MINNESOTA TWINS 2, TEXAS RANGERS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, August 19, 2022.

Batting stars:  Luis Arraez hit a home run, his seventh.  Jose Miranda hit a home run, his thirteenth.

Pitching stars:  Dylan Bundy pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and one walk and striking out two.  Trevor Megill pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Jorge Lopez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Martin Perez struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks.

The game:  With two out in the first, Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda hit back-to-back homers to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  That was all the Twins would do on offense, but it was enough.  They did threaten in the second when Max Kepler hit a one-out double, in the fifth, when Byron Buxton and Arraez drew walks, and in the sixth, when Jorge Polanco hit a one-out double, but they did not dent the scoreboard again. 

Texas only had one hit through the first five innings.  In the sixth, Bubba Thompson singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Nathaniel Lowe to cut the lead to 2-1.

That’s where it stayed.  The Rangers threatened in the seventh, when Leody Taveras singled and Brad Miller walked with one out, but a ground out and a long fly ended the inning.  In the ninth, Jonah Heim and Taveras drew one-out walks, but Miller lined into a double play to end the game with the good guys winning.

WP:  Dylan Bundy (7-5).

LP:  Martin Perez (9-4).

S:  Jorge Lopez (22).

Notes:  Sandy Leon was behind the plate.  Gary Sanchez caught the most games with 91, with Ryan Jeffers following at 59.  Luis Arraez was at first base.  Jose Miranda played the most games there with 77, followed by Arraez at 65.  Gilberto Celestino, usually found in center, was in left, with Byron Buxton in center.  Nick Gordon played the most games in left with 62, with Jake Cave following with 45.  Jose Miranda was the DH.  Arraez had the most games at DH with 38, followed by Buxton with 35 and Sanchez with 33.

Luis Arraez was batting .335.  He would finish with a league-leading .316.

Jorge Lopez had an ERA of 1.90.  He would finish at 2,54.  Jhoan Duran had an ERA of 2.01.  He would finish at 1.86.  Trevor Megill had an ERA of 2.90.  He would finish at 4.80.

Martin Perez had pitched for the Twins in 2019.

This was the seventh game as a Twin for Jorge Lopez.  It was his third save against two blown saves.  He would get only one more save as a Twin, going 0-1, 4.37, 1.62 WHIP for Minnesota in 2022.  His 2023 was no better.  Among the players the Twins traded for him were Yennier Cano and Cade Povich.  A little less than a year later, they would trade him to Miami for Dylan Floro.

This was Dylan Bundy’s only year as a Twin and his last in the big leagues.  He went 8-8, 4.89 in 29 starts.  He seems rather emblematic of the kind of stop-gap starter the Twins have tended to acquire in recent years.

I guess solo home runs can hurt you, after all.

Record:  Texas was 53-66, in third place in the AL West, twenty-three games behind Houston.  They would finish 68-94, in fourth place, thirty-eight games behind Houston.

The Twins were 62-55, in second place in the AL Central, one game behind Cleveland.  They would finish 78-84, in third place, fourteen games behind Cleveland.  The Twins would go 16-29 after this game, the second-worst record in the league (just ahead of Texas) in that span.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 38-42 (.475).

KANSAS CITY ROYALS 8, MINNESOTA TWINS 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 9, 1982.

Batting stars:  Ron Washington was 3-for-5.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourteenth) and three RBIs.  Mickey Hatcher was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Ron Davis pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Willie Wilson was 3-for-5 with a triple.  George Brett was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Frank White was 2-for-4 with a double.  John Wathan was 2-for-5 with a double and three runs.  Amos Otis hit a three-run homer, his fifth.

The game:  Kansas City took the lead in the first inning on a single, a stolen base, and a George Brett RBI double.  It went to 4-0 in the third when John Wathan doubled, Brett was intentionally walked, and Amos Otis foiled the strategy with a three-run homer.  It went to 5-0 in the fourth when Jerry Martin singled and scored from first on Frank White’s double.

The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Kent Hrbek led off with a home run.  But the Twins could get no more, and it stayed 5-1 until the seventh.

The first two Royals went out in the seventh, but Willie Wilson singled, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  John Wathan singled him home and also stole second.  George Brett followed with a triple, and it was 7-1.

The Twins got back into it, kind of, in the eighth.  Larry Milbourne led off with a double and Ron Washington followed with an RBI single.  Singles by Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek plated a second run, and a sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 7-4.

That was as good as it would get.  In the ninth Frank White singled, stole second, and scored on a Willie Wilson triple.  The Twins didn’t give up.  In the bottom of the ninth, Jim Eisenreich singled, and with one out Ron Washington singled and Tom Brunansky walked, bringing Kent Hrbek up to the plate as the tying run.  All he could manage was a sacrifice fly, however, and the next batter ground out to end the game.

WP:  Paul Splittorff (5-4).

LP:  Albert Williams (2-4).

S:  Dan Quisenberry (15).

Notes:  Sal Butera was behind the plate.  Tim Laudner did most of the catching, 93 games, with Butera behind at 53.  Larry Milbourne was at second base in place of John Castino.  Castino was at third in place of Gary Gaetti.  Mickey Hatcher was in left in place of Gary Ward.  Tom Brunansky was in center in place of Bobby Mitchell.  Ward went to right, which was usually Brunansky’s spot.  Jesus Vega was the DH.  Randy Johnson played the most games there with 69, with Vega following at 39.

Kent Hrbek was batting .337. He would finish at .301.  Jim Eisenreich was batting .313.  He would finish at .303.

We assume everyone reading this is familiar with Jim Eisenreich’s story.  He would play only one more game for the Twins in 1982.  He remained with the Twins through 1984, but would play only fourteen more games for them.

Larry Milbourne would play seven more games for the Twins, then be traded to Cleveland.  Officially, he played for both the Twins and the Indians on this day, June 9.  Cleveland’s game on this date was suspended, and would be completed after he was traded.

Amos Otis is another fine player who’s been largely forgotten.  He made five all-star teams, won three Gold Gloves, and received MVP votes five times, finishing in the top ten four of those times.  He was very durable, playing over 140 games nine times.  He led the league in stolen bases once and in doubles twice.  Over seventeen seasons he batted .277/.343/.425 with 193 home runs and 341 stolen bases.  An excellent all-around ballplayer.

Record:  Kansas City was 32-21, in first place in the AL West, 1.5 games ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 90-72, in second place, three games behind California.

The Twins were 13-46, in sixth (last) place in the AL West, twenty-two games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 60-102 in sixth place, thirty-three games behind California.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 37-42 (.468).

MINNESOTA TWINS 5, MILWAUKEE BREWERS 4 IN MINNESOTA (15 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, May 13, 1972.

Batting stars:  Eric Soderholm was 3-for-6 with a two-run homer (his first), a double, and two runs.  Rod Carew was 3-for-6 with a walk.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched nine innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out eight.  Tom Norton pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Dave LaRoche struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Brock Davis was 2-for-3.  George Scott hit a two-run homer, his second.  Mike Ferraro hit a home run, his first.  Earl Stephenson pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Frank Linzy struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.  Jim Slaton pitched 5.2 innings of relief, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out two.

The game:  Brock Davis led off the game with a single and George Scott hit a one-out two-run homer, giving Milwaukee the early 2-0 lead.  It didn’t last long, as the Twins tied it up in the bottom of the first.  Cesar Tovar led off the bottom of the first with a single and Danny Thompson walked.  Rod Carew followed with an RBI single, putting men on first and third.  A double play followed, but the tying run scored and it was 2-2 after one.

Jim Nettles led off the third with a walk and Eric Soderholm singled.  The next two batters went out, but Cesar Tovar delivered an RBI single, putting the Twins up 3-2.  It stayed 3-2 until the eighth.  Dave May led off with a single, was bunted to second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out to re-tie it 3-3.

The Twins missed a chance to win it in the ninth.  Eric Soderholm led off with a double and was bunted to third.  Steve Braun and Cesar Tovar were intentionally walked, loading the bases.  The strategy worked, as a short fly ball and a ground out followed, and the game went to extra innings.

In 1972 men were men, and the thought of a “ghost runner”, if anyone had been crazy enough to think of it, would have been laughed at.  Each team went down in order in the tenth and eleventh.  In the twelfth Rod Carew singled with two out and Rich Reese walked, but a ground out ended the inning.

Neither team advanced a man past first until the fifteenth, when Mike Ferraro led off with a home run to give the Brewers a 4-3 advantage.  It looked bad for the Twins, as the first two men in the bottom of the fifteenth went out.  But then Jim Nettles drew a walk and Eric Soderholm hit a walk-off two run homer.  The Twins win 5-4!

WP:  Dave LaRoche (1-1).

LP:  Jim Slaton (1-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Phil Roof was behind the plate.  He and George Mitterwald each caught 61 games, with Glenn Borgmann right behind at 56.  Rich Reese was at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew.  Charlie Manuel was in left.  Steve Brye played 74 games there, with Cesar Tovar behind with 41.  Jim Nettles was in center.  Bobby Darwin played 86 games there, with Nettles second with 58.

Steve Braun was batting .355.  He would finish at .289.  Rod Carew was batting .325.  He would finish at a league-leading .318.

Bert Blyleven had an ERA of 2.75.  He would finish at 2.73.  Tom Norton had an ERA of 1.42.  He would finish at 2.78.  Dave LaRoche had an ERA of 1.14.  He would finish at 2.83.

John Briggs was at first base, going 0-for-3.  He would play for the Twins in 1975.  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate, going 0-for-3.  He had played for the Twins in 1963 and again from 1970-1971.  

This was the second career home run for Eric Soderholm.  He would hit 102 in a nine-year career.

This was the only season Tom Norton played in the major leagues.  He played in 21 games, all in relief, and went 0-1, 2.78, 1.39 WHIP.  He had never pitched above AA before this season, and would never pitch well above AA after it, going 6-6, 5.14, 1.74 WHIP in 105 AAA innings.

Jim Lonborg was the Milwaukee starter.  This would be his only season in Milwaukee.  He had won the Cy Young award in 1967 for Boston, and would go on to have some good years for Philadelphia.

It’s interesting that Milwaukee manager Dave Bristol allowed Jim Slaton to pitch the fifteenth, after having already pitched five relief innings, rather than going to someone else once they had the lead.  Bristol would be fired about a week and a half later, although I don’t know that this decision had anything to do with that.

Even though it went fifteen innings, the game only took three hours and thirty-six minutes.

Record:  Milwaukee was 6-13, in sixth (last) place in the AL East, six games behind Detroit.  They would finish 65-91, in sixth place, twenty-one games behind Detroit.

The Twins were 15-5, in first place in the AL West, 2.5 games ahead of Oakland.  They would finish 77-77, in third place, 15.5 games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 37-41 (.474).

BALTIMORE ORIOLES 3, MINNESOTA TWINS 2, MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Monday, July 18, 2005.

Batting star:  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-3.  Joe Mauer was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Carlos Silva pitched nine innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out two.  He threw 85 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Rafael Palmeiro was 3-for-5 with a double.  Melvin Mora was 2-for-5.  Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer, his tenth.  Miguel Tejada hit a home run, his twentieth.  Erik Bedard struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.  Jorge Julio struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  The Twins got a walk and a single with two out in the first.  Rafael Palmeiro led off the second with a double.  Nick Punto led off the fifth with a double.  Still, it was 0-0 until the seventh, when Palmeiro hit a one-out single and Sammy Sosa followed with a two-run homer, giving Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the seventh when Michael Cuddyer hit a one-out double and scored on a two-out single by Luis Rodriguez.  In the ninth, Torii Hunter led off with a double and Bret Boone followed with a single to tie it 2-2.

In the tenth Joe Mauer got a one-out single and went to second on a ground out, but that was as far as he would go.  With two out in the eleventh, Miguel Tejada hit a home run to put the Orioles up 3-2.  The Twins went down in order in the bottom of the eleventh.

WP:  Jorge Julio (3-2).

LP:  Juan Rincon (4-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Michael Cuddyer was at first base in place of Justin Morneau.  Bret Boone was at second base.  Nick Punto played the most games there with 73, followed by Luis Rivas at 53 and Luis Rodriguez with 40.  Punto was at third base.  Cuddyer played the most games there with 95.  Lew Ford was in right in place of Jacque Jones.

Luis Rodriguez was batting .307.  He would finish at .269.  Joe Mauer was batting .307.  He would finish at .294.

Juan Rincon had an ERA of 2.51.  He would finish at 2.45.

This was one of fourteen games Bret Boone would play for the Twins.  His RBI was one-third of his total with the club.  He would be released at the end of July and would not play in the majors again.  He did attempt a comeback in 2008 with Washington, but did not get past AAA.

Carlos Silva issued one of his nine walks all season in this game.  Two of the walks were intentional.

From 2005-2011, Erik Bedard was 50-40, 3.54, 1.27 WHIP.  He had trouble staying healthy, but when he could pitch he was really good.

Record:  Baltimore was 50-42, tied for second place with Boston in the AL East, a half game behind New York.  They would finish 74-88, in fourth place, twenty-one games behind New York.  They went 24-46 after this game.

The Twins were 49-42, in second place in the AL Central, thirteen games behind Chicago.  They would finish 83-79, in third place, sixteen games behind Chicago.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 36-41 (.468).

MINNESOTA TWINS 10, KANSAS CITY ATHLETICS 6 IN KANSAS CITY (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Monday, April 24, 1961.

Batting stars:  Reno Bertoia was 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs.  Earl Battey was 3-for-6 with a double, three runs, and three RBIs.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-6.  Bob Allison was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched five innings, giving up two runs on two hits and five walks and striking out one.  Ray Moore struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Marv Throneberry hit a three-run homer, his second.  Don Larsen pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and six walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins had two men on in four of the first five innings, getting four hits, three walks, and a hit batsman, but the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Kansas City broke through for two runs.  With two out, Marv Throneberry and Joe Pignatano walked, and RBI singles by Don Larsen and Dick Howser made it 2-0.

The Twins took the lead in the sixth, getting three runs on just two hits.  With one out, Earl Battey and Reno Bertoia singled and Billy Gardner walked.  Elmer Valo then reached on an error, scoring a run.  With two out, Lenny Green and Don Mincher drew bases-loaded walks, putting the Twins up 3-2.

The Athletics came back in the eighth.  Jerry Lumpe reached on an error and was bunted to second.  Norm Siebern reached on an error, putting men on first and third, and a ground out tied the score.  Andy Carey singled, and Marv Throneberry hit a three-run homer, giving Kansas City a 6-3 lead.

But the Twins staged their own comeback in the ninth.  With one out, Earl Battey and Reno Bertoia singled and Billy Gardner walked, just like in the sixth inning.  A ground out scored a run, Zoilo Versalles delivered an RBI single, and an error brough home the tying run.  The Athletics had two on with two out in the ninth, but did not score, and the game went to an extra inning.

In the tenth, Don Mincher reached on an error, Bob Allison singled, and Dan Dobbek reached on an error, loading the bases.  Earl Battey then delivered a bases-clearing double and Reno Bertoia followed with an RBI double, putting the Twins up 10-6.  Kansas City went down in order in the bottom of the tenth and the victory went to the visitors.

WP:  Ray Moore (1-1).

LP:  Bud Daley (1-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Don Mincher was at first base in place of Harmon Killebrew.  Billy Gardner was at second base in place of Billy Martin.  Reno Bertoia was at third.  Bill Tuttle played the most games there with 85.  Killebrew was second with 45, followed by Ted Lepcio with 35.

Earl Battey was batting .333.  He would finish at .302.  Zoilo Versalles was batting .319.  He would finish at .280.  Paul Giel was batting 1.000 (1-for-1).  He would finish at .500 (1-for-2).

Jim Kaat had an ERA of 2.19.  He would finish at 3.90.  Paul Giel had an ERA of 3.00.  He would finish at 9.78.

Bill Tuttle would be traded to the Twins, along with a player to be named later, on June 1 and would play for them through 1963.  Paul Giel and Reno Bertoia were sent to Kansas City in that trade.  The player to be named later would be Giel, who was sent back to the Twins on June 10.

Paul Giel is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1953, losing out to Johnny Lattner.  He would go on to be the athletic director for the University of Minnesota.

The Don Larsen who played in this game is the Don Larsen who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.  He had been traded to Kansas City after the 1959 season and would be traded to the White Sox on June 10 of 1961.

Marv Throneberry would be traded to Baltimore on June 8.  Baltimore would trade him to the Mets on May 9, 1962.  He would go on to fame as “Marvelous Marv”, emblematic of the futility of the 1962 Mets team.  He really wasn’t a terrible player–in parts of seven seasons he batted .237/.311/.416.  Not great numbers, but there are certainly plenty of people who’ve done worse.

As you know, both Billy Martin and Billy Gardner would go on to manage the Twins.  Jim Lemon, who played left for the Twins, would manage Washington in 1968.  Dick Howser, who played short for Kansas City, managed the Yankees in 1980 and the Kansas City Royals from 1981-1986.  Billy Gardner would succeed him as manager.  Haywood Sullivan, who came in to catch later in the game for Kansas City, managed the Athletics in 1965.  Joe Pignatano, who started at catcher for Kansas City, was a long-time coach for several teams.  

The two teams combined for seventeen walks and seven errors in this game.  Neither team was very good in 1961, but one suspects weather may have been a factor as well.

Record:  Kansas City was 2-5, in ninth place in the American League, five games behind Detroit.  They would finish 61-100, tied for ninth with Washington, 47.5 games behind New York.

The Twins were 8-2, in second place in the American League, a half game behind Detroit.  They would finish 70-90, in seventh place, thirty-eight games behind New York.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 36-40 (.474).

SEATTLE MARINERS 5, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN SEATTLE

Date:  Sunday, April 14, 1985.

Batting star:  Mickey Hatcher was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Tom Klawitter pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Al Cowens was 3-for-4.  Mike Moore pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one run on seven hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins put two on in the first but did not score.  They got a pair of one-out singles in the third, but the game remained scoreless.  Seattle got a pair of two-out singles in the fourth, but similarly were held off the scoreboard.  The Twins got two two-out singles in the seventh, but it was still 0-0.

Seattle finally broke through in the seventh.  With one out, Al Cowens doubled and Jim Presley was intentionally walked.  With two out, Spike Owen singled home the game’s first run and Harold Reynolds walked to load the bases.  Rick Lysander then came in to replace starter Frank Viola and gave up a three-run triple to Phil Bradley.  Alvin Davis followed with an RBI single and the Mariners led 5-0.

The Twins got one back in the eighth when Tom Brunansky doubled with two out and scored on a Mike Stenhouse single.  But the last four Twins went out and the Mariners won it, 5-1.

WP:  Mike Moore (2-0).

LP:  Frank Viola (1-1).

S:  None.

Notes:  Mike Stenhouse was the DH.  Roy Smalley had the most games in that spot with 56, followed by Dave Engle (38) and Randy Bush (28).

Mickey Hatcher was batting .407.  He would finish at .282.  Tom Brunansky was batting .368.  He would finish at .242.  Mike Stenhouse was batting .333.  He would finish at .223.  Kirby Puckett was batting .333.  He would finish at .288.

Tom Klawitter had an ERA of 0.00.  He would finish at 6.75.

This was the only full season Mike Stenhouse had in the major leagues.  He played in 81 games, got 179 at-bats, and batted .223/.330/.335.  He also played for Montreal from 1982-1984 and for Boston in 1986.

This was Tom Klawitter’s first major league game.  He would appear in six more, never to return.  Speculation at the time was that the main reason he made the team was that Billy Gardner enjoyed making the “claw” gesture when he wanted him to come into a game.  Given the Twins’ pitching staff in 1985, it was probably as good a reason as any.

This was Rick Lysander’s last season in the majors. He’d pitched decently in relief for the Twins in 1983-1984, but it fell apart for him this season.

Mike Moore made thirty-two starts or more every season from 1984-1993.  He pitched over 200 innings in each of those seasons except 1990, when he pitched 199.1.  He finished in the top ten in Cy Young voting twice, finishing third in 1989 (behind Bret Saberhagen and teammate Dave Stewart).  He made 440 starts over a fourteen year career, an average of 31.4 per season.  His career numbers aren’t spectacular by any means:  161-176, 4.39, 1.42 WHIP.  He’s doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame, or even in the Hall of Very Good.  But he was a guy you were happy to have in your rotation for fourteen seasons.

Record:  Seattle was 6-0, in first place in the AL West, three games ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 74-88, in fifth place, seventeen games behind Kansas City.

The Twins were 2-4, tied for third place in the AL West with California and Oakland, four games behind Seattle.  They would finish 77-85, tied for fourth with Oakland, fourteen games behind Kansas City.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 34-40 (.459).

MINNESOTA TWINS 11, KANSAS CITY ROYALS 2 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Sunday, June 21, 1970.

Batting star:  Bob Allison was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a double.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Rich Reese was 2-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew hit a home run, his seventeenth.

Pitching star:  Jim Perry struck out seven in 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits.  Ron Perranoski pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Joe Keough was 2-for-4 with a double.  Lou Piniella was 2-for-4.  Al Fitzmorris pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Bob Allison created a run in the second, getting an infield hit, going to second on an error, and scoring on a stolen base-plus-error.  The Twins took control of the game in the fourth.  Allison reached on an error, Rick Renick walked, and Leo Cardenas brought home two runs on a single-plus-error.  Rich Reese then singled and George Mitterwald hit an RBI single.  A bunt moved runners to second and third and a sacrifice fly brought home the fourth run of the inning, giving the Twins a 5-0 lead.  It went to 6-0 in the fifth when Harmon Killebrew led off the inning with a home run.

Kansas City did not do much in the first six innings, but got on the board in the seventh.  With two out, consecutive singles by Bob Oliver, Joe Keough, Lou Piniella, and Ed Kirkpatrick plated two runs to make the score 6-2.

The Twins added five runs in the ninth.  Cesar Tovar doubled and scored on a Rod Carew single.  Harmon Killebrew walked and Bob Allison was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.  An error brough home one run and Leo Cardenas delivered a bases-clearing double, bringing the final score to 11-2.

WP:  Jim Perry (10-5).

LP:  Bill Butler (2-6).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rod Carew was the regular second baseman until the day after this game, when he was injured and missed most of the rest of the season.  He was replaced by Danny Thompson, who, while a nice person who met a sad end, was not exactly Rod Carew at the plate.  Rick Renick was in left field.  Jim Holt played the most games there (76), followed by Brant Alyea at 73 and Cesar Tovar at 45.  Bob Allison was in right field, one of only four games he played there in 1970, in place of Tony Oliva. 

Rod Carew was batting .378.  He would finish at .366.  Jim Perry was batting .368.  He would finish at .247.  Harmon Killebrew was batting .305.  He would finish at .271.

Jim Perry had an ERA of 2.82.  He would finish at 3.04.  Ron Perranoski had an ERA of 1.82.  He would finish at 2.43.

Joe Keough did not play for the Twins, but went to spring training with them in 1974.  Jackie Hernandez came in for defense in the ninth.  He played for the Twins from 1967-1968.

The Bill Butler who played in this game is the second-best Bill Butler in Royals history.

Record:  Kansas City was 23-40, in fourth place in the AL West, 17.5 games behind Minnesota.  They would finish 65-97, tied for fourth with Milwaukee, thirty-three games behind Minnesota.

The Twins were 39-21, in first place in the AL West, four games ahead of California.  They would finish 98-64, in first place, nine games ahead of Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 34-39 (.466).

TEXAS RANGERS 6, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, August 13, 1992.

Batting star:  Chili Davis was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Paul Abbott pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Kevin Reimer was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his fifteenth), a double, and three runs.  Dean Palmer was 2-for-4 with a home run, his twentieth.  Ivan Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Ruben Sierra was 2-for-5.  Jose Guzman struck out eleven in a complete game, giving up an unearned run on six hits and a walk.

The game:  With two out in the first inning, Ruben Sierra singled and Kevin Reimer hit a two-run homer, giving Texas a 2-0 lead.  The Twins got on the board in the second when Chili Davis led off with a double, went to third on a fly to right, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Rangers scored two more in the third.  Rafael Palmeiro led off with a single and Kevin Reimer singled with one out.  With two down, starter Scott Erickson gave up consecutive walks to Monty Fariss, Ivan Rodriguez, and Jeff Huson.  The last two were with the bases loaded, giving Texas a 4-1 advantage.

The Twins never threatened to get back into the game.  Only twice did they get a man as far as second base, and both times it was with two out.  The Rangers scored one more in the seventh when Dean Palmer led off with a home run.  They got their final run in the ninth when Kevin Reimer led off with a double and scored on an Ivan Rodriguez single.  The final was 6-1 Texas.

WP:  Jose Guzman (10-9).

LP:  Scott Erickson (8-9).

S:  None.

Notes:  Lenny Webster was behind the plate in place of Brian Harper.  Jeff Reboulet was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne.  Mike Pagliarulo was on third base in place of Scott Leius.

Shane Mack was batting .331.  He would finish at .315.  Kirby Puckett was batting .327.  He would finish at .329.

Paul Abbott had an ERA of 2.00.  He would finish at 3.27.

Al Newman was at second base for Texas, going 1-for-4.  He had played for the Twins from 1987-1991.  Ruben Sierra would play for the Twins in 2006.

The three reserves who the Twins started in this game had batting averages below .200:  Jeff Reboulet (.197), Lenny Webster (.193), and Mike Pagliarulo (.171).  Only Reboulet would finish below .200, with Pagliarulo finishing at exactly .200 and Webster finishing at .280.

Paul Abbott would be sent back to AAA after this game.  He would appear in just one more game for the Twins, in September, and would be released the following March.  He was injured part of the year, but he had made seven excellent starts in AAA and was only twenty-four.  It’s hard to understand why the Twins would just give up on him, and wouldn’t at least be able to get something for him if they didn’t want to give him a chance.  He didn’t go on to a great major league career, but he did go 17-4 for Seattle in 2001.

From 1998-1992, Jose Guzman went 40-31, 3.51.  He missed two seasons in there due to injury, but when healthy he averaged 200 innings in those years.  He didn’t have another year with an ERA less than 4.30, and he was out of baseball after 1994, but for a few years he was a guy you definitely wanted in your starting rotation.

Record:  Texas was 59-59, in fourth place in the AL West, 12.5 games behind Oakland.  They would finish 77-85, in fourth place, nineteen games behind Oakland.

The Twins were 66-49, in second place in the AL West, four games behind Oakland.  They would finish 90-72, in second place, six games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 32-39 (.451).