan Pressly preserved the shutout with one scoreless inning each. The game was scoreless for five innings and then the Twins took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. Eduardo Escobar, who went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBI provided insurance with a 3 run blast in the eighth inning. Eddie Rosario also had two hits and a stolen base. Box Score
2017 – On the field the Twins luck was not good as Dodger Cody Bellinger reached Taylor Rogers for a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch in the eighth inning, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead, the same score by which the Dodgers went on to dispatch the Twins at Dodger Stadium. Outfielder Eddie Rosario had a big day with his stick going 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run which resulted in 3 RBI. Twins starter Bartolo Colon lasted 5 innings and gave up three runs and got a ND for his work. Box Score
A busy day for the Twins front office. The Twins traded minor league RHP Huascar Ynoa to the Atlanta Braves for LHP Jaime Garcia, catcher Anthony Recker and cash considerations. The Twins also traded RHP Nick Tepesch to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash. The Twins returned RHP Rule 5 selection Justin Haley to the Boston Red Sox. LHP Craig Breslow was designated for assignment.
2014 – The visiting White Sox beat the Twins 5-2 and send then even deeper into last place in the division. Sox starter Hector Noesi and two relievers hold the Twins to just three hits. The Twins score two on an eighth inning home run by center fielder Danny Santana. Twins starter Phil Hughes lasts just 3 innings.
The Twins send first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Stephen Pryor. Pryor never pitched for the Minnesota Twins and was out of baseball after 2015.
2011 – The Detroit Tigers visit Target Field and jump to an early 4-0 lead against Francisco Liriano and his teammates and hold on for a 5-2 victory. Box Score
Rick Aalbert (Bert) Blyleven was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame and became the fourth Twins player to go into the Hall of Fame as a Minnesota Twin following such greats as Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Kirby Puckett. Blyleven was inducted along with long time baseball executive Pat Gillick and Toronto Blue Jay second baseman Roberto Alomar.
Bert Blyleven Hall of Fame Acceptance speech video
2008 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1981 – MLB on strike.
1980 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1976 – Lyman Bostock hits for the cycle in Chicago’s Comiskey Park I (the second Twins to do so in less than 3 weeks) and leads the Twins to a 17-2 victory. Bostock is the Twins fourth player to hit for the cycle. Steve Braun and Dan Ford also hit home runs in support of Bane. Eddie Bane give up 10 hits and 2 walks but manages to pitch a complete game, the only one he has in his three-year and 44 game major league career. Box Score
Lyman Bostock hits for the cycle as Twins thrash White Sox by Mike Huber
1974 – No game today, All-Star break.
1973 – No Twins game today. The All-Star game was played at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals of the American League. The game resulted in a 7–1 victory for the NL. Royals Stadium had not even been open for four months when it hosted this, its first All-Star Game. Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven represented the Twins at the game and Carew was a starter and Blyleven pitched in relief and was the losing pitcher in the game. Box Score
1972 – No game today, All-Star break.
1967 – No Game Today. The Twins beat the White Sox 2-1 at County Stadium in Milwaukee in front of 51,144 fans but the game does not count in the standings as it was just an exhibition game.
1963 – The Twins win game one of a twin-bill at Cleveland Stadium by a 9-0 score when Dick Stigman pitches a complete game shutout while allowing seven hits and striking out nine. Stigman had plenty of hitting support with two home runs from Don Mincher, and one each from John Goryl and Rich Rollins. Box Score
The nite-cap was a pitchers duel between Jim Kaat and the Indians Dick Donovan with no scoring through eight innings. In the top of the ninth with two out Jimmie Hall homered and later in the inning Kaat homered with two runners on and Minnesota took a 5-0 lead. Jim Kaat becomes the first Twins pitcher to him a home run and pitch a complete game shutout in the same game. Kaat allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 11 batters. Box Score
1961 – No game today scheduled day off. Tony Oliva is signed by scout Joe Cambria upon recommendation of former outfielder in club’s system, Roberto Fernandez.