July 20 – This Day in Twins History

(click on images once or twice to make them larger)

 

2023 – The Twins roadtrip ended on a sour note when they were shut out by the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, losing by a score of 5-0, making it the seventh time being shut out this season and sixth time on the road. Pablo López (5-6) was the starter and loser, allowing two runs on six hits in 5 innings (98 pitches) pitched, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Twins reliever Jorge Lopez faced seven batters in the eighth inning and allowed a single, a home run, hit three batters, allowed three runs and struck out two before being lifted in his pentelute appearnce in a Twins uniform. The offense recorded five hits, just one going for extra bases, a Kyle Farmer triple. Matt Wallner had two of the club’s five hits. The Twins now head home after completing their seven-game, West Coast roadtrip with a record of 5-2, sweeping the A’s in Oakland last weekend, followed by a 2-2 series split against the Mariners in Seattle. Box Score

Jorge Lopez
Matt Wallner

 

 

 

 

 

2022 No Twins game today, All-Star break.

2021 – The Twins lost to the White Sox by a score of 9-5. Rookie Bailey Ober was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing four runs (3 earned) on five hits in five innings pitched. After trailing for most of the game the Twins actually took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning only to watch the White Sox come back with five in the bottom of the inning against Jorge Alcala and Hansel Robles before Danny Coulombe was able to put out the fire by getting the final out of the inning. Alcala took the loss and is 2-4 on the season. The Twins offense recorded eight hits, two from both Josh Donaldson and Max Kepler. Kepler hit his 11th home run, Donaldson hit his 15th homer and Jorge Polanco hit his 13th homer and drove in two runs. As if that was not bad enough the Twins put rookie Alex Kirilloff on the IL. Kirilloff has had wrist issues for two years and will have season ending wrist surgery. Box Score

Jorge Polanco
Max Kepler
Alex Kirilloff

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020 – The Minnesota Twins were scheduled to be in Arizona to play the Diamondbacks if all the games this season would not have been postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19. 102 Twins games missed so far this season. Twins Summer Camp 2020 remains underway at Target Field and CHS Field. 

2019 – The Twins lose a tough one to the A’s by a score of 5-4 when Oakland scores all five of their runs in the final three innings pinning the Twins with their first loss this season when leading after 8 innings (53-1). José Berríos was the starter but did not factor into the decision, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, three walks and four strikeouts. The over-used Taylor Rogers (2-2) allowed two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth and took the loss..  The Twins had three bomba’s with Nelson Cruz hitting his 19th home run, Mitch Garver hit his 17th and Miguel Sanó hit his 14th. With the loss the division leading Twins record drops to 59-38. Box Score

Jose Berrios – credit David Richard USA Today
Miguel Sano – credit to Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
Mitch Garver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Twins sell RHP Mike Morin to the Philadelpha Phillies.

Mike Morin

2018 – The refreshed Minnesota Twins return from the All-Star break on the road in Kansas City to take on the struggling Royals who are in the AL Central cellar with a 27-68 record. The Royals get on the board quickly and go into the ninth inning with a 6-2 lead. The Twins try to come back but fall one run short and lose 6 to 5. Twins starter Kyle Gibson lasted just 5.1 innings and gave up four runs while KC starter Danny Duffy allowed just the one run in seven innings. Catcher Mitch Garver was 1 for 3 with a triple that scored two. With the loss the Twins are 5-17 in one run games. Box Score

Mitch Garver

2015 – No game today, scheduled day off.

2009 – The Twins blow their second 10 run lead in their history on their way to a 14-13 loss to the A’s in Oakland. A’s starter Gio Gonzalez lasts just 2 and 2/3 innings and gives up 11 earned runs. Going into the bottom of the 3rd inning the Twins lead 12-2 but Nick Blackburn and 4 relievers can’t hold the lead, when the smoke clears the Twins are on the short end of a 14-13 score. Each team had 4 home runs with a grand slam for each side. Justin Morneau has 7 RBI’s with a grand slam and a 3 run homer. Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel had the other Twins home runs. The first time the Twins blew a 10 run lead and lost was September 28, 1984 in Cleveland. Box Score

Justin Morneau
Michael Cuddyer
Jason Kubel (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1998 – No game today, scheduled day off.

1987 – The Twins and Yankees face off in the Metrodome and each team has seven hits but the Yankees score seven times with their hits and  the Twins can only come up with one run. OH! Here is why, 0 for 12 with RISP. Yankee starter Tommy John pitches a complete game for the win and Les Straker takes the defeat. Don Mattingly ties another ML record, this time in the field, as he makes 22 put outs in the Yankees 7-1 win over the Twins. The feat was last accomplished in the AL by Hal Chase in 1906. Box Score

1981 – MLB on strike.

1977 –  No game today, All-Star break.

1975 – The Twins lose both games of a double-header to the New York Yankees at Met Stadium. In a real oddity in game one of the DH, Yankee second baseman Sandy Alomar Sr. scores 3 runs without officially reaching base. Alomar twice reached base on errors and scored and also scored after reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Alomar reached base on a second fielders choice but was stranded. The Twins were never in game 1 of the DH after the Yanks jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Twins committed  four errors, were out-hit 17-9 and out scored 14-2. The only bright spot that allowed Twins fans to cheer was a third inning home run by Glenn Borgmann that made the score 5-1 at the time Borgmann ended up 3 for 3 in the game.

Sandy Alomar Sr.
Glenn Borgmann

In the second game the Twins had a 4-3 lead vanish in the top of the ninth inning when the Yankee catching crew went to work against Twins closer Bill Campbell. Thurman Munson started things off with a triple, Rick Dempsey singled him home to tie the game and pinch-hitter Ed Herrmann eventually doubled him home for what turned out to be the winning run.

 

1969 – The Twins and Seattle Pilots resume play in the 17th inning. The pitchers in the 17th inning are todays scheduled starting pitchers, Jim Perry for Minnesota and John Gelnar for Seattle. After a scoreless 17th inning, the Twins break through for 4 runs in the top of the 18th and win the game 11-7. The winning run actually scored on a bases loaded balk by Gelnar that scored Jim Perry who had doubled. Ted Uhlaender and Rich Reese each had four hits in the game. The team’s end up stranding 44 base runners, the Twins had 16 hits and 18 walks in the game. Gelnar was pulled after pitching 1 1/3 innings and was the loser.

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In the regularly scheduled game, Jim Perry again faced off against John Gelnar and Perry pitched a complete game shutout with the Twins winning 4-0 and Gelnar took the defeat. Cesar Tovar and George Mitterwald each hit home runs to support the cause. So in reality, Jim Perry won two games on this date and John Gelnar lost both games on this date.

Jim Perry
George Mitterwald
Cesar Tovar

 

 

 

 

 

The first moon landing took place on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Apollo 11’s lunar module touched down at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon’s surface at 10:56 p.m.

Did you know?

A ballpark stadium seat is roughly the same size as the Apollo 11 capsule seat that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins sat in for 3 days on their journey to the moon.

The Apollo 11 landing site, Tranquility Base, and the lunar area that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored is roughly the size of a baseball diamond.

For more info on that please go hereStar_Tribune_Mon__Jul_21__1969_

 

1964No Game Today. – However; the Minnesota Twins and the Milwaukee Braves play an in-season exhibition game at Met Stadium to benefit youth baseball and 16,636 fans show up. The Twins win the slug-fest 12-7 with the Twins hitting six home runs and the Braves hit four.

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1961 Scheduled day off.

1938Tony Oliva born on this day in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

Tony Oliva, then and now

 

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