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2023 – The Twins lost to the Guardians by a score of 2-1 at Progressive Field, after scoring 28 runs in the previous two games of the series. Joe Ryan (10-9) was the starter and loser, allowing two runs on four hits in 4 innings pitched, with one walk and three strikeouts. Louie Varland made his bullpen debut, pitching 3 shutout innings with one hit allowed. Varland is being prepped to pitch out of the bullpen if the Twins make the playoffs. The offense recorded just two hits, one from Royce Lewis and one from Andrew Stevenson. Stevenson drove in the club’s only run with a fifth-inning single to left field. Minnesota completed their six-game roadtrip with a record of 4-2 and now head home to take on the New York Mets after a day off. Box Score
2022 – No Game today. Twins vs Yankees game in New York was rained out and will be played as part of a single admission twinbill tomorrow.
2021 – The Twins, still managed by Bill Evers because Rocco Baldelli is still on paternity leave beat the Indians at Progressive Field by a score of 5-2. Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 4 innings pitched with no walks and four strikeouts. Michael Pineda (5-8) made his return from the 10-day Injured List (left mild oblique strain), and earned the win by pitching 3 shutout innings of relief — the first relief appearance of his career. Byron Buxton hit his eleventh home run of the season. The offense recorded 12 hits but the big story was Jorge Polanco. Polanco went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Polanco is the sixth player in Twins history (since 1961) with a four-extra-base hit, one-homer game, joining Cesar Tovar (1967), Kirby Puckett (1987), Rich Becker (1996), Corey Koskie (2001) and Nelson Cruz (2020). The four extra-base hits tied a Twins single-game record (since 1961); Polanco became the seventh player to achieve the feat (9th occurrence). The others were Tovar (1967), Puckett (1987 and 1989), Becker (1996), Koskie (2001), Michael Cuddyer (2005) and Cruz (2019 and 2020). Since July 1, Jorge Polanco is hitting .320 (73-for-228) with 15 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 52 RBI, a .363 on-base percentage, a .632 slugging percentage and a .994 OPS. Box Score
2020 – The Twins allowed double digit runs for the second time this season and once again it proved to be costly as they lost 10-8 to the Detroit Tigers at Target Field ending their five game winning streak. Twins starter Rich Hill had things under control for five innings and then when the Twins scored four times in the bottom of the fifth things looked good, good enough for Rocco Baldelli to pull Hill after 77 pitches and turn it over to the bullpen with a 6-2 lead. The Twins bullpen of Trevor May, Tyler Duffey, Sergio Romo and Devin Smeltzer imploded allowing 11 hits and 8 runs over the last four innings. Sergio Romo (1-2) was tagged with the defeat. Five different Twins had two hits each with Eddie Rosario hitting his ninth home run. Although the Twins committed two errors, the club still leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage and have committed the fewest errors on the year, with 13. Box Score
2019 – The Twins come up on the short end of a 6-2 game at Target Field when the Indians tie the game at 2-2 in the eighth inning and score four more in the top of the eleventh inning for the win. Starter Michael Pineda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing just one run on four hits in 6 innings pitched as he threw 107 pitches while striking out ten. Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler each had two hits. Polanco recorded his 50th multi-hit game, the first Twin with 50-plus multi-hit games since Joe Mauer (55) and Denard Span (54) in 2009. With the loss the Twins lead over Cleveland drops to 5.5 games. Twins rank fifth in the AL in total attendance, having drawn 1,967,619 this season, trailing the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Astros. Box Score
2018 – No Game Today
2012 – No Game Today
2011 – The Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox at Target Field 3-0 and were shut out for the second straight game in what continues to be a miserable season. For the first time since I have been going to Target Field, I saw empty seats everywhere, there must not have been 20,000 people in attendance. Granted it was the first day of school but couple that with the Twins poor play and football around the corner, many fans have put the Twins on the back-burner. The highlight of the night for me was that for the first time in their history, the Twins started three rookies that they had just called up and made their major league debut. Liam Hendriks (#62) was the starting pitcher, Joe Benson (#63) started in center field and hit lead-off and Chris Parmelee (#64) was at first base. The last team to do so was the San Diego Padres when they started four rookies in 1986. Hendriks took the loss although he pitched seven innings allowing 4 hits, 3 walks while striking out 4. Benson was 0 for 3 with a walk and Parmelee was 2 for 4. Box Score
2010 – The Twins beat the KC Royals 5-4 with the help of home runs from Jason Kubel and Jim Thome. Thome’s 585th career homer was a solo shot deep to right field off Sean O’Sullivan that hit the top of the flag pole just behind the overhang seats, bouncing off the blue and white stars of the American flag. A fitting feat it seemed as fans gathered at the ballpark on Labor Day afternoon. “He threw a change-up and I was fortunate to square it up,” Thome said, as he cracked a slight grin. “It feels very good when you square one up like that and it does that.” The Twins’ baseball communications staff first estimated the home run at 464 feet, but after watching replays it was eventually announced at 480 feet. That is the longest homer in Target Field history todate, as Thome broke his own record of 449 feet, which he set two days earlier. Jeff Manship who relieved starter Kevin Slowey got his second win of the season. Box Score
2007 – No game today, scheduled day off.
2005 – The Texas Rangers score 4 runs in the top of the ninth inning on a Mark Teixeira 3-run home run off closer Joe Nathan at the Metrodome and beat the Twins 10-7. Prior to this defeat the Twins had been 52-0 when leading after eight innings. Third baseman Juan Castro had two hits including a home run and a double and knocked in 2 runs as well. DH Matt LeCroy and second baseman Brent Abernathy also had two hits each. Box Score
But not all the action was on the field, Twins starter Kyle Lohse might have dented more than a door when he took out his frustration after being pulled from his start after just two innings. Lohse dented manager Ron Gardenhire’s office door, apparently with a bat, injured his finger and might have permanently fractured his already strained relationship with the Twins according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He also might have jeopardized his place in the rotation and on the team’s roster. Soon after leaving tonight’s game after giving up five runs in two innings, Lohse went into the clubhouse and damaged Gardenhire’s door, denting the metal door and breaking the doorknob and dented the door to the locker room next to the manager’s office, according to the paper. Lohse said he was upset that the coaching staff didn’t “stand behind me and say, ‘We’ve got your back.’ ” “It’s about winning,” manager Gardenhire told the paper in response to the tantrum. “If you don’t understand that, take a hike out of the clubhouse, because we’re going to try to win whether you’ve got somebody’s back or not. Whatever that means.” Lohse, who has had a tenuous relationship with club officials over the past three years, underwent X-rays and was wearing a bandage on his right middle finger but told the paper if he missed his next scheduled start, Monday at Detroit, “it’s not going to be because of” the injury to his finger. X-rays on the finger showed no damage.
2002 – The Twins ended The Oakland A’s historic winning streak at 20 games when they shut out the A’s at the Metrodome 6-0 behind Brad Radke’s 113 pitch complete game six-hitter. The A’s came up 1 game short in their attempt to match the second longest winning streak in baseball history. For the first time in 11 years, the Homer Hanky made its return to the Metrodome in Minneapolis in hopes of halting the A’ record-setting 20-game winning streak. Minnesota, who went 8-0 in World Series games (1987 and 1991) at the home as the waving towels became the trademark of Twins fans saw the magic continue as Minnesota blanked Oakland. Corey Koskie led the Twins attack with 3 hits in 3 at bats with a home run, double, HBP, and 2 RBI. Box Score
1987 – Milwaukee’s Teddy Higuera hurls his third straight shutout‚ beating the Twins 6 – 0‚ on 2 hits, 3 walks while striking out 7 Twins at the Metrodome in front of 36,586 fans. Kirby Puckett singled in the first inning and Mark Davidson singled in the third inning and that was it for Minnesota. Steve Carlton who started for Minnesota went seven innings allowing two runs on three hits and six walks. Carlton did fan six Brewers along the way. Box Score
1979 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1974 – No game today, scheduled day off.
1968 – Denny McLain notches win number 28‚ beating the Twins‚ 8 – 3 in Tiger Stadium as he strikes out 12 Twins batters. The Tigers score 4 runs off Jim Kaat before the first out is recorded, most of the damage is caused by Willie Horton’s three-run home run. Kaat gets rocked for six runs in just three innings and takes the loss. Minnesota rookie Graig Nettles, playing in right field hits his first career home run off Denny McLain. Cesar Tovar has three of the Twins nine hits. Box Score
1964 – For the second time in 4 days and the third time in his career‚ Zoilo Versalles has the only hit for the Twins. The Twins only manage to get one hit off Red Sox starter Bill Monbouquette at Met Stadium in a short 2 hour and 5 minute game but they make it count and get a 2-1 victory and in the process win their first game ever when the team only gets one hit. With the Twins trailing 1-0 with 2 outs in the 6th inning, Rich Rollins reaches second base on an error by Red Sox Tony Horton and then Zoilo Versalles steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the park. Gerry Arrigo is credited with the win and Al Worthington gets a 3 inning save. The tough luck loser is Monbouquette. Box Score
1962 – No Game Today, scheduled day off
1961 – The Twins faced one of the hottest pitchers in baseball in game one of a twin-bill at Met Stadium against the visiting Chicago White Sox and Juan Pizzaro a 24-year old southpaw pitched his sixth straight complete game win as he led his team to a 6-3 victory. The Twins scored two in the bottom of the first frame when Earl Battey hit his fifteenth home run of the season deep to left scoring Bob Allison ahead of him for a 2-1 lead but Pizzaro kept the Twins off the board until Lenny Green hit a home run (9) in the seventh inning for the Twins final run of the game. Pizzaro (13-5) has allowed just 32 hits over his last 54 innings while striking out 59. In addition to his complete game, Pizzaro was 2 for 4 with the stick and scored once. Twins starter Pedro Ramos took the loss dropping his record to 10-17 after going just 4.1 innings and allowing six runs on 12 hits. Ramos who is prone to giving up the long ball gave up just the one today (36th on the season) and it was an inside-the-park home run by Nellie Fox. Oddy, Fox has hit two home runs this season, both off Ramos. Bill Pleis and Don Lee finished the game with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. Green had a good day at the plate with 3 hits including his home run and Battey who had the other homer had two hits. Box Score game one
Come catch with Battey 090861.pdf
Game two went into extra innings knotted at two runs apiece. White Sox starter Don Larsen went the first 9.1 innings allowing just two runs on 4 hits before being relieved. Larsen gave up both the runs on three hits in the third inning and didn’t give up another hit until Bill Tuttle singled in the tenthing inning. Camilo Pascual the Twins starter wasn’t as effective but he pitched out of trouble as needed. The tenth inning proved to be his undoing as two Twins errors behind him and a double pushed two White Sox runs across home plate as the White Sox took a 4-2 lead. After Tuttle’s single in the tenth off Larsen, Warren Hacker retired Zoilo Versalles and then Turk Lown retired PH Julio Becquer for the games final out and 17,898 fans went home disappointed. Pascual pitched a complete ten inning game but saw his record drop to 12-15 as he gave up four runs but just two earned on ten hits and four walks. Tuttle who was 2 for 4 was the only Twins hitter with more than one hit. Box Score game two
1954 – On this day in 1954 the Washington Senators played a black ballplayer for the first time. His name was Carlos Paula and he was from Havana, Cuba. The 26 year-old Paula started in left field for the Senators seven years after Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut. Paula went 2 for 5 with a double and knocked in 2 runs in a 8-1 win in game 1 of a DH against the Philadelphia A’s. The Senators lost game 2 by a 3-2 score at Griffith Stadium. Only the Yankees in 1955, the Phillies in 1957, the Tigers in 1958 and the Red Sox in 1959 broke the color-line later than did the Senators/Twins franchise.
Carlos Paula: Baseball’s First Black Senator
September 6, 1954: Carlos Paula integrates the Washington Senators
