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2023 – The Twins lost to the Guardians on Sunday afternoon by a score of 2-1 at Target Field. Joe Ryan (7-3) was the starter and loser, allowing two runs on just two hits in 6.2 innings pitched, facing the minimum through six innings. The Twins abysmal offense recorded five hits and out-hit the Guards 5-3, however, Minnesota struck out 16 times, tying their season-high. Willi Castro provided the only run for the Twins, hitting a solo home run off Enyel De Los Santos in the eighth inning. The Twins now take a day off and hit the rod for Tampa. Attendance was 23,629. Box Score
2022 – Pay-backs can be a bitch. The Twins lost to the Blue Jays and former Twin Jose Berrios (4-2) at Rogers Centre by a score of 12-3, the largest margin of defeat this season. Dylan Bundy (3-3) was the starter and loser, allowing six runs (5 earned) on eight hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Ian Hamilton made his Twins debut with 2.2 innings of relief, becoming the 28th pitcher used by the Twins this season, marking the most in baseball. It is also already the sixth most the Twins have used in a season (36 in 2017). The offense recorded six hits and struck out a season-high 15 times. Jorge Polanco provided the only offensive highlight, hitting a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Box Score
2021 – It wasn’t pretty from the Twins perspective at Kauffman Stadium as the Royals jumped on Twins pitching for 13 runs in the first two innings to put a 14-5 pasting on the visiting Twins. Matt Shoemaker (2-7) was the Twins starter and loser, allowing nine runs (8 earned) on six hits in 0.1 innings pitched. Willians Astudillo made his third pitching appearance of the season and bottomed out at 41.3 mph on a pitch. The offense recorded 11 hits, three from Nick Gordon, who singled twice and hit his first career major league home run, a solo shot off Wade Davis. Jorge Polanco (6) and Miguel Sanó (10) each added homers as the Twins homered for the 15th-straight game. Box Score
2020 – The Twins are home and the Angels show up for a four-game set. Nothing has changed, all the games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. We have now missed 64 games.
2019 – The Twins had scored three-or-more runs in 26 consecutive games, dating back to May 6 at Toronto, a single-season franchise record but that streak came to end when the Cleveland Indians beat the Twins 5-2 at Progressive Field. The overall franchise record is 30 consecutive games, spanning two seasons, from September 14, 2003-April 23, 2004. Rookie Devin Smeltzer (0-1) was making his second big league start and didn’t have the control he exhibited in his first game but still pitched 6.1 innings (82 pitches) allowing just 5 hits and 3 walks. All five Cleveland runs came via the four home runs that Smeltzer gave up. Twins batters were held to five hits with Marwin Gonzalez getting a home run (7) and double. Eddie Rosario hit his league leading 18th home run and knocked in his league leading 50th RBI. Even with the loss to the Indians today, the Twins (40-19) have a 10.5 lead in the division. Box Score
The Twins crack marketing staff continues to work on getting more fans to come out to Target Field. Their newest plan is: Raising a glass to their hometown fans, the American League Central Division-leading Minnesota Twins today announced the “First Drink on Us” ticket special, presented by Budweiser, for four June home games at Target Field: June 11 and 13 vs. Seattle, and June 25 and 27 vs. Tampa Bay. Each $15 Ballpark Access ticket purchased through this promotion will come with $10 worth of loaded value, which fans can redeem at any Target Field concessions, bar or restaurant location for the beverage or food of their choice. Twins “First Drink on Us” tickets, presented by Budweiser, can be purchased while supplies last through 10:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 6. Subject to availability of course.
2018 – No Game Today
2012 – The Twins selected Byron Buxton with the second overall selection in the MLB First-Year Player Draft after Houston selected Carlos Correa first overall. Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent prior to the 2021 season.
2002 – In its 23-2 win over Cleveland at the Metrodome, Minnesota had four players with four hits, four players with at least three RBIs and four players with at least three runs scored. In the seventh inning, the Twins set a franchise record with 10 runs in the frame — Minnesota batted around before making an out. The Twins had a franchise-record 25 hits. Yet, the game only lasted 3 hours and 14 minutes. Leading the Twins hit parade were Luis Rivas who was 4 for 6 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI, Jacque Jones was also 4 for 6 with 5 RBI, Dustan Mohr was 4 for 6 with 3 RBI and A.J. Pierzynski was also 4 for 6. Rick Reed was the lucky recipient of all the runs and pitched seven frames for the win. The Twins also set a team mark for their largest margin of victory at 21 which broke the mark of 19 set May 20, 1994 in a 21-2 victory over the Red Sox. The Indians matched their most lopsided loss in history — 21-0 to Detroit on Sept. 15, 1901. Box Score
Twins set records and send Cleveland spiraling with 23-2 win by Stew Thornley
1982 – Brad Havens and Terry Felton combined to shut out Baltimore 6-0 at the Metrodome, snapping the Twins’ club-record 14-game losing streak and upping their record to 13-41. The last-place Twins were 3-26 in the month of May. To boost attendance, Twins president Calvin Griffith promised fans that they could purchase tickets for a future game for a buck if the Twins won the game and broke their losing streak. Twins shortstop Ron Washington led the hitting attack with a 3 for 4 day with a home run, outfielder Gary Ward also hit a home run. Havens got the win and Felton got the first of his three career saves. Box Score
1980 – No game today. The Twins versus the Red Sox game at Met Stadium was rained out and was rescheduled for July 25 as part of a DH.
1976 – Larry Hisle becomes the third Twins player ever to hit for the cycle as he does so in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium in a 10 inning Twins 8-6 victory. The Twins are down 6-0 after two innings but manage to keep the birds off the scoreboard for the rest of the game to snatch the win. Dave Goltz lasts just 1.2 innings and gives up six earnies so Tom Burgmeier comes in and throws 6.2 innings of scoreless relief but it is Bill Campbell who pitches the final 1.2 scoreless innings that gets the win. In addition to Hisle going 4 for 5, Rod Carew chipped in with three hits including a triple. Box Score
1973 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1971 – With the 21-27 Cleveland Indians coming to town, six games into a nine game home stand the 26-25 Twins were in for a bit of a shake-up thanks to Twins skipper Bill Rigney. Rigney changed his infield for the game. After playing 42 games at second base, Rod Carew was moved from second base to third and Steve Braun shifted from third to second. Rigney told sportswriters, “We talked it over before, and Rod has been working out at third for several days. I would have started him there sooner, but I didn’t want to have two men at new positions against teams like Baltimore and Detroit.” Carew offered that he would play “wherever Rigney wants me. Bert Blyleven was the Twins starter and the Indians went with Alan Foster. In the first inning the Indians put three on the board and the Twins scored just one. Cleveland added to their lead in the top of the sixth and were ahead 4-1. The crowd at the Met of 10,494 experienced a torrential 20-minute rain delay one pitch into the bottom of the sixth inning. Once play resumed, Oliva hammered his league-leading 12th homer, 443 feet into the bullpen area in right-center field. After Killebrew grounded out and Holt flied to center, the heavy rain returned, and, with a 2-and-1 count on Braun, play was delayed another 43 minutes before the game was called on account of a tornado touchdown in nearby Burnsville. Reports of tornado activity around the Twin Cities occurred throughout the evening, and about 60,000 homes lost electrical power. Cleveland won the weather-shortened game, 4-2. Both pitchers went the distance with Foster (4-2) picking up the win and Blyleven (6-6) taking the loss. Box Score
Tornadoes don’t twist Twins’ fortunes by Gordon J. Gattie
1969 – The Twins score twice in the fifth inning at Met Stadium and break-up a scoreless pitching duel between the Yankees Mel Stottlemyre and the Twins Tommy Hall. The most exciting play was probably in the eighth inning when Rod Carew stole home for the fifth time this season as part of a triple steal with Killebrew and Roseboro. The Twins went on to win 4-2 and sweep the New Yorkers out-of-town. Hall went 7.2 innings for his third win and Ron Perranoski finished up for his 12th save. Rod Carew whose average sits at .399 and Leo Cardenas each had three hits in the game. The Twins flew to Denver after the game to play an exhibition game against their AAA Denver farm team. Box Score
1962 – No Twins game, schedule day off.
1961 – The Twins take on the league leading Tigers as 32,761 baseball fans pack Tiger Stadium and most go home happy, a number of them with Tiger home run balls in their pockets as the home town Bengals pound the visiting Twins 10 to 4 and hit five home runs in the process. Tigers starter Frank “Yankee Killer” Lary won his eighth game against just 3 losses logging his eighth complete game in 12 starts this season. Camilo Pascual went the first seven innings and allowed two of the five home runs and was nailed with his sixth loss against just four wins. Ed Palmquist relieved Pascual and probably wished he hadn’t. Palmquist retired the first batter he faced in the eighth inning but then gave up a single, a SB, then back-to-back home runs followed by a single, another home run and a double making the score 10-1 before Cookie Lavagetto had to take him out and burn another pitcher to get the final two outs of the inning. Jose Valdivielso and Julio Becquer each hit their first home runs of the season for Minnesota but it was not nearly enough to prevent the Twins eighth straight loss. Box Score game one
Game two didn’t go much better for Minnesota as the Tigers greeted Twins starter Jim Kaat with a three run blast from Rocky Colavito in the first inning and another three run blast from Bubba Morton in the second inning. Kaat fought back and lasted six innings but he took the loss and his record now stood at 1-5. Twins reliever Ted Sadowski who got the final two outs in the first game came in again in game two but the Tigers got to him too as he gave up the Tigers third home run of the game and 3 runs on 4 hits over the final two innings. Manager Lavagetto even tried coaching first base himself starting in the third inning but it did not help much. Tigers reliever Paul Foytack (3-3) relieved starter Bob Bruce and got credit for the win with 6.1 innings of stellar relief allowing just two runs on four hits. Harmon Killebrew broke an 0-15 slump with two hits and Billy Martin had two hits. The two losses dropped the Twins record to 19-28, thirteen games behind the high flying Tigers. Just when you think things can’t get any worse, the Twins get to fly to New York to play two games again tomorrow after having burnt through their best starters against the Tigers. Box score game two
