(click on images once or twice to make them larger)
2023 – The Twins beat the Orioles at Oriole Park in Camden Yards in Baltimore by a score of 8-1, snapping their three-game losing streak. It marked their largest margin of victory since a 16-3 win on May 14 vs. Chicago-NL. Pablo López (4-5) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on three hits in 6 innings (100 pitches, third consecutive start in triple digits) pitched, with three walks and six strikeouts. The offense recorded 13 hits (first time in over a month), six going for extra-bases. Byron Buxton led the club with a 2-for-4 night, including a three-run jimmy jack in the top of the fourth inning. Royce Lewis had three hits for the third time in his last nine games. Joey Gallo (14) and Max Kepler (11) each homered. Minnesota finished 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Was it the players-only meeting? Moving Carlos Correa to lead-off? Or just a quirk? The Twins regained first place and now are 41-42 and finished June with a 12-15 record and were outscored by 15 runs. Box Score
2022 – The Twins lost to the Guardians at Progressive Field by a score of 5-3, suffering their second-consecutive walk-off defeat and third on the season. Chris Archer was the starter but did not factor in the decision, allowing one run on one hit in 4 innings pitched with a career-high tying six walks. Twins pitchers combined for a season-high 10 walks. Tyler Thornburg (0-1) took his first Twins blown save and his first Twins loss. The offense recorded seven hits, as Jose Miranda drove in all three Twins runs with a third-inning double. The starting staff finished the series going 2-0, 1.29 ERA (28.0 IP, 4 ER) while the bullpen went 0-3, 4.96 ERA (16.1 IP, 9 ER) with three blown saves. Andres Gimenez’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth was his first career walkoff hit. The Twins completed their five-game roadtrip in Cleveland with a record of 2-3, suffering two consecutive walk-offs. Box Score
2021 – The Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox by a score of 13-3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Bailey Ober (0-1) was the starter and loser, allowing five runs on four hits in 3.1 innings pitched. The pitching staff allowed a six home runs. Matt Shoemaker pitched 2.2 innings of relief and gave up 8 earned runs on 7 hits, three of which were home runs. This turned out to be Shoemaker’s final outing in a Twins uniform. The Twins offense on the other hand had just five hits, two from Nelson Cruz who doubled (11) and homered (18). Josh Donaldson (13) and Gilberto Celestino (2) also homered. Box Score
2020 – The Twins would be taking on the Tigers in Detroit today but then you remember that nothing has changed, all the games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. 86 games missed so far.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has informed Minor League Baseball (MiL) that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020.
“These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that we’ve had a summer without Minor League Baseball played,” said Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner. “While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment.”
2019 – The White Sox scored twice in the third and two more times in the sixth and held on for a 4-3 win over the visiting Twins and took the series 2 game to one. Rookie Lewis Thorpe made the start for the Twins making his big league debut and pitched 5 innings (70 pitches) allowing just two runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 but he did take the loss. All-Star Lucas Giolito upped his record to 11-2 for the mighty whities. The games was played in 2 hours and 47 minutes but neither pitcher went more then five innings due to a two hour and 54 minute rain delay after the fifth inning, The Twins had just 6 six with no one getting more than one. Nelson Cruz’s hit was a home run, his 16th of the year. The Twins head out for Oakland with a 53-30 record and a 8 game lead. Box Score.
2018 – There were 40,950 baseball fans packed into Wrigley Field to see the Twins take on the Cubs in what was a hot and miserable day for baseball. The Twins lost Bobby Wilson, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler for heat-related illness while the Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. exited because of cramping related to Saturday’s heat storm. Things got so bad for manager Molitor that he had an outfield of Logan Morrison in left, Robbie Grossman in right and recent call-up Willians Astudillo a catcher/third baseman playing center field. The temperature on the field reached 123 degrees, and the heat index hit 107 degrees in the fifth inning. Though the temperature at first pitch was 91 degrees with a heat index of 101 (both were down five degrees from yesterdays 4 p.m. start), the Cubs announced that the heat index had increased to 96 degrees with a heat index of 107 by the time Rosario required medical attention. Yesterday’s game with a 96/106 was the hottest game at Wrigley Field since July 2011. The Twins jumped to an early lead but lost it, than regained and then lost it again and in the sixth inning the game was tied 9 to 9. In the seventh innings the Cubs got 4 hits and 2 walks and scored 5 times to take the lead and the game 14-9. Adalberto Mejía made his season debut, allowing four runs on six hits in 4.0 innings pitched but did not get a decision. Eddie Rosario hit a home run and had 2 hits before he left the game and Joe Mauer, Robbie Grossman and Ehire Adrianza also had 2 hits each. With two out in the ninth inning Twins manager Paul Molitor needed a pitch-hitter but he had no one left so he called on pitcher Jake Odorizzi to give it a try and he did but grounded out weekly to end the game Box Score
2005 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1995 – Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became only the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history to reach 3,000 hits when he singled in the sixth inning off Twins starter and loser Mike Trombley at the Metrodome in a 4-1 Indians win. Dennis Martinez goes 8 innings for the win and ups his record to 7-0. Murray joined Pete Rose, the career hits leader with 4,256, as the only switch-hitters with 3,000 or more hits. Box Score
Eddie Murray joins 3,000-hit club
1981 – MLB on strike.
1978 – No game today. The Twins were going to play the Chicago White Sox at the Met today but the game was called on account of rain and has been rebooked at part of a DH on July 2.
1977 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1976 – Twins outfielder Larry Hisle has a game to remember as he goes 3 for 4, scores a run, knocks in another and sets a team record by stealing 4 bases in one game. Kansas City Royals pitcher Pal Splittorff and catcher Buck Martinez are the unlucky victims but they get the last laugh as the Royals score the last four runs and they beat the Twins 4-2 at Met Stadium. Eddie Bane goes six innings for the Twins but gives up three runs and takes the loss. Box Score
1961 – Only 7,055 fans were in Municipal Stadium in Kansas City to watch Twins starter Jack Kralick pitch a complete game, scattering five hits and allowing just two runs. All the runs in the game were scored in the third and fourth innings as the A’s got two runs and the Twins got eight runs, thanks to a seven run fourth inning in which they beat up on three KC pitchers to the tune of 6 hits, 4 walks (1 intentional) and a passed ball. In spite of the 8-2 final score, there were no Twins home runs . Billy Martin led the Twins hit parade going 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and Zoilo Versalles, Jim Lemon and Lenny Green each chipped in two hits. In an odd sequence of events in the third inning the Twins had a triple, a double, a triple and ended up with just a single run, hard to do you say? Here is how it happened, Kralick struck out to start the inning, Green tripled, Martin was thrown out at third trying to stretch a double into 3 bases scoring Green and Killebrew followed with his triple but Allison struck out to end the inning. Almost back to back to back triples. Kralick’s win upped his record to 7-5 and Joe Nuxhall dropped to 4-5 for the A’s. The win was the 29th against 45 losses for Minnesota on the season which ended June with a dismal record of 10-21. Box Score
