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2023 – OK, TURN THE PAGE ON THAT ONE: The Twins lost to the Orioles on Sunday afternoon by a score of 15-2, their largest margin of defeat this season in their last game prior to the All-Star break. Baltimore swept the Twins, marking the third time Minnesota was swept this season. Joe Ryan (8-6) was the starter and loser, allowing five runs on five hits in 4.1 innings pitched, with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Ryan fell one strikeout short of his career high and fanned double-digit batters for the fifth time in his career. The bullpen combined to allow a season-high 10 runs on 12 hits in 4.2 innings
pitched. The struggling offense continued on its merry way recording just four hits, two from Edouard Julien, who homered and doubled. The Twins were out hit 17 to 4. Former Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson (9-6) was the Orioles starter and winner tied his career high with 11 strikeouts, walked only one and retired 17 consecutive Twins at one point during his seven innings of work. The Twins enter the AS break in second place a half game behind the Cleveland Guardians. Box Score
2022 – RANGER DANGER IN GAME TWO FOR TWINS: The Twins lost to the Rangers at Globe Life Field by a score of 9-7. The Twins put up a 6 spot in the top of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead only to have Texas answer back with 4 of their own to retake the lead 7-6 and hold on for the win. Devin Smeltzer was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing a career-high seven earned runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings pitched. Smeltzer has now given up 13 home runs in his last 7 starts after giving up no home runs in his first four starts. Jhoan Duran (0-3) was issued the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in the eighth inning. Twins bats recorded nine hits, two from Gio Urshela. Jose Miranda hit his seventh home run, while Gary Sánchez hit his 10th, giving him seven-straight seasons of reaching double-digit home run totals. The loss made the Twins 14-9-4 in series play this season and 47-40 on the season. Box Score
2021 – The Twins beat the Tigers for the second day in a row, this time by a score of 4-2. The Twins are 10-1 in their last 11 against the Tigers at Target Field. Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, pitching five scoreless innings with two hits allowed, two walks and seven strikeouts. Jorge Alcala (2-3) was credited with the win as Hansel Robles earned his ninth save. The offense recorded just four hits (Tigers had 8 hits), two from Max Kepler, who recorded two RBI and the Twins’ only extra-base hit with a sixth-inning triple. Target Field drew a season-best with 21,725 in attendance. Box Score
2020 – The Twins would be taking on the visiting Toronto Blue Jays today but all the games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. 95 games missed so far. Twins Summer Camp 2020 is underway at Target Field and CHS Field.
2019 – No game today. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 90th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was hosted by the Cleveland Indians and was played at Progressive Field with the American League prevailing over the National League, 4–3. It is the junior circuits seventh consecutive win. It was also the first time since 2014 that an American League team has hosted the event. Twins AS reps were Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi did not get in the game. Box Score
2018 – The 25-64 Kansas City Royals came to Target Field and the Twins were not great hosts when they sent Jose Berrios, who was just named a 2018 All-Star, to the mound and extended the Royals losing streak to 10 games. It was 1-0 Royals after six innings and a pitching duel between Danny Duffy of the Royals and Berrios but then the Royals went to the bullpen which is the worst in baseball. The Twins quickly took advantage and scored twice on RBI’s by Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar in the seventh and added another run in the eighth on a Joe Mauer RBI. Escobar and Mauer each had three hits in the game. Berrios threw 111 pitches in 7 innings allowing 5 hits and 1 run while striking out 8 with no walks to win his ninth game of 2018. Box Score
2012 – No Game Today, All-Star break.
2007 – No game today, All-Star break.
2002 – No game today. The game was played at Miller Park, now named American Family Field, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers of the NL. The game controversially ended with a 7–7 tie due to both teams running out of available pitchers. Beginning the next year, home field advantage in the World Series would be awarded to the winning league to prevent ties (this rule would stay until 2017). No player was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award due to the game ending in a tie. The roster selection for the 2002 game marked the inaugural All-Star Final Vote competition (then known as “The All-Star 30th Man” competition). Johnny Damon and Andruw Jones represented the American and National Leagues as a result of this contest. Torii Hunter, Eddie Guardado and A. J. Pierzynski were named to the AL All-Star team, a first for all three. Hunter was a starter and Pierzynski and Guardado also played in the game. With the game deadlocked 7-7 after 10 innings a serious problem arose, as Padilla and Garcia were the last available pitchers on each team. After a scoreless top of the 11th inning, AL and NL managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly met by the first base dugout with Commissioner Bud Selig to discuss the situation. It was controversially ruled that if the NL did not score in the bottom of the 11th, the game would be declared a tie. After the decision was announced over the stadium’s public address system, fans loudly booed and jeered, with beer bottles being thrown onto the field, and chants of “Let them play!”, “Refund!”, “Bud must go!” and “Ripoff!” were heard. Garcia retired the side in the 11th, and the game ended in a 7–7 tie, to further booing and bottle throwing. Box Score
2001 – No game today, All-Star break.
1997 – No game today, All-Star break.
1996 – No game today. But there was an All-Star game played on this day at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. This marked the 15th and final All-Star Game appearance of Ozzie Smith, who retired after the 1996 season. Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr., who was in the midst of his record-breaking run of consecutive games played, broke his nose during the pre-game AL team picture. However, he was ready to go at game time and started at shortstop. The game ended in the National League defeating the American League 6–0. The National League would not win another All-Star Game until 2010. This is the only All-Star Game in which not a single pitcher walked a batter; appropriately, Braves closer Mark Wohlers was the final pitcher of the game. The only Twins player selected for the ASG was Chuck Knoblauch and he appeared as a reserve. Attendance was 62,670. Box Score
1991 – No Twins game today but instead of that we have an All-Star game for you. The All-Star game was played at SkyDome in Toronto, the home of the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League. It was only the second time that the game was played outside the United States, as the National League’s Montreal Expos hosted the 1982 Midsummer Classic at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 4-2. Both the winning and losing pitchers represented the Canadian teams; the Blue Jays’ Jimmy Key earned the win while the Expos’ Dennis Martínez was given the loss. The Twins were well represented in this game with pitcher Jack Morris starting against the Braves Tom Glavine along with Rick Aguilera (played), Scott Erickson, and Kirby Puckett (played). Attendance was 52,383. Box Score
1990 – No game today, All-Star break.
1984 – No game today, All-Star break.
1981 – MLB on strike.
1980 – No game today, All-Star break.
1972 – The Twins were losing to the Yankees at the Met by a 9-1 score when Rich Reese pinch-hits with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh and hits a grand slam home run off Lindy McDaniel but that wasn’t enough as the Twins lost 9-6. Here is Stew Thornley’s account of the game. Box Score
1971 – The Minnesota Twins hosted the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series the weekend before the All-Star Game in July 1971. Things were going badly for Minnesota; after two American League West titles in a row, their dominance was ending. The Twins had lost five straight and 11 of their last 18 games entering the series, falling into third place, 15½ games behind the first-place Oakland A’s. The downward trend continued in the series opener on July 9. As the Kansas City Times reported, the Twins “were done in by Freddie Patek, the smallest man in the majors.” Patek, Kansas City’s 26-year-old, 5-foot-5 shortstop, hit for the cycle, and his cycle-clinching hit was a game-winning home run in the ninth inning. Twins starter Jim Perry (12-8) who pitched 8.2 innings before giving up consecutive home runs to Patek and Paul Schaal with two-out in the ninth took the loss and Hal Hydel came in to get the final out. Tom Burgmeier (4-2) got the win in relief. Leo Cardenas and Rod Carew each had two hits for Minnesota. Box Score
‘Little Man makes a big difference’: Freddie Patek completes cycle with game-winning homer in ninth by Mike Huber
1970 – The Twins who had just arrived from Oakland are on a hot streak winning 9 of their last 10 games as they prepare to face the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium. The Twins line-up however; has a new number three hitter and left fielder and his name is Jim Perry. But when it was time for Perry to bat in the first inning Harmon Killebrew was announced as pinch-hitting for Perry and Killebrew ends the first inning by striking out. What the heck is going on you might ask? Just hold on and we will tell you later. Twins rookie starter Bert Blyleven (3-2) who is starting his eighth big league game gives up two quick runs in the first inning to the Angels on a walk and 3 singles. Blyleven ends up with a ND after leaving for a PH in the top of the seventh after the Twins tie the game at 2-2 on a pinch-hit single from Rich Reese with runners at first and second when Rick Renick scores but Leo Cardenas is thrown out at the plate. In the ninth inning Angels pitcher Eddie Fisher retires Tony Oliva and Rick Renick but pitcher Tommy Hall singles and Leo Cardenas follows with a two-run home run and the Twins take a 4-2 lead. Hall retires the Angels in the bottom of the ninth and the first place 53-26 Twins win streak grows to five games and their lead in the division improves to six games. Tommy Hall (5-2) pitched three perfect innings striking out five and not allowing a hit earning the win. And no, I have not forgotten to tell you why Jim Perry was the starting in left field. Box Score
Batting third in LF Jim Perry – Sporting News 011671
1968 – Harmon Killebrew ruptures hamstring in right leg at the Houston Astrodome in his eighth American League All-Star appearance and was disabled July 10-August 31. Killebrew was stretching for a throw from shortstop Jim Fregosi and the clay gave way and Harmon said “he could hear it split like a rubber band”. The NL ended up winning the game 1-0 in what say was the most boring All-Star game ever, the AL had just three hits and the NL had five hits. Box Score
1963 – No game today. The All-Star game is played in Cleveland Stadium and 44,160 baseball fans come out to watch the NL beat the AL 5 to 3 even though they were out-hit 11 to 6. Willie Mays put on a one-man show. Although he had only one hit, he drove in two runs and scored two. He also stole two bases and made the defensive play of the game, a running catch that deprived Joe Pepitone of extra bases in the eighth. Twins Earl Battey and Zoilo Versalles were starters and Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew were reserves but all four played in the game. After four years, the league had finally decided to return to the original single game format. Box Score
1962 – No Twins game, All-Star break.
1961 – In the final game before the first All-Star break the Twins finally won a game at Griffith Stadium (first in six tries) when they scored two in the first, second and third innings and held on for a 7-1 victory. Camilo Pascual pitched a complete game giving up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine Nats and upped his record to 7-11. The Twins had 9 hits with seven going for extra bases including two home runs by Earl Battey who also had a double and one home run by Ted Lepcio. All this action in just 2 hours and 5 minutes. Box Score
