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2023 – The Twins lost to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park by a score of 4-1. Sonny Gray (4-2) was the starter and loser, allowing three runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings pitched, with one walk and five strikeouts. The score was knotted at 1-1 until a three-run seventh inning from Atlanta, highlighted by homers from Marcell Ozuna (solo) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2-run). Twins bats recorded six hits, walked twice and struck out 12 times. Joey Gallo provided the only offense for the Twins, hitting a solo home run in the second inning. The Twins have now failed to score more than one run 16 times this season. The 40-40 Twins still remain in first place and have a 1.5 game lead. Braves starter Spencer Strider (9-2) struck out 10 and got the win. Strider currently leads MLB in strikeouts. 40,884 attended the game. Box Score
2022 – The Twins beat the Rockies in a Sunday afternoon game at Target Field by a score of 6-3, scoring five of the six runs in the first two innings and winning their 12th series of the season (12-7-4). Joe Ryan (6-3) was the Twins starter and winner, allowing three runs on a career-high eight hits in 5 innings pitched, eclipsing 100 pitches for the third time this season (102). Jhoan Duran earned his fifth save in as many chances with a scoreless ninth inning. The Twins offense recorded 10 hits, including three from Byron Buxton, who fell a home run short of the cycle. Buck also walked and scored three runs. The Twins completed their six-game homestand with a record of 3-3 and their home record stands at 23-17. The Twins now hit the road to Cleveland and Texas. The news broke on the flight to Cleveland but the the Twins announced after the flight landed that pitching coach Wes Johnson has accepted the role of pitching coach at Louisiana State University. Johnson’s final day with the Twins will be Thursday, June 30, at the conclusion of Minnesota’s five-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Johnson, 51, has served as the Twins pitching coach since 2019. Prior to that season, he was hired by Minnesota from the University of Arkansas, becoming the first pitching coach in major league history to go from the college ranks directly to the majors. Box Score
2021 – No game today. Rained out in the middle of a drought. The Minnesota Twins have announced that today’s 1:10 p.m. game against the Cleveland Indians has been postponed due to inclement weather (rain) and will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Tuesday, September 14. The first game will be the makeup of today’s game and will start at 1:10 p.m., followed by the regularly-scheduled game at 6:40 p.m. Per Major League Baseball rules for the 2021 season, both games of the September 14 doubleheader will be seven-inning contests.
2020 – The Twins would have been playing the Colorado Rockies at Target Field today but then you remember that nothing has changed, all the games this season have been postponed/canceled due to COVID-19. 83 games missed so far.
2019 – The Twins score in just two innings against the Tampa Rays but they score 3 in the first inning and 3 again in the seventh inning and that is plenty in a 6-4 win at Target Field in front of 31,650 cheering fans. Jake Odorizzi started against his former team but ended up with a ND after going just over 5 innings. Trevor May was credited with the win (3-1). Nelson Cruz was the hitting star with 3 hits and 3 RBI while Luis Arraez and Eddie Rosario each had two hits. Rosario sprained his ankle and had to leave the game and ended up going on the IL. Box Score
2018 – The Twins game against the AL Central last place White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field is delayed by 108 minutes but they finally get it going. The Twins take a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning but can’t do anything with their bats after that as Sox pitchers retire the last 15 Twins batters in a row and take the first game of the series 8-4 out-hitting the Twins 12-6 and when you add in two Twins errors it adds up to a Twins loss. In he sixth inning Lance Lynn the Twins starter slipped on a rain-soaked field when he tried to field Matt Davidson’s leadoff come backer and then knocked down Leury Garcia’s hard grounder, which would have gone for a 4-6-3 double play. Instead of two outs and nobody on, Lynn found himself in trouble and he was out of the game after Kevan Smith blooped a single to load the bases. One of Lance Lynn’s eight strikeouts (Jose Abreu) was the 1,000th of his career. Brain Dozier and Ehire Adrianza each hit home runs and Adrianza also had two RBI. Box Score
1985 – The Royals score in the first inning on a walk, an error and a wild pitch but that would be the only KC run that would cross home plate on this day as Minnesota’s Ken Schrom one-hits Kansas City at the Metrodome, but needs a 2-run single from Roy Smalley in the bottom of the 9th to secure the 2-1 victory. Willie Wilson’s 3rd-inning single is the only Royals hit. The is the first one-hitter that a Twins pitcher has thrown in the Metrodome and the 11th in Twins history. Schrom threw 116 pitches and only 42 were called balls. In the bottom of the ninth the Twins loaded the bases against Charlie Fleurant with one out and Ray Miller called on Roy Smalley to pinch-hit for Mickey Hatcher while KC brought in Dan Quisenberry to pitch. Smalley delivered a walk-off two-run single and the Twins snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Box Score
1981 – MLB on strike.
1980 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1977 – The huge crowd saw a heck of a ballgame, a total of 31 runs, 34 hits, and 15 walks in just nine innings and a Twins win over the hated White Sox is a ball game to remember. Rod Carew scores 5 runs, knocks in 6 more while going 4 for 5 raising his average to .403 on Jersey Day where every jersey handed out is Carew’s number 29. Teammate Glenn Adams drives in 8 setting a team record as the Twins beat the White Sox 19-12 at the Met. Tom Johnson pitches 6.2 innings of relief to get the win.
Here is a short excerpt from an article called Metropolitan Stadium that written by Stew Thornley -“The biggest day of the season came on Sunday, June 26, as the Twins played the Chicago White Sox. With first place in the West Division at stake and the fans receiving a replica Carew jersey as a giveaway, a crowd of nearly 47,000 turned out for a wild game. Glenn Adams provided the early fireworks with a grand slam en route to a team-record eight RBI in the game. The Twins took an 8-1 lead, only to have the White Sox cut the gap with six runs in the third inning. The parade across the plate continued for both teams, unimpeded by even an alcohol-laced fan who interrupted the game in the bottom of the fourth by climbing to the top of the foul pole in left field. The Twins won the game, 19-12. Carew had four hits, scored five runs, and drove in six, capping his performance in the last of the eighth inning with a home run that raised his batting average to .403 and drew another long ovation from the fans.”
That alcohol-laced fan mentioned mentioned above was non other than Stew Thornley himself who went on to become the Twins official scorer for many years.
Adams’ 8 RBIs, Carew’s 5 runs lead Twins in slugfest (SABR game write-up)
1975 – No game today, scheduled day off. The Twins lose to Tacoma 11-7 in a ISEG played in Tacoma.
1973 – The Minnesota Twins are in Chicago at White Sox Park and starter Joe Decker (2-2) won his second game of the season when he pitched a CG 4-0 shutout in a game that was over in a tidy 2 hours and 9 minutes. Decker allowed just 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 15 becoming only the second Twins pitcher to do so. Camilo Pascual struck out 15 in a game back in 1961. Wilbur Wood 14-10 pitched a CG also but took the loss. Rod Carew had three hits and scored once and Jerry Terrell chipped in 2 more hits and scored twice. It didn’t hurt the Twins chances that Chicago comitted two errors. Box Score
1968 – No game today
The ML Executive Council proposed that both the AL and NL play 162-game schedules starting in 1969 and operate two 6-team divisions.
1964 – Gerry Arrigo pitches the Twins first ever one-hitter when Mike Hershberger singles to right leading off the ninth inning and breaks up Arrigo’s no hit bid but the Twins prevail 2-0 over the White Sox at Met Stadium in the first game of a twin-bill. Arrigo who was originally signed by the Chisox struck out eight and walked one and hit a couple of batters along the way. Harmon Killebrew hit his 24th home run of the season and that was all the runs the Twins needed.
In the second game the boys from Chicago bounced back and beat the home-town Twins 9-4. The Twins out homered (Oliva, Killebrew and Allison) the White Sox 3 to 2 but it was too little too late as Juan Pizarro went 8 innings for the victory. Camilo Pascual lasted just 4 inning allowed five runs and took the loss.
1961 – No game today, scheduled day off.