May 24 – This Day in Twins History
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2023 – The Twins end slump with a wacky 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants at Target Field. The game had some of everything. A leadoff home run, wild pitch, passed ball, sacrifice fly, runner thrown out at home from second, three errors by the Giants in a single inning and four bases stolen by the Twins that included a rare double steal of home. Joe Ryan (7-1) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on six hits in 5 innings pitched. Ryan is now one of three pitchers in baseball with at least seven wins, joining Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (8) and Zach Eflin (7). The bullpen combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings as Jhoan Duran finished off the game with 0.2 innings and threw three pitches at 104-plus mph, marking the fastest velocities for a Twin in the Statcast era (since 2015). The offense recorded seven hits as Edouard Julien hit his first career leadoff home run and Ryan Jeffers hit his second home run of the season. Willi Castro stole two bases, including a swipe of home on a double steal, marking the Twins’ first steal of home since Clete Thomas also did so on a double steal on August 3, 2013 vs. Houston. Bring on those Blue Jays. Box Score
2022 – The Twins shut out the Tigers, 2-0, winning their sixth-straight game and clinching their fourth-straight series victory. Sonny Gray (2-1) was the Minnesota starter and winner, tossing a season-high 7 shutout innings while allowing four hits and one walk, with 10 strikeouts – his 11th career 10-plus strikeout game and the first by a Twins pitcher this year. The Twins out-hit Detroit 8 to 5 and Gio Urshela (3), Luis Arraez (2), and Jose Miranda (2) had 7 of the 8 hits. The win pushes the Twins record up to 27-16 which will turn out to be their high-water mark for the season. Box Score
2021 – The Twins are back home at Target Field to face the lowly Baltimore Orioles. The Twins beat the Orioles last night by a score of 8-3, holding a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning before a 45-minute rain delay. After the delay, Jorge Alcala allowed a two-run home run to DJ Stewart but the Twins responded with a six-run bottom of the eighth. Matt Shoemaker was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on five hits in six innings pitched. The offense recorded 12 hits as five different players had multiple hits. Kyle Garlick hit his second home run in as many days and Trevor Larnach hit a 461-foot shot into the Delta Sky360° Club. Alcala who blew the save got his first win of the season. Box Score
2020 – The Mighty Whitey’s drop by at Target Field to take on the Twins in a four-game week-end set. But as we all know it did not happen. So far all games this season have been postponed/canceled due to COVID-19. We have now missed 54 games.
2019 – The Twins catch a weather break finally as they take on the Chicago White Sox at Target Field and 29,638 fans show up to watch the winning Twins on a 72 degree evening. With their ace on the bump Twins fans are expecting a victory but after just two inning Baldelli’s boys find themselves down 4-3. However; the Twins bats keep banging away and they score 2 in the third, 3 in the fourth, 2 in the fifth and 1 in the seventh and when the final score is posted the Twins whip the lads from Chicago 11-4 with Jose Berrios upping his record to 7-2. The Twins get home runs from Eddie Rosario who has four hits, Max Kepler who has three hits and Miguel Sano who only has the one hit but scores three times. The Twins have now hit 101 home runs in 50 games. The MLB-best Twins record improved to 34-16. Box Score
2018 – No Game Today
2013 – The Twins lose their 10th game in a row (season long losing streak), 6-0 and get one hit in the process off Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez in Comerica Park. Joe Mauer singles in the ninth with one out to break up the no-hitter. Mauer had previously broken up no-hitters in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz on August 23, 2010 at Texas as he tried to finish off a combined no-hitter started by Rich Harden and again off Gavin Floyd of the White Sox in Chicago on May 6, 2008. Sam Deduno takes the defeat for Minnesota. Box Score
2007 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2004 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1979 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1977 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1974 – Two sub .500 teams battle it out at Met Stadium as Minnesota hosts the Texas Rangers at Met Stadium. Unbeaten high school phenom David Clyde who had a 101 temperature started for the Billy Martin’s Rangers and the Twins sent Bert Blyleven to represent them. Clyde didn’t make it out of the third inning as the Twins Larry Hisle and Haarmon Killebrew both hit home runs and Clyde was gone after giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks.
1972 – In one of the best pitching duels in Twins history, the Twins Jim Kaat and the Royals Dick Drago go hammer and tong for eleven scoreless innings before the Twins Danny Thompson doubles to center to lead off the top of the 12th inning off Drago and then Rod Carew singles him home for the games only run. The Twins Wayne Granger comes in to shut down the Royals 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 12th for the save. Drago was the tough luck loser pitching all 12 innings, facing 43 batters, giving up 6 hits, one walk while striking out 13 Twins batters. Kaat pitched 11 innings for the win and held the Royals to 5 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 7 of the 40 Royals he faced. The game took 3 hours and 15 minutes and only 8,381 fans saw a pitching duel for the ages at Municipal Stadium that day. Boy, if they counted pitches back then the old clicker would have really had a good work-out. Box Score
1971 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1969 – The Twins break their three game losing streak and win for just the second time in their last eight games when Jim Kaat pitches a complete game allowing five hits as the Twins beat the Yankees 2-1 at Yankee Stadium. The only run that Kaat gave up was unearned and he threw 113 pitches as he won his fourth game of the season. Tony Oliva was 2 for 4 with an RBI but was caught stealing twice and Leo Cardenas also had two hits and a RBI. Box Score
1967 – The Chicago White Sox have their hitting shoes on and pummel the Twins at Met Stadium 14-1. Sox first baseman Tom McCraw becomes the first opponent to have a 3 home run game against Minnesota as he goes 3 for 6 with 8 RBI and 3 runs scored. Ken Berry gets 4 hits and J.C. Martin and pitcher Gary Peters who gets a complete game win get 3 hits apiece. Box Score
1964 – Twins lose two to the O’s on the East coast before flying to the West coast to take on the Angels. In the first game 37-year old right-hander Robin Roberts uses just 95 pitches to shut out Minnesota on just 5 hits while striking out six to win his 260th career game. In game two the Twins and Orioles are tied 4-4 after 8 innings. Left fielder Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins hit a long 475-foot shot to left-center over the hedge off right-hander Milt Pappas in the 8th inning becoming just the second player (Boog Powell) to do so. In the top of the ninth Twins pitcher Bill Pleis leads off with a single, his only hit that season, but Baltimore starter Milt Pappas retires Versalles and Rollins and that brings up Tony Oliva who promptly hits a home run scoring Pleis ahead of him and the Twins are looking at a split. The Orioles reply quickly with a home run by Jerry Adair and it is a one run game at 6-5 Twins. However, a walk, a single, a Rollins throwing error and a sac fly by Luis Aparicio and the Orioles walk-off the Twins 7-6 in spite of being out-hit 13-4 and sweep the DH.
1961 – The Twins outhit the visiting first-place Bengals at Met Stadium 11-9 but they commit the games only two errors and go 0-6 with runners in scoring position and guess what? You bet, they lose 5-4 and stretch their losing streak to five in a row and their record slipped below the .500 mark for the first time this season to 18-19. Camilo Pascual (4-4) didn’t have his best stuff and lasted just 4.2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, on 6 hits and 3 walks. Pascual’s scoreless streak ended at 20 innings. Don Mossi (Ears) went 6 solid innings to up his record to 5-0. Zoilo Versalles had a big day at the plate going 4 for 5 with a home run and a double, scored twice and knocked in two. Harmon Killebrew continued his home run tear hitting number 11. The Tigers got home runs from future hall of famer Al Kaline and Rocky Colavito. Box Score.
