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2023 – WITT SLAMS THE DOOR ON THE TWINS: The Twins lost to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium by a score of 8-5 in 10 innings, making the Twins 10-5 in extras this season. Sonny Gray was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on five hits in 6 innings pitched, with no walks and five strikeouts. Jhoan Duran blew his fourth save of the season, allowing four runs (3 earned) in the 10th inning, capped off by a Bobby Witt Jr. walk-off grand slam. The Twins offense recorded eight hits, two from Ryan Jeffers, who drove in one run and stole one base. Jorge Polanco returned to the lineup and drove in two runs with a game-tying double in the top of the ninth inning. Willi Castro stole home on a double steal in the fourth inning, marking the Twins’ third steal of home this season — all by Castro — following May 24 vs. San Francisco and July 15 at Oakland. According to Elias, Castro’s three steals of home are the second most by a Twin in a single season since 1961, behind Hall of Famer Rod Carew’s seven in 1969. The Twins have now lost three games in a row. Box Score
2022 – No Twins game today, scheduled day off in San Diego.
2021 – In their last game prior to the trading deadline the Twins get beat at home by the Detroit Tigers 17-14 on a hot humid afternoon where the heat index reached 105 degrees and the game goes on for 4 hour and 3 minutes. J.A. Happ (5-6) starts for Minnesota and lasts just three innings after giving up 10 hits, 4 walks and 9 runs and eventually takes the defeat. The Twins were down 10-0 when the Tigers scored 8 runs in the top of the fourth before the Twins responded with 6 of their own in the bottom of the inning thanks to a solo home run by Miguel Sano to lead off the inning and a grand slam home run by Ryan Jeffers. The Twins scored six more in the 8th inning on home runs by Max Kepler leading off the inning, Brent Rooker followed with a home run, Jorge Polanco walked and Sano followed with his second home run of the game. Later in the same inning Ryan Jeffers added his second home run of the game and the Twins were within one run at 13 to 12. However; the Tigers added four runs in the top of the ninth and the Twins could counter with only two more making the final score 17-14 for Tigers. Oddly enough the Twins only used just three pitchers in the game, Happ, Beau Burrows and Juan Minaya with each going three innings. There were a total 401 pitches thrown in the game. The amazing part of this game was that the Twins had seven home runs and the Tigers had none and yet the Twins lost. A new note for the record books the Twins would like to forget: They became the fourth team since 1901 to hit seven home runs in a nine-inning game and still lose, joining the 2016 White Sox, 2004 Tigers and 1995 Tigers. In a very rare oddity, every Tigers in the batting order had at least one hit, one runs scored and one RBI. The game had no one-run innings. Box Score
2020 – The Twins played their 60th home opener (11th at Target Field) when they beat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and their starter Carlos Martinez 6-3 behind the pitching of free agent acquisition Twins starter Homer Bailey. Bailey registered his first Twins win with a five inning effort (80 pitches) that allowed two runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. Before his next start, Bailey ends up on the IL joining another Twins starter Jake Odorizzi on the list. A five run second inning fueled by four hits was topped off with a two-run home run off the bat of Jorge Polanco that caused the new siren that the Twins had installed to go off. Free agent slugger Josh Donaldson and now the highest paid Twins player hit his first home run on behalf of the Twins later in the game. It was an odd home opener in the fact that COVID-19 prevented any fans in the stands, there was no opening day bunting hanging from the hand-rails but there was a two plane National Guard flyover. This was the first home opener ever against a National League team. With no fans in the stands the Twins had about 60 former Twins players “big head” images placed in the seats behind home plate. The Twins plan to allow fans to create “big head” images of themselves for $80 and have them placed at Target Field starting with the next home stand. Box Score
A great write-up of the game for SABR by Twins official scorer Stew Thornley can be found here. Lots of extra notes at the end too.
2019 – White Sox starter Dylan Covey (1-7) finds himself in deep doo-doo when after just 14 pitches the Twins send him to an early shower. It went like this, Max Kepler doubles, Jorge Polanco homers, Nelson Cruz singles, Luis Arraez singles, and Miguel Sano homers. The Twins coast from there and end up winning 11-1 and taking three of four before winging it to Miami. In addition to his home run Sano had two other hits. Kepler and Jonathan Schoop also hit home runs to support the Twins cause giving them four on the day. Kyle Gibson (10-4) won his tenth game allowing 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 run with 9 strikeouts in 6 innings. Box Score
2018 – The Twins are up 4-1 after three innings under temporary manager Derek Shelton who is covering for skipper Paul Molitor who is attending Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at Cooperstown. The Red Sox however; don’t care about that and score the next nine runs for a 10-4 pasting of the Minnesota Twins who still seem “out of it” over the “white flag” trades the team made the day before. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine flew to Boston to talk to the team after word about the Escobar trade was seen on TV by Molitor and Escobar before they were told of the trades. Miguel Sano was recalled from AAA Rochester after being optioned to Ft. Myers back on June 14 for his play, attitude and to be honest, his weight, Sano promptly went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts… Jake Odorizzi took the loss with 5 innings pitched and 5 runs allowed but each of the relief pitchers allowed at least one run. Joe Mauer was 2 for 4 and the only player with more than one hit. Logan Morrison did hit a home run. Box Score
2016 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2014 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2012 – The Twins put a serious beating on the visiting Cleveland Indians at Target Field by out hitting them 12 to 4 and out scoring them 12-5. Samuel Deduno went 7 very good inning allowing just 2 hits and 1 run and got the W for his work. Ben Revere was 3 for 5 with a double, a stolen base and 2 RBI and Alexi Casilla went 2 for 4 with a double, triple and 4 RBI. Box Score
The Twins trade LHP Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox and receive shortstop Eduardo Escobar and LHP Pedro Hernandez
2010 – Twins win their fifth in a row when they beat the Royals at Kauffman Stadium 6-4. Twins starter Brian Duensing gets the win when he allows just two runs in six innings. Outfielders Delmon Young, Jason Repko and Denard Span each get three hits and Young and Repko also hit home runs. Box Score
The Twins have 86 hits over their last five games (July 24-28), all on the road when they beat the Orioles twice and the Royals three times. The last major-league team to have that many hits over a five-game span was the 1950 Red Sox, who had 90 hits over five games from June 4-8. The Twins have won five straight games, all on the road, and scored at least six runs in all of them. It’s only the second time since this team moved to Minnesota in 1961 that they have had such a streak. They also had a five-game streak in September of 2009.
2009 – Mark Buehrle, making his first start since pitching a perfect game against the Tampa Rays just five days earlier, was perfect through the first five and two-thirds innings at the Metrodome but then he walked Alexi Casilla on a 3 and 2 pitch, Denard Span got the Twins first hit and Joe Mauer followed with a ground rule double to left and all of a sudden Buehrle’s perfect streak, no-hitter, and shutout were over and the Twins had tied the score 1-1. The Twins scored four more runs off Buehrle in the 7th on their way to a 5-3 victory. Buehrle did set an all-time major-league record by retiring 45 consecutive batters over his last three starts. We were at the Dome and it was a fun game, any time the Twins beat the Mighty Whities, it is a good thing. Scott Baker went six innings allowing just four hits and one run but all he received for his work was a ND. Box Score
The Minnesota Twins, in conjunction with Wendy’s Restaurants, announced the All-Metrodome Team as part of the team’s ongoing celebration of the franchise’s 28th and final season playing in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Voting for the Twins All-Metrodome Team was split into three phases, including the fans, the Upper Midwest media and a veteran’s committee made up of Twins alumni, front office representatives and team historians. In total, more than 100,000 votes were cast by the fans at twinsbaseball.com. The 18-man All-Metrodome Team is as follows: Manager – Tom Kelly, Infielders – Kent Hrbek, Justin Morneau, Chuck Knoblauch, Greg Gagne and Gary Gaetti, Catcher – Joe Mauer, Outfielders – Tom Brunansky, Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter and Dan Gladden, Designated Hitter – Paul Molitor, Starting Pitchers – Bert Blyleven, Brad Radke, Johan Santana and Frank Viola, Relievers – Rick Aguilera and Joe Nathan.
2003 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2001 – The Twins lose to the Mariners at Safeco Field by a 5-1 score. 38-year-old Jamie Moyer gets the win for Seattle but the ancient Mariner will still be pitching in the majors at the age of 49 in 2012 for God’s sake. The Twins only get six hits in the game and Torii Hunter gets half of them. Box Score
The Twins and Tigers swap pitchers, the Tigers get Mark Redman and the Twins get Todd Jones.
1998 – Twins beat the KC Royals 3-0 at Kauffman Stadium. Twins second baseman Todd Walker ties a club record with his 9th consecutive hit, in a 3 – 0. He also matches a club record by reaching base safely 11 straight times. Walker’s batting average is now up to .352. Brad Radke, Greg Swindell and Rick Aguilera combine to pitch a four hit shutout with Radke doing the heavy lifting. Box Score
1994 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1981 – MLB on strike.
1974 – The Twins are in Anaheim for a DH with the California Angels. The Twins win game one 5-3 when they over-come an Angels 2 to nothing lead. Jerry Terrell and Glen Borgmann each have two RBI and Dave Goltz picks up the win in spite of not being particularly effective and only going five innings..
In game two the Twins Vic Albury faces off against the Angels Frank Tanana but both teams bring their bats and each team hits four home runs. Bobby Darwin hits two home runs and has 6 RBI for Minnesota. In addition; for the second time in Twins history, the Twins get two pinch-hit home runs but still lose 12-9. The pinch-hit home runs are hit by Harmon Killebrew in the 8th inning and Rod Carew in the ninth inning, both home runs were hit off Angels reliever Nolan Ryan who blew the save but got the win.
1969 – No game today, scheduled day off. The Twins were honored for the second time in their short history to play at Cooperstown during the HOF induction. The Twins played the Houston Astros in a rain-shortened game (5 innings) and won 7-2. The players inducted in to the HOF are Waite Hoyt, Stan Coveleski, Roy Campanella and Stan Musial.
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1967 – Dean Chance finally gets a base hit (bunt single off Jim Lonborg) and ends the Twins longest hitless streak at 53 at bats without a hit. This unlucky streak started on April 13, his first game as a Twin. Chance did walk 5 times and scored once during his hitless streak as a Twin. If you count his at bats with the Angels the previous season, his hitless streak was at 78 at bats. But on this day Chance was on his game with the bat and on the mound as he pitched a complete 9-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park while fanning eight Red Sox batters. Harmon Killebrew assisted Chance by going 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs and 2 RBI. Box Score
1966 – No Game Today
1961 – Bob Allison’s two home runs, both two run jobs in the first and ninth innings powered the Twins to a 4-3 win over the second place Detroit Tigers before a crowd of 35,034 at Tiger Stadium and kept the Tigers from reclaiming first place from the Yankees. Pedro Ramos started for Minnesota and almost pitched a complete game but need relief help from Ray Moore with two out in the ninth inning when Ramos gave up a home run to Charlie Maxwell making it a 4-3 ballgame and then walking Bobo Osborne. Moore retired Frank House on a grounder to wrap the Twins third straight win. The Twins had just four hits in the game with two of them being Allison’s home runs. Box Score
1960 – For the second and final time in his career, Harmon Killebrew is batting lead-off for the home-town Senators and he hits a home run leading off the game. Killebrew is 2 for 4 with the home run, a walk, a run scored, and a RBI as the Washington Senators walk-off the Detroit Tigers 6-5 on an error that allowed the third run of the inning to score. Box Score
