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2023 – The Twins beat the Rangers at Globe Life Field by a score of 9-7 in 10 innings, making them 12-7 in extra inning games this season. It marked their 34th comeback win this season, tied for ninth most in baseball. Dallas Keuchel was the starter and first of a season-high nine pitchers used. Keuchel allowed five runs on five hits in 3.1 innings pitched, while the eight relievers combined for 6.2 innings with two runs allowed on just four hits. The offense recorded 13 hits, four from Donovan Solano, who tied his career high and marked his seventh career four-hit game. Solano also homered in the third inning, his fifth of the season. Minnesota went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position and recorded six runs with two outs. Box Score
2022 – The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off opener Joe Kelly but ended up losing to the White Sox in Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field by a score of 4-3 in walk-off fashion, their sixth walk-off defeat of the season. Sonny Gray was the starter but did not faction into the decision, allowing two runs on five hits in 4 innings pitched, exiting with right hamstring tightness. Jorge López (4-7) suffered the loss, allowing a run to score on a fielder’s choice in the ninth inning. Twins bats recorded eight hits, two each from Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda. Nick Gordon drove in all three Twins runs with a two-run double in the first inning and a groundout in the eighth inning. The Twins have no lost 6 road games in a row dating back to August 13. Box Score
2021 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2020 – The Twins beat the White Sox by a score of 8-1 at Target Field, winning the three-game series. José Berríos (3-3) was the starter and winner, allowing one run on three hits in 6 innings with eight strikeouts. Berríos improved to 12–2 in 16 career starts against the White Sox, the 12 wins are the most any pitcher has against any team since 2016 according to Elias. And there was a Josh Donaldson sighting, Donaldson, the most expensive FA in team history this past off-season last played on July 31 and has been on the IL since, missing 30 games. Donaldson returned from the Injured List (calf) and went 2-for-5, driving in two runs. Miguel Sanó also went 2-for-5, hitting a solo home run (8) and a double — the 99th of his career. Jake Cave (2) and Eddie Rosario (8) also pitched in with homers. Box Score
2019 – The Twins beat the Tigers by a score of 4-3 after Max Kepler‘s two-out, two-run single in the eighth rallied the Twins to victory. Jake Odorizzi was the starter but got a ND after allowing three runs on five hits in five innings pitched. Zack Littell (3-0) got his third win. Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez each had 3 hits and Ehire Adrianza hit his fifth home run of the season. With their 85th win the Twins have gone 6-1 through seven games on their 10-game road-trip. They are now off to Boston. Box Score
2018 – Just when you think things can’t get any worse, our Twins find a way. The Twins who have been fiddling with an OPP (Opener than a primary pitcher) strategy in their minor league system for a month or so decided to use it in the game today. This pitching strategy was started by Tampa Bay this season and they have used it off and on with some success. This strategy means that a reliever starts the game and goes an inning or two and then a starter comes in and goes as long as he can. The point apparently is to lower the number of times the starter has to face the top of the opposing line-up as statistics show the more times you face a player the more the odds shift in favor of the batter. That said, the Twins employed this strategy for the first time with Gabriel Moya as the opener. Moya however; after retiring the first batter walked the next and then gave up a two-run home run before getting the side out in the first inning putting the Twins in a 2-0 hole. After that things went down hill. Zack Littell the primary went four innings and gave up 3 runs, Tyler Duffey was only able to retire one of 6 batters he faced and gave up 5 runs, Matt Belisle came in and hit Adrian Beltre with his third pitch and was ejected without retiring a batter and was charged with a run, Alan Busenitz finally got the last 2 outs of the inning but gave up the final run in a nine run sixth inning for the Rangers making it 12-0. Addison Reed pitched the seventh inning and gave up the 13th run and complained about Belisle being ejected and so he too was ejected. It was a 13-0 game before the Twins finally scored two runs in the eighth inning at Global Life Park in Arlington but all that seemed to do was to irritate the Rangers who took it out on first baseman Chris Gimenez who was asked by Molitor to pitch the eighth inning and Texas scored 5 more runs on 6 hits including two more home runs bringing the Texas total to six home runs in the game. But the Twins still had the ninth inning and they responded with two more runs on a two-run home run by “pitcher” Chris Gimenez. The last Twins pitcher to homer in a game was Jim Kaat back in 1972. Does this count as a home run by a pitcher? Gimenez is really a catcher by trade but he was the pitcher of record at the time. I say it counts… So when the game finally ends after just 3 hours and 9 minutes the scoreboard at the ballpark reads Texas 18 and the Twins 4. Oh, add three more errors to the Twins season total. Jake Cave also hit a home run for Minnesota. After the game the Twins moved on to Houston. Box Score
The Twins also announced that Byron Buxton will not be called up in September and that raised a ruckus with Twins fans who are assuming that it is just the Twins being cheap because if Buxton gains two more weeks of big league time he would be a free agent a year sooner than he will if he doesn’t get that two weeks of big league time this September. Buxton apparently did not like the move either as he packed his bags two days before the Rochester Red Wings season ended and went home. A grievance could be filed soon.
2010 – It took 13 innings and five solo home runs but the Detroit Tigers finally beat the Twins at Target Field 10-9. The Twins had a 7-3 lead after seven innings but the Tigers tied the game with four in the top of the eighth inning. The Twins scored in the bottom of the inning to take an 8-7 lead only to have the Tigers tie it at 8-8 in the ninth. Off to extra innings where each team score in the eleventh inning knotting the game at 9-9. The Twins ran out of relief pitchers and brought in starter Nick Blackburn as their eighth pitcher of the game to pitch the thirteenth inning and he gave up the fifth Tigers home run of the game to Gerald Laird to put the Tigers ahead 10-9. Jose Valverde pitched a clean bottom of the thirteenth inning and earned the win. Blackburn took the loss dropping his record to 8-9. Michael Cuddyer, Danny Valencia and Jose G. Morales each had three hits in the game. The Twins as a team had 15 hits and they were all singles, not an extra-base hit in the bunch. The nine runs scored by the Twins is the most runs they have ever scored in a game without an extra base hit. With the loss the Twins remain in first place with a 77-57 record. Box Score
1999 – Keep your “Wells” straight. Blue Jays pitcher David Wells pitched a complete game allowing just four hits and beat the Twins 6-1 at the Skydome in Toronto. The Twins bunched three of their four hits in the second inning to score their only run. Twins pitcher Bob Wells pitched in relief and struck out Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells. Box Score
1982 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1971 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1970 – No Game Today, rained out in Milwaukee and will be played tomorrow (9/3).
1967 – Dave Boswell pitches a complete game 6 hit shutout and the Twins coast to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers and Denny McLain at the Met in 2 hours in 15 minutes. Twins lead-off hitter Ted Uhlaender is the hitting star with a 3 for 4 night with 3 RBI with 29,155 Twins fans looking on. Box Score
1965 – A tough day at the old ballpark today as the fourth place Detroit Tigers derail the first place Twins 5-4 at Met Stadium as Tiger pitcher Joe Sparma goes 7 innings without allowing an earned run. Twins starter Jim Merritt took the loss. Don Mincher hit a home run and Zoilo Versalles and Tony Oliva had two safety’s each. Twins outfielder Bob Allison really had a bad day when he tied a major league record by striking out 5 time in 5 at bats against Tiger hurlers Joe Sparma (4 times) and Orlando Pena (once). Box Score
1961 – The Boston Red Sox drew first blood against the Twins when they scored a run in the first off Twins starter Don Lee and scored again in the top of the fifth taking a 2-0 lead before the Twins countered with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 2-1 game. Red Sox starter Bill Monbouquette and Twins starter Lee kept it scoreless the rest of the way. The Twins did threaten in the bottom of the ninth when Hal Naragon, who had replaced Earl Battey in the sixth inning after he hurt his finger, singled to start the inning. Ramos replaced Naragon as the pinch-runner and promptly moved to second on a sacrifice by Bill Tuttle and Zoilo Versalles beat out a slow roller to the left of the pitchers mound putting runners at the corners with just one out and Lee due up. The Twins announced that Joe Altobelli would hit for Lee and the BoSox countered with Arnold Early coming into pitch for Monbouquette so the Twins countered again and brought in Ted Lepcio to hit for Altobelli. Lepcio then hit an easy hopper to Red Sox third baseman Frank Malzone who started the twin killing through second base to end the game and give the Red Sox the 2-1 victory. The Twins out hit the Red Sox 9 to 6 and the Red Sox committed two errors to none for Minnesota but the Red Sox put up one more run than did the Twins. Versalles had three hits and Billy Martin added two hits. The Twins loss mathematically eliminated them from any chance of catching the league leading Yankees. Lee who took the loss saw his record drop to 3-5 but in his fathers eyes his son pitched a heck of a good game. Thornton Lee should know, he himself pitched in the big leagues for 16 seasons and won 117 games for the Indians, White Sox and New York Giants. Thornton Lee was a lefty and his son Don was a right-hander. The Twins announced that they had called up minor league players Lamar Jacobs, Dan Dobbek, Ted Sadowski, Lee Stange and Don Mincher for their September cup of coffee once their minor league seasons ended. According to the Star Tribune the Twins also called up an 18-year-old Tony Oliva from class D Wytheville but only to work out with the team. B-R.com shows Tony Oliva as being 22 and the Star Tribune reported Oliva as being 18. The following season (1962) Oliva was again called up in September and made his big league debut. So how old is Tony O? I am not sure anyone knows for sure. Box Score
1958 – Minneapolis announces a $9 million bond issue to expand Metropolitan Stadium to 41,000 seats. City alderman Byron Nelson predicts it is a “dead cinch” that Washington will move here.
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