May 8 – This Day in Twins History
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2024 – The Twins beat the Seattle Mariners at Target Field by a score of 6-3. Chris Paddack (4-1) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on eight hits in 5 innings pitched, with one walk and 10 strikeouts. Jhoan Duran earned his third save of the season and 20th of his career at Target Field, tying Brandon Kintzler for fourth most in the ballpark’s history (since 2010). The offense recorded seven hits, three being home runs from Carlos Correa (2), Trevor Larnach (3) and Willi Castro (3). Correa and Larnach went back-to-back in the first inning and Castro hit his in the second inning. The Twins have gone 8-2 in their last 10 home games after starting the season 2-6 in their first eight at Target Field. Box Score
2023 – No Twins game today, they have a scheduled day off.
2022 – A MOTHER’S DAY SWEEP: The Twins beat the A’s on Sunday afternoon at Target Field by a score of 4-3, marking their third consecutive one-run victory. It marked the first time since August 21-23, 2015 (4-3, 3-2, 4-3 at Baltimore) in which the Twins won three straight one-run games. Chris Paddack was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings pitched, exiting in the third inning due to right elbow inflammation. Cody Stashak (3-0) (2.2), Caleb Thielbar (1.0), Joe Smith (1.0), Tyler Duffey (1.0) and Emilio Pagán (1.0) combined for 6.2 scoreless innings of relief with Stashak getting the win. The offense recorded nine hits, three from Gilberto Celestino, who set a career/season-high. Box Score
2021 – Paybacks are a bitch. After beating the Tigers 7-3 a day earlier, the Twins lose to the Tigers 7-3 at Comerica Park in a game that the Twins never led. The Tigers struck first on a Robbie Grossman leadoff homer, the first leadoff shot allowed by the Twins this season. Twins tied it in the fifth on a two-run homer off the bat of Josh Donaldson but it was all down hill after that. Detroit regained the lead thanks to a five-run seventh; four of those runs were charged to Tyler Duffey, who took his second loss of the season. Derek Law who was just called up from AAA St. Paul relieved Duffey and made his Twins debut with two-out and the bases loaded and he gave up two singles and two walks before he was able to get the innings final out. The Twins loaded the bases in the ninth but as has been the norm this season did not score. Twins went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 16 runners on base, their most since June 18, 2019 vs. Boston (also 16 LOB). Thus far this season the Twins have scored two ninth inning runs in 32 games. José Berríos was the starter and did not factor into the decision despite his second quality start, allowing two runs on six hits, with five walks and one strikeout. The five walks Jose Berrios gave up in his six innings, the most since Aug. 9, 2018, at Cleveland, when he allowed a career-high six in a single game. 20 Losses the Twins have already, marks the fourth time since 2011 they’ve lost at least 20 of their first 32 games. In those previous 2011, 2012 and 2016 seasons, the Twins finished in last place. Jorge Polanco who is finally starting to hit was 3 for 5 and Josh Donaldson was 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Trevor Larnach the Twins first round selection (20th overall) in 2018 made his major league debut today and was 0 for 4 (and was HBP) played in LF and hit fifth in the order. Box Score
2020 – The Twins are still home and would have taken on the Kansas City Royals for the first time this season but as we all know it did not happen. So far all games this season have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. We have now missed 38 games.
2019 – The Twins score seven times in the first three innings and go on to sweep (fifth sweep of the season) the Blue Jays 9-1 and out-score the Blue Jays 20-1 in three games. Kyle Gibson (3-1) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on two hits in 6 innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. The offense recorded 18 hits, five from Jorge Polanco, his second five-hit game this season, and they hit four two-run homers: Polanco, Eddie Rosario, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop. The first place 23-12 Twins completed their six-game road trip with a record of 4-2 and head home for a seven game home stand with a four game lead in the division. Box Score
2018 – The Twins sweep the two-game series in St. Louis when they beat the Cardinals 7-1 and out hit them 10 to 2. Three Cardinal errors didn’t help the home team either. Jake Odorizzi was the winner going five innings and allowing both hits and one run. The hitting stars were Eduardo Escobar who was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 RBI and Eddie Rosario who went 2 for 5 and scored 3 times. Box Score
2017 – Minnesota Twins trade utility man Danny Santana to Atlanta Braves for cash and left-handed pitcher Kevin Chapman.
2013 – The Twins scored four runs in the top of the first inning at Fenway Park, the Red Sox countered with a five-run bottom of the first only to see the Twins raise them by scoring seven runs in the top of the second. This was only the second game in major-league history in which a team scored at least four runs in the top of the first, the home team then scored more runs in the bottom of the first, which was then topped by the road team in the top of the second. The only other game with such an odd line score was played on September 9, 1894 between the Brooklyn Grooms and St. Louis Browns in the second game of a doubleheader. Brooklyn scored four runs in the top of the first, St. Louis responded with five runs in the bottom of the first and then Brooklyn came up with six runs in the top of the second inning. Twins starter Pedro Hernandez last 2 innings and Red Sox starter Allen Webster last 1.2 innings, it was that kind of day. Twins reliever Ryan Pressly pitched 4 scoreless innings and got the “W”. Twins outfielder Oswaldo Arcia had 4 of the Twins 19 hits. The Twins ended up winning the game 15-8. Box Score
1984 – Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett became the 6th player in AL history to collect four hits (all singles) in his first major league game as the Twins beat the California Angels 5-0. Kirby goes on to become a Twins legend and a MLB Hall of Famer. Frank Viola pitches a complete game (one of ten that season) allowing just four hits and striking out six and earns the win, one of 18 he will win in 1984. No one even mentions the home runs that Tom Brunansky and Tim Laudner hit in the game. Box Score
1980 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1979 – The Twins beat up on the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 16-6 at Met Stadium in front of only 3,126 home town fans and in the process set a team record of 12 extra base hits mixed in their total of 19 hits. Doubles were hit by Willie Norwood, Bombo Rivera hit 2, Ken Landreaux, Glenn Borgmann, and Bobby Randall. John Castino added a triple, while Roy Smalley and Craig Kusick each hit two home runs and Kenny Landreaux contributed one home run to the cause. The Twins were actually behind in this game in the early going but put the pedal to the metal and coasted to victory. Twins reliever Mike Bacsik pitched 3.2 inning of hitless scoreless relief and got credit for the victory. Box Score
1978 – No game today. The Twins were supposed to play the Yankees in New York but he game was rained and will be played on July 30 as part of a DH.
1977 – The Twins jump on Blue Jays starter Jesse Jefferson for 10 hits and 5 runs in 4.2 innings and hold on for a 5-4 victory at Exhibition Stadium. Twins starter Dave Goltz got his first win (1-2) of the season in his seventh start. Goltz goes on to win 20 games for the first and only time in his career in a league leading 39 starts and league leading 284 innings pitched. First baseman Rod Carew goes 4 for 5 with two triples and a double, scores twice and has 1 RBI. Starting on this date in 1977, Rod Carew maintained a .400 batting average over a span of 167 games, through May 21, 1978. Box Score
1975 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1974 – No game today, Twins versus Milwaukee Brewers game at County Stadium is rained out and rescheduled for July 5 as part of a DH.
1969 – No Game Today – at least none that counts in the standings. The Twins were scheduled to play the San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee County Stadium but the 10,000 fans that showed up were told that the game had been rained out. The exhibition game was part of a plan by Bud Selig to try to get baseball back to Milwaukee after the Braves left for Atlanta.
1968 – 27 batters up and 27 batters down. Oakland’s “Catfish” Hunter pitches a perfect game against the Twins in front of only 6,298 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum winning 4-0. The 22-year-old right-hander hurls the first AL regular season perfecto in 46 years. He strikes out 11 and drives in 3 of the A’s 4 runs. Dave Boswell was the Twins starter and loser. Box Score
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1967 – Rod Carew becomes the first Minnesota Twin to get 5 hits in a single game at Metropolitan Stadium but they lose the game to the Senators 7-4 when they allow the Senators to score six runs in the seventh inning. No one besides Carew got more than one hit and the Twins came out on the short end. Al Worthington added the “L” to his record. Carew accomplished this feat three times at the Met wearing a Minnesota uniform. The only other Twins players to have 5 hits in a Met Stadium game were Leo Cardenas and Ted Uhlaender. Box Score
1961 – Scheduled day off