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2024 – The Twins beat the Red Sox by a score of 3-1 at Target Field, extending their winning streak to 12 games while securing the series victory. The 12 straight wins ties the second-longest winning streak in club history, which was achieved in 1980. Pablo López (3-2) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on five hits in 6 innings pitched, with one walk and eight strikeouts. Jorge Alcala (0.2), Steven Okert (0.1), Jhoan Duran (1.0) and Cole Sands (1.0, SV) combined to pitch 3.0 scoreless innings of relief. The offense recorded eight hits, two from both Willi Castro and Max Kepler, as Kepler hit his second home run of the season, a 405-foot solo shot to right-center field. Willi Castro has hit safely in a career-high 10 straight games, it marks the longest on the club this season. Box Score
2023 – The Twins beat the White Sox in Chicago by a score of 7-3 in 12 innings, avoiding the three-game sweep. Pablo López was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 7 innings pitched, with one walk and eight strikeouts. The bullpen combined for 5 innings pitched with one hit allowed and six strikeouts. The offense recorded just five hits but walked a season-high eight times. Carlos Correa hit his fourth home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning to make it 2-1 and Byron Buxton hit his team-leading eighth homer in the eighth inning to tie the game at 2-2. The game was scoreless after that until Minnesota scored five runs in the top of the 12th inning on two hits, three walks and an error. The Twins set a Minnesota-era record and tied the franchise mark (since 1901) by issuing five intentional walks. The win in Chicago gave Rocco Baldelli his 306th career managerial win, passing Paul Molitor and moving into sole possession of fifth place on the Twins all-time managerial wins list. Lucas Giolito started for Chicago but took a ND for his work over 7 innings (101 pitches) allowing two hits and one run while striking out seven. The Twins are now off to Cleveland to take on the Guardians. Box Score
2022 – The Baltimore Orioles show Twins starter Dylan Bundy (3-2) no mercy and jump on him for six runs in the third inning on five hits including two home runs and then in the next inning score three more on four hits send Bundy to an early shower. All toll, in 3.2 innings Bundy gave up a career-high nine earned runs on two walks and career-tying 11 hits. In their last eight games, the bullpen has combined to go 3-0, 0.91 ERA (29.2 IP, 3 ER) with opponents hitting just .165. The Twins had eight hits, including two from Trevor Larnach. Carlos Correa hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave him 500 career RBI. The Twins hit into five double plays. The Twins 9-4 loss ended their four game winning streak. Box Score
2021 – The Twins faced former Twins starter Kyle Gibson the first time and he gave up home runs to Byron Buxton and Willians Astudillo but only gave up 3 runs on 3 hits over 8 innings and still left the game down 3-1 at Target Field. J.A. Happ started for Minnesota and left after allowing one run on 4 hits over 5.1 innings. But some things never change and the Texas Rangers came back with two runs in the ninth off Taylor Rogers and sent the game into extra innings. Brandon Waddell the fifth Twins pitcher of the day made his fourth and final appearance for the Twins to start the tenth with a phantom runner on second. Waddell retired the first batter but then gave up a two run home run and allowed a third run before being pulled from the game. But it was too late as the Twins couldn’t score off Ian Kennedy in the bottom of the tenth and came away 6-3 losers in a game that they were out hit 11 to 4. Waddell (0-1) was the loser and was gone on waivers to Baltimore a couple of days later. Box Score
In off the field news, the Twins were saddened to learn that Ray Miller the Minnesota Twins tenth manager passed away today at the age of 76 in Weirton, West Virginia. The 40 year-old Miller replaced Billy Gardner as the Twins manager on June 21, 1985 and went on to finish the 1985 season with 50-50 record. The 1986 Twins played poorly 59-80 under Miller and on September 12 Miller was relieved of his duties and third base coach Tom Kelly was named as the interim manager to finish out the season. Miller’s record as the Twins manager was 109-130.
2020 – The Twins would have been home at Target Field today playing the San Francisco Giants and Dan Gladden would have been in his element but as we all know, the season thus far has been postponed/canceled due to COVID-19. Counting today it means we have missed 35 games so far. Rumors abound that MLB is discussing realigning MLB to three division and starting play in late June or early July.
2019 – The Twins break their eight game losing streak to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium when they beat the Yankees by a score of 7-3. Jake Odorizzi (4-2) was the starter and winner, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with two hits allowed, four walks and eight strikeouts. Twins bats recorded 12 hits, three from lead-off hitter and catcher Mitch Garver, who hit his sixth home run of the season. Nelson Cruz (7) and C.J. Cron (6) each homered as well. The Twins scored in six different innings, including each of the final five. Box Score
2018 – The mighty whitey’s jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on a Jose Abreu two-run home run off Twins starter Jose Berrios but the Twins quickly over took the White Sox and won the game at Guaranteed Rate Field by a score of 6-4. Eduardo Escobar, a former White Sox had a huge day going 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, a double, scored twice and had 3 RBI. Brian Dozier who was moved to the two-hole by manager Molitor after a long slump responded with a 3 for 5 day with a home and a triple and an RBI. Logan Morrison also chipped in a home run. Box Score
Logan Morrison and Jake Odorizzi came away greatly encouraged after spending close to two hours Friday morning at Rush University Medical Center visiting with former Tampa Bay Rays teammate Danny Farquhar. Two weeks earlier, Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage and a ruptured aneurysm after collapsing in the Chicago White Sox dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field. “He was upset that they put him on the 60-day (disabled list),” Odorizzi said with a chuckle. “He seemed pretty optimistic that he was going to be able to pitch again. Just knowing him and who he is, we’ll see him pitch again.”
Odorizzi presented Farquhar, a 31-year-old reliever, with the Twins cap he wore in his honor during his start at Yankee Stadium on April 23. Odorizzi wrote “FARQ” on the front of the cap in silver sharpie.
1999 – The Twins beat the Yankees 8-5 at the Metrodome as rookie Mike Lincoln gets his first major league win and the Twins get victory number 3,000. Ron Coomer and Torii Hunter each had three hits and two runs scored. Box Score
1998 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1990 – No game today. Today’s game in Milwaukee has been rained out and will be made up as part of a September 3 double-header.
1984 – In the fourth inning of the Twins-A’s game, Oakland’s Dave Kingman hit a ball into one of the Metrodome roof’s drainage holes and the ball never came back down. Kingman’s pop-up had gone up 180 feet and into one of the seven-inch drainage holes in the inner layer of the roof. The umpires gathered to discuss the event that had never happened before in a major league game and awarded Kingman a ground rule double. In the ninth inning Kingman homered for Oakland’s only run and the Twins won 3-1. Frank Viola pitched 7.2 scoreless inning for the win and Ron Davis notched the save. Before the game the next day, a Dome worker found the ball and let it fall on the field to a waiting Twins outfielder Mickey Hatcher, he dropped it. You can see the actual event here at about the 15 second mark of the video. Box Score
1982 – Minnesota Twins’ rookie outfielder Jim Eisenreich, who suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome, removes himself from the game due to taunts from Boston Red Sox bleacher fans at Fenway Park. The Twins are up 3-1 after just two innings but the Red Sox score four runs in the bottom of the third inning on four hits and a Twins error and hold on for a 5-3 victory. Jesus Vega and Lenny Faedo get four of the Twins eight hits. Box Score
1975 – The Minnesota Twins retired their first number ever, HOF Harmon Killebrew’s number 3. Harmon, playing for the Kansas City Royals, hit his first ever home run against the Twins and it was at Met Stadium in a Twins 6-3 win over the Royals. Vic Albury gave up the long ball to Harmon in the first inning. Both teams scored three runs in the first inning but it was all Twins after that. Twins starter Vic Albury lasted just two innings and was relieved by Jim Hughes who finished the game with 7 scoreless innings and allowed just 4 hits and earned his first major league win and a spot in the starting rotation. Hughes ended the season with 16 wins. On the hitting side Twins first baseman Craig Kusick contributed with his first home run of the season. Twins shortstop Sergio Ferrer had 4 hits in 4 at bats along with a walk, scored a run and stole a base. Box Score
Stew Thornley wrote the following in the Halsey Hall chapter of SABR “Old-timers may remember a promotion by Tootsie Rolls in 1975 to commemorate the one millionth run in major league history (with only the history of the American and National leagues being recognized). The countdown came down to Sunday, May 4, 1975. At Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota, the Twins held a pre-game ceremony to retire the number of Harmon Killebrew, who then homered in the first inning for the Kansas City Royals. In the bottom of the second, Rod Carew was on third for the Twins with no out. Teammates, monitoring the progress of runs that day, yelled at Carew that he was in line to score the millionth run. When Steve Brye hit a fly to right, Carew tagged and raced for home. However, the strong arm of Al Cowens nailed Carew at the plate, taking away his chance for the millionth run. Soon after Bob Watson of the Astros, in the first game of a doubleheader in San Francisco, scored on a home run by Milt May and took the honor. The run came at 12:52 Pacific time. Watson was on second and ran as fast as he could to reach home. He reportedly crossed home plate at Candlestick Park four seconds before Dave Concepcion, who had homered in Cincinnati and also beat cheeks around the bases. Carew, by being thrown out by Cowens, missed out on the prize: $10,000 and 1 million Tootsie Rolls”.
Bob Watson and the story of Major League Baseball’s One Millionth Run
Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson scored MLB’s two millionth run on May 29, 2021 at Target Field in a game against the Kansas City Royals.
1974 – Less than 3 months after pitcher Dick Woodson wins MLB’s first salary arbitration case, the Twins exile him to the New York Yankees for pitcher Mike Pazik. Owner Calvin Griffith swore he would never pay Woodson the money and he held true to his word.
1972 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1970 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1969 – The Minnesota Twins with Dick Woodson on the mound are cruising with a 2-0 lead after six innings but the White Sox strike back in the top of the seventh with three of their own, knocking Woodson out of the game and taking a 3 to 2 lead. The Twins fight back in the eighth with a bases empty pinch-hit home run by Graig Nettles and then score the go-ahead run on a single by Cesar Tovar after a walk by Manual, Uhlaender reached on an error putting runners at the corners so the White Sox loaded the bases with an intentional walk to Reese and then Tovar delivered his big single. Ron Perranoski once again came in and shut the door for the eighth Twins win in a row and their third consecutive series sweep. The 32-year-old Joe Grzenda picked up his first win as a Twin and his second career victory. Ironically, his first win was back in May of 1961, eight years earlier when he was pitching for the Detroit Tigers and he picked up a win in relief against these very same Chicago White Sox. Catcher George Mitterwald had a nice day going 3 for 3. The 13-7 Twins now have a 2.5 game lead in the Western Division. Box Score
1961 – Twins starter Jim Kaat was wild in the first inning allowing 3 hits and two walks to the first place New York Yankees and they jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and held on for a 5-2 victory and a series sweep. Kaat lasted just 1.1 innings and the loss dropped his record to 1-2. Billy Gardner had two of the Twins six hits and Lenny Green and Harmon Killebrew each had an RBI. Twins pinch-hitters were 0-for 3 on the day bringing their season mark to 0 for 28. Yankee starter Whitey Ford pitched 6 innings to up his record to 4-1 and upped his career record against the Senators/Twins to 25-6. Box Score
