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2023 – The Twins shut out the Guardians at Target Field by a score of 1-0, Minnesota’s first 1-0 win this season and first since June 23, 2022 vs. Cleveland. It was the Twins’ fourth shutout this season, and first at home. Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, pitching 6 shutout innings, with four hits allowed, no walks and three strikeouts. Jhoan Duran earned his eighth save with 1.2 scoreless innings pitched and three strikeouts. Of Duran’s 26 pitches thrown, 15 were thrown at 100.0+ mph as he maxed out at 104.6 during an at-bat against Myles Straw in the ninth inning, matching a career/season-high. It marked Duran’s 10th career save at Target Field, moving him into sole possession of sixth on the Twins’ all-time Target Field saves list, passing Jon Rauch (9), whose number 60 home pinstripe jersey was spotted in front of the pressbox last night. Jorge Polanco drove in the Twins’ only run with a seventh inning double. Brock Stewart (2-0) was credited with the win and Nick Sandlin (2-3) took the loss.The Twins record now stands at 31-27. Box Score
2022 – The Twins lost to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon by a score of 3-2. Chris Archer was the Twins starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on three hits over a season-high 5 innings pitched. Jhoan Duran pitched two perfect innings of relief to hold a 2-1 lead, but Emilio Pagán allowed a two-run homer to Daz Cameron with one out in the bottom of the eighth. The offense recorded just five hits, two from Nick Gordon, who walked, scored the Twins’ first run and doubled in their second. The loss marked just the Twins’ second this season (26-2) when leading after seven innings. The Twins have gone 1-4 through five games on their eight-game, seven-day roadtrip and are no off to Toronto to play the hottest team in the American League. Box Score
Minnesota Twins broadcaster Jim Kaat referred to New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes as “Nestor the Molestor” during the broadcast, the second offensive remark in the past year by the 83-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher while calling a game. Kaat, a longtime commentator who has also worked for the Yankees and MLB Network, apologized in October after saying teams should try to “get a 40-acre field full of” players who look like White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada.
2021 – The Twins lose to the Orioles at Camden Yards by a score of 6-3, dropping the series two games-to-one. The Twins used five rookies in the lineup in Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Nick Gordon, Ryan Jeffers and Gilberto Celestino, who made his major league debut, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Randy Dobnak (1-5) was the starter and loser, allowing three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The offense recorded six hits, two from Jeffers, who homered for the first time this season and tripled for the first time in his professional career. Jeffers became the first Twins catcher with a triple and homer in the same game since Marcus Jensen on April 19, 2000. Box Score
2020 – The Twins are home and playing the Tampa Rays. The fly in the ointment is that all the games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. We have now missed 62 games. Late yesterday MLB proposed giving the players their pro-rated pay to play in 2020 but the season would be only 50 games long. Oh my!
2019 – The Twins hold on and beat the Rays 9-4 and in the process take 3 of 4 games in the series. The win is number 40 this season making the BOMBA SQUAD the first MLB team to win forty (40-18) games. This is the earliest in franchise history a Senators/Twins team has won that many games. Starter Jake Odorizzi threw 108 pitches in six innings allowing 3 hits and 1 walk and struck out 9. Miguel Sano who lost a home run the other day when the ball bounced off a speaker and was caught by a Rays player for an out was the hot bat with a 3 for 3 day with two doubles, two runs and a RBI. CJ Cron who was 2 for 3 had a nice bases clearing double that gave him 3 RBI. The Twins pack their bags for Cleveland. Box Score.
2018 – The Twins beat the Indians by a score of 7-1. Lance Lynn was the starter and winner, allowing one run on just two hits in 6.0 innings, the bullpen combined for 3.0 scoreless innings of relief. Eddie Rosario hits the Twins long ball while Brian Dozier and Logan Morrison had two hits each. Box Score
2017 – The Twins take on the Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim and come up winners of an 11-5 game when they have two four-run innings. The Twins hit three home runs including one by Joe Mauer who went 4 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBI. My friend Randy Rosario made his major league debut going the final two innings and giving up three runs. Box Score
The Twins trade Jason Wheeler to the LA Dodgers and receive cash in return.
2016 – Eduardo Nunez’s lead-off inside-the-park homer was a sign of things to come for the Twins, as they pounded out a season-high 15 hits in a 6-4 win over the Rays at Target Field. Twins starter Phil Hughes did not have his “A” game and lasted but four innings so Twins reliever Taylor Rogers came in to pitch two hitless innings of relief to earn his first big league win. Brian Dozier also chipped in a home run and DH Byung Ho Park went 3 for 2 with two doubles. The bad news? The win upped the Twins record to a pathetic 16-37. The Nunez inside the park home run was a first for a Twins player at Target Field and the first ever lead-off inside the park home run by a Twin. Box Score
2003 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1994 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1986 – It only took 2 hours and 18 minutes for the Blue Jays to beat the Twins 3-1 at Exhibition Stadium as Toronto starter Jim Clancy went 8 innings for the win and allowed the Twins just three hits along the way. Starter Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game and normally it would probably be good enough for a win but it was not to be today. First baseman Kent Hrbek had 2 of the Twins 3 hits. The Twins lost their third game in a row and their record now stands at a dismal 19-31. Box Score
Officially ending his Hall of Fame career about six months after MLB owners did it for him, Rod Carew announced his retirement. A victim of collusion after the 1985 season, Carew failed to get any suitable offers for what would have been his age-40 campaign. Nine years later, he’d be awarded $782,000 in damages for his lost wages. Carew finished his career hitting .280 in 127 games for the Angels in 1985. It was the only one of his 19 seasons in which he wasn’t named to the AL All-Star team. Carew ended his career with 3,053 hits. Carew hit .328 with 92 homers and 1,015 RBI in 12 seasons with the Twins and seven with the Angels. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1967 and its MVP in 1977, when he hit .388 and drove in 100 runs for the only time in his career. He ended up winning seven batting titles and finishing first in the AL in the OBP four times. Both the Twins and the Angels retired his number 29. SABR Bio.
1975 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1969 – Minnesota starter Jim Kaat didn’t let a sore groin muscle stop as he pitched a complete game allowing the visiting New York Yankees just six hits in a 3-2 win at Metropolitan Stadium. Kaat who injured his groin in spring training received a cortisone shot just 20 minutes prior to his start. The game started at 7 pm which was a unusual start time that was required because the game was a back-up for a national TV audience. The New Yorkers got off to a quick 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run home run by Bobby Cox. Yes, that is the same Bobby Cox that went on to manage all those great Braves teams and ended up in the Hall of Fame as a manager. The Twins bounced back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning on walk by Uhlaender, a Kaat single and then with two on and two out Harmon Killebrew brought them home with his 11th long ball of the season. The win extended the teams lead in the AL West to 1.5 games. Box Score
1961 – A 58 minute rain delay as the game started just postponed the inevitable as Tigers starter Jim Bunning shuts out the Twins 2-0 at Tiger Stadium allowing just four hits and two of those belonged to Zoilo Versalles. Jack Kralick allowed just six hits in seven innings but two of them were home runs by Rocky Colavito and Al Kaline. Bunning was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veteran’s Committee. Box Score
In off the field news Twins owner Cal Griffith opened his wallet for the second day in a row when the team spent $50,000 to sign their second bonus selection in as many days when they inked Joe Nossek a slugging outfielder from Ohio University.
