Monthly Archives: April 2020

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2010, Game Forty

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BOSTON 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN BOSTON

Date:  Wednesday, May 19.

Batting star:  Denard Span was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Scott Baker pitched six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and and one walk and striking out four.  Brian Duensing retired all four men he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Clay Buchholz pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out seven.  Adrian Beltre was 2-for-4.  Victor Martinez was 2-for-4.  David Ortiz was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighth.

The game:  The Red Sox put two in the first, but other than that there were no threats until the fourth.  Span led off the top of the fourth with a double and scored on Joe Mauer's one-out double.  In the bottom of the inning, however, Martinez singled and Ortiz hit a two-out two-run homer to put Boston up 2-1.

In the sixth, the first two Red Sox were retired.  But then Beltre, Jeremy Hermida, and Bill Hall hit consecutive singles to give Boston a 3-1 lead.

The Twins tried to rally in the ninth.  Span led off with an infield single, went to second on defensive indifference, and scored on a pair of ground outs to cut the lead to 3-2.  Justin Morneau then walked and Michael Cuddyer singled, moving the tying run to second base with Jim Thome up to bat.  The dramatic ending fizzled, though, as Thome grounded to second and the game was over.

WP:  Buchholz (5-3).  LP:  Baker (4-4).  S:  Daniel Bard (1).

Notes:  Brendan Harris was at shortstop in place of the injured J. J. Hardy.  Nick Punto was holding down third base, as Danny Valencia had not yet been called up from AAA.  Jason Kubel was in left and Cuddyer in right, with Delmon Young on the bench.

Morneau was leading the team in batting at .365.  He would finish at .345, but would have his season cut short in early July due to injury.  Mauer was batting .356.  He would finish the season at .327.

Boston's closer was Jonathan Papelbon, but as he had pitched in two consecutive games, Bard was asked to come in and close.  This was one of only three saves he had in 2010 and one of only five he had in his career.  He was a solid reliever from 2009-2011, but then developed injury problems, and despite repeated comeback attempts he was never effective again.  His brother, Luke Bard, was a Twins farmhand.

Record:  The Twins were 24-16, in first place in the American League Central, one game ahead of Detroit.  They would finish 94-68, in first place, six games ahead of Chicago.

The Red Sox were 21-20, in fourth place in the American League East, 8.5 games behind Tampa Bay.  They would finish 89-73, in third place, seven games behind Tampa Bay.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 10

Ross Youngs (1897)
Bubba Hyde (1908)
Chuck Connors (1921)
Frank Lary (1930)
Robert Nederlander (1933)
Wes Stock (1934)
Joe Gibbon (1935)
Bob Watson (1946)
Lee Lacy (1948)
Tom Lundstedt (1949)
Ken Griffey (1950)
Mike Devereaux (1963)
Starvin’ Marvin Freeman (1963)
Alberto Reyes (1971)
Mike Lincoln (1975)
Andre Ethier (1982)
Corey Kluber (1986)

Bubba Hyde was an outfielder in the Negro Leagues for twenty-six years.

Better known as an actor, Chuck Connors was a first baseman for the Chicago Cubs in 1951.  He also played professional basketball, and was the first player to break the glass backboard with a slam dunk in a professional basketball game.

Robert Nederlander is a part-owner of the New York Yankees and was managing partner in from 1990-1991, when George Steinbrenner was suspended.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–April 10 →

Twins Top Moments

Johan Santana Region: #3 vs. #14

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3. Francisco Liriano Tosses a No-Hitter

At this point in 2011 the Twins still had playoff hopes, in addition to hopes that Liriano would continue his comeback 2010 season and be the dominant pitcher we had hoped for since 2006. He wasn't dominant in this game, but man. I was so freaking nervous in the 9th inning. Thankfully we have audio of Gordo calling it.

14. Delmon Young Homers off Rivera

In a late 2008 baseball game, the Yankees were leading by three in the eight when Mariano Rivera came in to lock down one of his patented (not really) multi-inning saves. He had converted 28 consecutive save chances while allowing one earned run. He got ahead of DelmOn 0-2. Then this happened.

The Better Moment

  • Francisco Liriano No-Hitter (89%, 17 Votes)
  • Delmon Homers Off Rivera (11%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 19

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The Better Moment

  • Span Triples Down the Line (68%, 13 Votes)
  • Carlos Silva 74-Pitch CG (32%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 19

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The Better Moment

  • Santana Outduels Mussina in ALDS (72%, 13 Votes)
  • Jacque Jones Breaks Up Garcia's No-No (28%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 18

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The Better Moment

  • A.J. Goes Yard (67%, 12 Votes)
  • Joe Crede Walk-Off Grand Slam (33%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 18

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The Better Moment

  • Twins Win 87 World Series (100%, 20 Votes)
  • Rincon Induces Triple Play (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2013, Game Forty-one

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ATLANTA 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN ATLANTA

Date:  Monday, May 20.

Batting stars:  Justin Morneau was 2-for-4.  Josh Willingham was 1-for-3 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching stars:  Ryan Pressley pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.  Caleb Thielbar struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Julio Teheran pitched 8.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out four.  Juan Francisco was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Justin Upton was 2-for-4.  Dan Uggla was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eighth.

The game:  With one out in the bottom of the first, the Braves got consecutive singles from Jason Heyward, Upton, and Freddie Freeman to go ahead 1-0.  Gerald Laird flied out, but Uggla hit a three-run homer to put Atlanta up 4-0.

The game was basically over at that point, but of course they played it out.  The Twins put two on with one out in the fourth but did not score.  In the fifth, Francisco doubled and Melvin Upton walked.  A bunt moved them to second and third and Andrelton Simmons hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0 Braves.

The Twins got on the board in the ninth when Willingham hit a home run.  They tried to get back into it, getting one-out singles from Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee, but a pair of fly balls ended the game.

WP:  Teheran (3-1).  LP:  Kevin Correia (4-4).  S:  Cody Gearrin.

Notes:  The Twins used pretty much their standard lineup, without a DH because they were in Atlanta.  Wilkin Ramirez pinch-hit for Correia in the fifth.  Eduardo Escobar went into the game at shorstop in the seventh, replacing Pedro Florimon as part of a double switch.  Ryan Doumit pinch-hit for Thielbar in the ninth.  Oswaldo Arcia pinch-hit for Aaron Hicks in the ninth.

Joe Mauer was batting .333.  He would finish at .324.  Justin Morneau was batting .304.  He would finish at .259.  He would also finish in Pittsburgh, as he was traded at the August deadline for Alex Presley and a player to be named later (Duke Welker).  Not one of the Twins' best trades.

Aaron Hicks was batting .144 at this point.  As you probably remember, the Twins had traded Denard Span during the off-season and handed the job to the twenty-three-year-old Hicks on the strength of a good year in AA.  He clearly wasn't ready, although he did improve his average to .192 by the end of the season.

Correia settled down after the first inning, but still allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk in four innings.  He did not strike out anyone.

Parmelee is listed as the starting right fielder in 2013, but he played just sixty-eight games there.  Doumit, Arcia, and Chris Herrmann also saw significant time in right field.

Record:  The Twins were 18-23, in fifth (last) place in the American League Central, seven games behind Cleveland.  They would finish 66-96, in fourth place, twenty-seven games behind Detroit.

The Braves were 26-18, in first place in the National League East, 3.5 games ahead of Washington.  They would finish 96-66, in first place, ten games ahead of Washington.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 9

Doc White (1879)
Hippo Vaughn (1888)
Vic Sorrell (1901)
Fred Frankhouse (1904)
Claude Passeau (1909)
Zip Payne (1909)
Joe Brinkman (1944)
Peter Gammons (1945)
Nate Colbert (1946)
Kirk McCaskill (1961)
Hal Morris (1965)
Graeme Lloyd (1967)
Rudy Hernandez (1968)
A. J. Ellis (1981)
David Robertson (1985)
Luis Arraez (1997)

Cecil "Zip" Payne was a long-time minor-league player and manager, collecting 2,179 hits.

Joe Brinkman and Derryl Cousins hold the record for most games umpired together, 2,123.

Rudy Hernandez was an infielder in the Mets organization from 1987-1991, reaching AA.  With the exception of 2004, he has been a manager or coach in the Twins' organization since 2001.  He is currently a batting coach for the major league team.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Mama MagUidhir.

Infielder Luis Sangel Arraez made his Twins debut in 2019.  He was born in San Felipe, Venezuela and signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2013.  He went up about a level a season, playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2014, the Gulf Coast League in 2015, and the MIdwest League in 2016.  He missed most of 2017, presumably due to injury, split 2018 between high-A and AA, started 2019 in AA, moved up to AAA, and by mid-May was in the majors, eventually taking over the second base job from Jonathan Schoop.  He batted over .300 at every stop in the minors except for 48 games in Chattanooga in 2018, when he batted .298.  He has little power, but that's really the only flaw he has as a batter.  In 367 minor league games he batted .331/.385/.414.  In 92 major league games he batted .334/.399/.439.  He turns twenty-three today.  It would be unfair to expect him to bat .334 every season, but there's every reason to think he'll be a successful major league batter, if he isn't already.  He will begin the 2020 season as the Twins' regular second baseman, assuming there is a 2020 season.

Twins Top Moments

Johan Santana Region: #4 vs. #13

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4. Span Triples Down the Line

In 2008, with six games left in the season, the Twins were behind the White Sox by two and a half games. Fortunately, their last six games were at home, with three against the Sox. They won the first two games of the series to keep their season alive, and one more win against the Sox would put them in first place.

The Sox staked themselves to an early 6-1 lead, which took the wind out of the sails of most Twins fans watching. But they slowly crept back, and were down 6-4 entering the bottom of the 8th. Brendan Harris double to start the frame, and with one out, Carlos Gomez singled to bring the game within one. Up next was Denard Span, and Dick Bremer came through with the call of his career.

13. Carlos Silva Throws 74-Pitch Complete Game

On May 20, 2005, Silva struck out three batters in a nine-inning game and still got twenty-seven outs while allowing only five baserunners.  It was a magic trick that not even the magician could explain.  The Twins beat the Brewers 5-1 and Silva was barely warmed up after tossing 74 pitches.

The Better Moment

  • Span Triples Down the Line (68%, 13 Votes)
  • Carlos Silva 74-Pitch CG (32%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 19

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The Better Moment

  • Santana Outduels Mussina in ALDS (72%, 13 Votes)
  • Jacque Jones Breaks Up Garcia's No-No (28%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 18

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The Better Moment

  • A.J. Goes Yard (67%, 12 Votes)
  • Joe Crede Walk-Off Grand Slam (33%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 18

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The Better Moment

  • Twins Win 87 World Series (100%, 20 Votes)
  • Rincon Induces Triple Play (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1976, Game One Hundred Twenty-four

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MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 4 IN DETROIT (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, August 22.

Batting stars:  Mike Cubbage was 3-for-5 with a home run (his second), a walk, and two RBIs.  Lyman Bostock was 3-for-6 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Butch Wynegar was 2-for-6 with a double.  Larry Hisle was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Dave Goltz pitched eight innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and five walks and striking out one.  Tom Johnson pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bill Campbell struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Vern Ruhle pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and a walk and striking out four.  Rusty Staub was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base (his third).  Ron LeFlore was 2-for-6 with a double.

The game:  With two out in the first, the Twins got consecutive singles from Carew, Wynegar, and Bostock to take a 1-0 lead.  It stayed that way, with no particular threats, until the bottom of the fifth.  With one out, Mark Wagner singled, Chuck Scrivener reached on an error, LeFlore singled home a run, and Ben Oglivie delivered a two-out two-run single to put the Tigers up 3-1.

The Twins got one back in the sixth on singles by Carew, Bostock, and Hisle.  They tied it in the seventh on singles by Steve Braun and Roy Smalley and Carew's sacrifice fly.  Cubbage homered in the eight to give the Twins a 4-3 advantage, but the Tigers tied it back up in the bottom of the eighth.  Staub led off with a double, Aurelio Rodriguez drew a one-out walk, and Bill Freehan singled to load the bases.  Alex Johnson hit a sacrifice fly, but that was all Detroit could do.

The Twins put men on first and second in both the ninth and tenth.  The Tigers put men on first and second in the tenth and got a one-out double in the eleventh.  Then came the twelfth.  Wynegar and Bostock led off with consecutive doubles and Cubbage contributed an RBI single to give the Twins a 6-4 lead.  The Tigers went down in order on three ground balls and the Twins had the win.

WP:  Campbell (13-3).  LP:  John Hiller (11-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Braun was the DH and batted leadoff.  I'd forgotten this, but Braun was often used as the leadoff batter that year, batting first sixty-two times.

Tony Oliva pinch-hit for second baseman Bobby Randall in the seventh.  It was his last season and he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter, getting an occasional start at DH.  Jerry Terrell went in to play second base in the bottom of the seventh.

Steve Brye went to right field to replace Dan Ford in the tenth.  Ford had doubled in the top of the inning--perhaps he tweaked something running the bases.  He would not miss any games.

Craig Kusick pinch-hit for Braun in the eleventh.

Carew was batting .322 after this game.  He would end the season at .331.  Bostock was batting .321.  He would end the season at .323.

This was the year Campbell won seventeen games, all out of the bullpen.  He would become a free agent and sign with Boston.  His "closer" role would be filled by Johnson, who would win sixteen games, all out of the bullpen, the next year.

Goltz was the Twins' ace, to the extent they had one, at this point of the season.  Bert Blyleven had started the season with the Twins, but had been traded to Texas by this point.  Goltz had a pretty good year, going 14-14, 3.36, 1.32 WHIP.  He would win twenty games for the only time in his career in the following season.

Record:  The Twins were 62-62, in third place in the American League West, fourteen games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 85-77, still in third place, but just five games behind Kansas City.

Detroit was 58-64, in fourth place in the American League East, fifteen games behind New York.  They would finish 74-87, in fifth place, twenty-four games behind New York.