MINNESOTA 5, OAKLAND 4 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Thursday, April 9.
Batting stars: Tom Brunansky was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Kent Hrbek was 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks. Dan Gladden was 1-for-1 with two RBIs.
Pitching star: Juan Berenguer struck out four in three shutout innings of relief, giving up just one hit.
Opposition stars: Mike Davis was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBIs, and two stolen bases. Carney Lansford was 2-for-4 with a run. Dennis Eckersley pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit.
The game: Hrbek homered in a two-run second that put the Twins up 2-0, but Davis homered in a two-run third to tie that tied it 2-2. Davis' two-run double in the sixth made it 4-2 Oakland and it stayed there until the ninth. With one out, Gary Gaetti doubled and scored on a Brunansky single to make it 4-3. Roy Smalley doubled, Mark Salas was intentionally walked, and Gladden delivered a pinch-hit single down the left field line to bring home the tying and winning runs.
Of note: Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4. Greg Gagne was 2-for-3. Mark Portugal pitched 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks with five strikeouts.
Record: The Twins were 3-0 and took over sole possession of first place, a game ahead of California and the White Sox.
Notes: Gladden remained out of the starting lineup, with Randy Bush playing right field and Brunansky moving to left...Eckersley was not yet the closer for the Athletics, but was setting up Jay Howell...Mike Davis' career numbers are not all that impressive, but he was pretty good at his peak. From 1985-87 he batted .274 with 65 home runs and 70 stolen bases. After the 1987 season he became a free agent, went to the Dodgers, and his career pretty much collapsed. He did win a world championship there, though, and drew a walk right in front of Kirk Gibson's famous home run in Game 1 of the World Series.
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
I always think of Juan Berenguer as a "setup" reliever. However, his role was much different than today's setup men. He usually went more than just 1 inning and was rarely asked to go in back-to-back games (and never 3 days in a row). His first 2 outings of the season were 3 innings each. This game was when the Twins were trailing by a couple runs in the final 3 innings. His next outing, the Twins were up by 3 runs in the 7th when he came in and finished the game and was credited with a save. I believe TK would use Berenguer and Keith Atherton somewhat interchangeably to set up Reardon. They would often get the 7th and the 8th before bringing Reardon in (and Reardon would often get out of jams in the 8th). Nowadays, setup men get 1 inning with 1 guy in the 7th and another in the 8th, but they're expected to go 2, 3 days in a row before getting a day off. I think it makes more sense to have each guy go multiple innings and just have each them alternate days off.
This photo is a great action shot. I got curious about what game it might be. The clues I initially had to go on where: Gladden and Alan Trammell involved in a play at second base in Tiger Stadium, with umpire #31 looking on. Both players are wearing long sleeves, and the ump is wearing a jacket, all suggesting an early season or late season game. I think I have identified the game.
The empire is Mike Reilly, who was active from 1977-2010. Starting with 1987, I looked at Reilly's daily game logs. He only saw the Twins play five times during the '87 regular season, and none of those were against the Tigers. However, he was an umpire in the '87 ALCS. He was the second base umpire for Game Three, the first game in Detroit. In the first inning of Game Three, Gladden attempted to steal second base, but he was thrown out, Matt Nokes to Trammell. This series was the only time Reilly umpired games between the Twins and Tigers in Detroit during Gladden's tenure with the Twins.
Kudos to Chaps if the photo choice for this particular rewind was an intentional Easter egg.
I can take zero credit for the photos. They are routinely awesome, though.