MINNESOTA TWINS 5, TEXAS RANGERS 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 25, 2024

Batting stars:  Alex Kirilloff was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs.  Jose Miranda was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Chris Paddack pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out three.  Cole Sands struck out two in two perfect innings.  Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars: Leody Taveras was 2-for-4 with a double.  Ezequiel Duran hit a home run, his first.  Michael Lorenzen pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks and striking out four.

The game: The Twins took the lead in the first inning.  With one out, Carlos Correa walked and Miranda singled.  A line out followed, but then Byron Buxton got an infield single to load the bases and Ryan Jeffers walked to bring home the game’s first run.  A ground out ended the inning, but the Twins led 1-0.

The lead held up until the fourth.  Corey Seager led off with a single, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Adolis Garcia’s ground-rule double, tying the score at one.  Ezequiel Duran homered with one out in the fifth to give Texas a 2-1 lead.  In the sixth, Josh Smith walked and stole second and Taveras delivered a two-out double, putting the Rangers ahead 3-1.

The Twins got only one hit in innings two through six.  In the seventh, however, Kirilloff led off with a single and Carlos Santana walked.  Edouard Julien drew a one-out walk and Correa hit a sacrifice fly, cutting the margin to 3-2.  The Twins got the lead back in the eighth.  Max Kepler singled and Buxton walked.  With one out, Kirilloff hit a three-run homer, giving the Twins a 5-3 advantage.  It held up, as Texas did not get a baserunner after the sixth inning.

WP:  Sands (2-0).

LP:  David Robertson (2-2).

S:  Jhoan Duran (6),

Notes:  Willi Castro, who played just about everywhere in 2024, was in left.  Manuel Margot, who played the most games in left field, came in for defense in the ninth, with Castro moving to third and Miranda leaving the game.  Kirilloff was at DH.

Max Kepler was batting .303.  He would finish at .253.

This was one of three home runs Ezequiel Duran hit in 2024.  He had a slugging average of .321.

It’s interesting to look at the “regulars” for 2024.  Jeffers and Christian Vazquez each caught 86 games.  Edouard Julien had the most games at second with 90.  Jose Miranda had the most games at third with 79.  Correa led at short with 84.  Margot had the most in left with 64.  Buxton had 94 games in center.  Trevor Larnach had the most games at DH, 52.  The only players to play a hundred games at the same position were Santana at first (146) and Max Kepler in right (103).  Injuries had something to do with that, but some ot if was a deliberate managerial choice.

Record:  Texas was 24-29, in second place, 3 games behind Seattle in the AL West.  They would finish 78-84, in third place, 10.5 games behind Houston.

The Twins were 28-23, in third place, 6.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.  They would finish 82-80, in fourth place, 10.5 games behind Cleveland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 10-6 (.625).

MINNESOTA TWINS 8, BOSTON RED SOX 7 IN BOSTON

Date:  Wednesday, May 6, 1998.

Batting stars:  Ron Coomer was 3-for-6 with a home run (his sixth) and two RBIs.  Todd Walker was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a double two RBIs.  David Ortiz was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  

Pitching star:  Greg Swindell pitched 2.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out one.  

Opposition stars:  None.  Nine different players had exactly one hit.  There were no home runs, and each pitcher allowed at least two runs.

The game:  Walker led off the game with a double, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out.  Coomer added a two-out home run to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  They tallied twice more in the third.  With one out, Walker walked, Paul Molitor singled, and Matt Lawton walked, loading the bases.  Coomer singled home a run and Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 4-0.

Boston did nothing on offense until the fourth.  John Valentin and Mo Vaughn led off that inning with singles, putting men on first and third, and a double play brought home a run.  They got back into the game in the fifth.  Scott Hatteberg singled and Darren Bragg doubled, puting men on second and third with none out.  A ground out scored one and Nomar Garciaparra’s two-run single brought home another, cutting the Twins’ lead to 4-3.  But the Twins got the runs back in the sixth.  Ortiz led off with a double and was bunted to third.  With two out, Chris Latham delivered an RBI single and scored on Hunter’s double-plus-error, putting the Twins back up by three at 6-3.

The Twins added on.  In the seventh, Lawton walked, Coomer singled, and Ortiz drove in a run with a single.  In the eighth, Terry Steinbach doubled and scored on a Hunter single, making it 8-3 Twins.

They needed all those runs.  Boston scored in the eighth when Lewis doubled, went to third on a fly ball, and scored on a wild pitch.  No problem–the Twins still led 8-4, and Rick Aguilera was coming in to pitch the ninth.  But in the ninth, Reggie Jefferson and Troy O’Leary led off with consecutive doubles to make it 8-5.  A pair of ground outs made Twins fans breathe easier, but Jim Leyritz was hit by a pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate.  Pinch-hitter Midre Cummings then drove in two with a double, making it 8-7 and bringing the deciding run to the plate in the dangerous Garciaparra.  But he grounded out to second and the victory was preserved.

WP:  LaTroy Hawkins (1-3).

LP:  Robinson Checo (0-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Latham was in right, with Lawton shifting to left and Marty Cordova out of the lineup.  Hunter was in center in place of Otis Nixon.  

Walker was batting .382.  He would finish at .316.  Pat Meares was batting .308.  He would finish at .260.  Coomer was batting .301.  He would finish at .276.  Mike Trombley, who pitched a third of an inning, had an ERA of 0.73.  He would finish at 3.63.  Eddie Guardado, who also pitched a third of an inning, had an ERA of 2.63.  He would finish at 4.52.

We really thought we had something in Todd Walker.  He was batting over .350 as late as August 9.  He would go on to have a solid major league career, most of it elsewhere, but he was never the star we thought he would be in 1998.

This was the last of just six games Torii Hunter played for the Twins in 1998.  He was not expected to be in the majors yet that season, but filled in for a little while when Nixon was injured.  He would be with the Twins all of 1999, but be sent back to AAA for two months in 2000 before coming up to stay.  He was batting just .207 when he was sent down in late May of 2000, but would come back strong when brought back in late July and would finish the season batting .280.

Hawkins would continue to be a starter, with little success, through 1999.  Moved to the bullpen in 2000, he went on to have a solid career as a reliever.

Cummings would go on to play for the Twins from 1999-2000.  He had been drafted by the Twins in 1990, but was traded in 1992 with Denny Neagle for John Smiley.  The Twins would trade him again at the August deadline in 2000 for Hector De Los Santos, who would not pitch for them in the majors.

This was the last of two starts Robinson Checo would make in 1998.  He had made two in 1997 and would make two more (along with seven relief appearances) in 1999.  For his career, he was 3-5, 7.71, 1.86 WHIP in 36.2 innings.

I wonder what the record is for most hits in a game with no player getting more than one.

Record:  Boston was 21-10, in second place, 2.5 games behind the Yankees.  They would finish 92-70, in second place, 22 games behind the Yankees.

Minnesota was 13-19, tied for second place with Kansas City, 6.5 games behind Cleveland.  They would finish 70-92, in fourth place, 19 games behind Cleveland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 9-6 (.600).

MINNESOTA TWINS 12, OAKLAND ATHLETICS 10 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, July 19, 2001.

Batting stars: Brian Buchanan was 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, two runs, and four RBIs.  Tom Prince was 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs, and two RBIs.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Corey Koskie was 3-for-6 with two doubles and three RBIs.  Luis Rivas was 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs.  Casey Blake was 2-for-3.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Frank Menechino was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eleventh), a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Terrence Long was 2-for-4.  Jason Giambi was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Johnny Damon was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Jeremy Giambi hit a two-run homer, his fifth.

The game:  Damon led off the game with a single and Menechino followed with a two-run homer, giving Oakland a 2-0 lead two batters into the game.  The Twins had men on first and second in each of the first two innings and had a man on second in the third, but it was still 2-0 until the fourth, when Long hit a two-out single and Jeremy Giambi followed with a two-run homer, making the score 4-0 Athletics.

The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on one-out singles by Denny Hocking and Blake and a Prince sacrifice fly.  They then took the lead in the fifth.  With one out, Mientkiewicz was hit by a pitch.  Buchanan and Koskie had consecutive RBI doubles to cut the deficit to 4-3.  With two out, Hocking walked and Blake and Prince delivered RBI singles, putting the Twins in front 5-4.

The Twins kept adding to the lead.  In the sixth, one-out singles by Mientkiewicz and Buchanan were followed by Koskie’s two-run double, making the score 7-4.  Prince led off the seventh with a triple.  One-out singles by Rivas, Mientkiewicz, and Buchanan followed, putting the Twins up 9-4.

Oakland tried to get back into the game in the eighth.  Menechino led off with a walk, Jason Giambi singled, and Ron Gant delivered a two-run double to cut the lead to 9-6.  There were still none out, but the next three batters were retired to end the inning.  The Twins got the runs back with interest in the bottom of the eighth.  A walk and a strikeout/passed ball put men on first and second with two out.  Rivas delivered an RBI single, Mientkiewicz walked, and Buchanan drove in two with a single, giving the Twins a seemingly comfortable 12-6 lead going to the ninth.

But the Athletics weren’t done.  Giambi walked.  Damon singled with one out, and Menechino singled to drive home a run.  Menechino then drove in a run with a single, Jason Giambi doubled home another, and Billy McMillon hit a two-run double, cutting the lead to 12-10.  The tying run was at the plate, but Miguel Tejada popped up and Eric Chavez grounded out to end them game.

WP:  Eric Milton (9-3).

LP:  Barry Zito (6-7).

S:  LaTroy Hawkins (25).

Notes:  Prince was behind the plate in place of A. J. Pierzynski.  Hocking was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Buchanan was in left in place of Jacque Jones.  Blake was at DH in place of David Ortiz.

Mientkiewicz was batting .319.  He would finish at .306.  Blake was batting .318.  That’s where he would finish as a Twin in 2001, because he was sent to AAA after this game, was waived in September, and finished the season with Baltimore.  He would come back to the Twins in 2002, but be released after the season and sign with Cleveland, where he would go on to have some fine seasons.  Matt Lawton was batting .307.  He would finish at .293.

This was the third of four triples Prince would hit in his career.  His last would come the following season.

The Twins used five relief pitchers:  Eddie Guardado, Bob Wells, Travis Miller, Jack Cressend, and Hawkins.

Eric Milton was an all-star in 2001, something I had forgotten.  I suppose the Twins had to have somebody.  He was 8-3, 3.73 in the first half, decent numbers but not numbers that scream “all-star”.  He was 7-4, 5.01 in the second half, for a total of 15-7, 4.32.

Record:  Oakland was 50-45, in second place in the AL West, 18 games behind Seattle.  They would finish 102-60, in second place, 14 games behind Seattle.  This, of course, was the year the Mariners won 116 games.  It must stink to win 102 games and be nowhere close to the division title.

Minnesota was 58-37, in first place in the AL Central, 3 games ahead of Cleveland.  They would finish 85-77, in second place, 6 games behind Cleveland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 8-6 (.571).

CHICAGO WHITE SOX 8, MINNESOTA TWINS 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 22, 2022

Batting stars:  Dustan Mohr was 3-for-5 with a double.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-4.  Michael Restovich was 2-for-4.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Johan Santana pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect inning.  

Opposition stars:  D’Angelo Jimenez was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his fourth) and two runs.  Frank Thomas was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-seventh) and three RBIs.  Magglio Ordonez hit a home run, his thirty-sixth.  Mark Buehrle pitched six innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and two walks and striking out three.  Antonio Osuna struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  The Twins got singles from Rivas and LeCroy in the first, and a passed ball put men on second and third with two out, but a ground out ended the inning.  In the bottom of the first, Jimenez singled and Thomas hit a two-run homer, making it 2-0 Chicago.

The Twins got on the board in the second.  Michael Cuddyer walked and singles by Restovich and A. J. Pierzynski produced a run.  The Twins still had men on first and second with none out, but Denny Hocking popped up a bunt and a double play ended the inning.  The White Sox got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Jeff Liefer doubled, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly, making it 3-1.  

The Twins threatened in the third.  Mohr led off with a double, but was thrown out trying to go to third on a fly to center.  They had a chance to score anyway, as LeCroy singled and Corey Koskie walked, but a ground out ended the inning.  Chicago got another run in the bottom of the inning when Jose Valentin walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Thomas single, increasing the lead to 4-1.  The White Sox put it away in the fourth.  Joe Crede and Aaron Rowand hit one-out singles, and with two down Jimenez hit a three-run homer.  

The lead was 7-1, and the Twins would not get back into the game.  They did get one more run in the fifth, when singles by Rivas and Mohr put men on first and third with none out and a double play brought a run home, but that was it.  Ordonez rounded out the scoring with a home run leading off the eighth.

WP:  Buehrle (19-11).

LP:  Joe Mays (4-8).

S:  None.

Notes:  LeCroy was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Hocking was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Restovich was in left in place of Jacque Jones.  Cuddyer was in right field, with Mohr moving from right to center.  Torii Hunter was the DH in place of David Ortiz.  The Twins had clinched the division at this point.

Pierzynski was batting .304.  He would finish at .300.  Restovich was batting .300.  He would finish at .308 in 13 at-bats.  Javier Valentin, who came in at catcher for Pierzynski late in the game, was batting .667.  He would finish at .500 (2-for-4).

Hawkins had an ERA of 2.18.  He would finish at 2.13, easily his best season in the majors up to this point.  J. C. Romero had an ERA of 1.96.  He would finish at 1.89.

We talked about Mays a few days ago.  He did pitch much better in the second half of 2002, after he came back from injury.  Not great, but his ERA in the second half was 4.52 with a WHIP of 1.30.

Santana made fourteen starts and had thirteen relief appearances in 2002

Jimenez was a future Twin, playing in their farm system in 2010.  Another future Twin, Joe Crede, was 1-for-4.  I always remember him as “Home Run Greedy Crede” because of a Twins radio commercial at the time.

The Twins out-hit Chicago 12-9, but still lost by six runs.  Eleven of the twelve hits were singles.  They stranded nine men and went 1-for-12 with men in scoring position.

Record:  Chicago was 79-77, in second place, 10.5 games behind Minnesota.  They would finish 81-81, in second place, 13.5 games behind Minnesota.

The Twins were 89-66, in first place, 10.5 games ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 94-67, in first place, 13.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 7-5 (.583).

DETROIT TIGERS 8, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, July 22, 2005.

Batting star:  Luis Rivas was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Jesse Crain pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Juan Rincon struck out two in a perfect inning.  Joe Nathan struck out two and walked two in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Placido Polanco was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Craig Monroe was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Nook Logan was 2-for-4 with a double.  Omar Infante was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs.  Ivan Rodriguez was 2-for-5.  Nate Robertson pitched a complete game, giving up an unearned run on five hits and a walk and striking out six.

The game:  The Twins scored first, in the first inning.  Rivas reached third on a single-plus-error and scored on a Lew Ford single.  Detroit had a two-out rally in the second to tie it.  Monroe doubled, Chris Shelton walked, and Infante singled to make it 1-1.

From there it was all Tigers.  Polanco led off the third with a double.  With one out, Rondell White walked and a wild pitch put men on first and third.  RBI singles by Rodriguez and Monroe followed, making it 3-1.  Infante led off the fourth with a home run.  Logan walked and scored on a Brandon Inge double.  He was bunted to third and scored when White reached on an error, making it 6-1.  Another run scored in the fifth when White led off with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a pair of ground outs.  Detroit added one more in the seventh when Shelton scored, Logan reached on an error, Inge walked to load the bases, and Polanco singled home a run.

The Twins did nothing on offense after the first inning.  They only once got a man as far as second, and that was on an error.

WP:  Robertson (3-5).

LP:  Joe Mays (3-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Mike Redmond was behind the plate in place of Joe Mauer.  Matthew LeCroy was at first base in place of Justin Morneau.  Rivas had lost the second base job at this point, but was playing in place of Nick Punto.  Baseball-reference lists Jason Bartlett as the regular shortstop, but Juan Castro actually played more games there, and played in this one.  With LeCroy at first base, Lew Ford was the DH.

The Twins did not have a .300 hitter in 2005, and no one was batting .300 after this game.

Crain had an ERA of 0.85.  He would finish at 2.71.  J. C. Romero had an ERA of 2.22.  He would finish at 3.47.  Rincon had an ERA of 2.87.  He would finish at 2.45.

Mays was in his last year with the Twins and his last year as a rotation starter.  He’d had an excellent season in 2001, and got a mutli-year contract, but had injury problems immediately thereafter and did not have a good season again.  He was easily the worst starter the Twins had in 2005, going 6-10, 5.65, 1.56 WHIP.  He would be replaced in the rotation in September by rookie Scott Baker.

Future Twins Rondell White and Craig Monroe started for the Tigers.  Monroe was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  White was 0-for-4 with a walk.

The Random Twins have seen Nate Robertson twice.  He has won one and lost one.

Record:  Detroit was 35-33, in fourth place in the AL Central, 14.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 71-9-1, in fourth place, 28 games behind Chicago.

Minnesota was 48-31, in second place, 10 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 83-79, in third place, 16 games behind Chicago.

Random Record:  The Random Twins had their six-game winning streak snapped and are 7-4 (.636).

MINNESOTA TWINS 5, BOSTON RED SOX 2 IN BOSTON

Date:  Monday, June 13, 1994

Batting stars: Jeff Reboulet was 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.  Chip Hale was 3-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch.  Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Shane Mack was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Jim DeShaies struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk.  Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Wes Chamberlain was 3-for-4 with a double.  Carlos Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a double.  Damon Berryhill was 2-for-4 with a double.  John Valentin was 2-for-5 with a triple and a double.

The game:  Boston scored first, and they did it in the first inning.  Valentin hit a one-out triple and scored on a single by Mo Vaughn.  The Twins tied it in the third.  With one out, singles by Matt Walbeck, Reboulet, and Knoblauch made it 1-1.

Boston missed a chance to get the lead back in the bottom of the third.  Otis Nixon singled, Valentin doubled, and Vaughn was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, but Andre Dawson hit into a double play.  The Red Sox took the lead in the fourth, although they missed a chance for more.  Lee Tinsley walked and scored on Chamberlain’s double.  Berryhill followed with a double, but Chamberlain could only advance to third.  They still had men on second and third with none out, but DeShaies came back to strikeout the next three batters–Scott Cooper, Greg Litton, and Nixon–to end the inning.

The Twins went ahead to stay in the fifth.  Reboulet walked and Nixon doubled, putting men on second and third, and RBI ground outs by Alex Cole and Kirby Puckett made it 3-2 Minnesota.  They got an insurance run in the sixth when Mack and Hale hit one-out singles and Reboulet delivered a two-out double.  They got one more in the eighth.  Hale singled and was forced at second.  Reboulet doubled, putting men on second and third, and Knoblauch’s run-scoring ground out made it 5-2.

Boston missed more chances to score.  In the fifth Rodriguez reached on an error and was balked to second with one out, but there he remained.  Rodriguez again reached second in the seventh, getting there with a two-out double, but again was stranded there.  In the eighth Chamberlain reached on an error and went to second on a Berryhill single with one out.  A ground out put men on second and third with two down, but another ground out ended the inning.  The Red Sox did not get the tying run up to bat again, and it ended 5-2.

WP:  DeShaies (3-6).

LP:  Roger Clemens (6-3).

S:  Aguilera (13).

Notes:  Reboulet was at shortstop in place of Pat Meares.  Hale was at third base in place of Scott Leius.  

Cole was batting .330.  He would finish at .296.  Puckett was batting .328.  He would finish at .317.  Knoblauch was batting .325.  He would finish at .312.  Reboulet was batting .309.  He would finish at .259.  Mack was batting .308.  He would finish at .333.

In addition to the “pitching stars”, the Twins used three pitchers for two-thirds of an inning each:  Larry Casian, Carl Willis, and Mark Guthrie.  

Neither team did much with men in scoring position:  The Twins were 2-for-12 and Boston was 2-for-13.  Each team stranded eleven men.

DeShaies was in his last year as a rotation starter, and it did not go well.  He ended up 6-12, 7.39, 1.72 WHIP.  Despite that, he made twenty-five starts, leading the league, and pitched 130.1 innings.  He also led the league in earned runs allowed and home runs allowed.  He would make two starts for Philadelphia in 1995, then his major league career would come to an end.

Wes Chamberlain had a six-year major league career, mostly with Philadelphia.  He was a decent part-time outfielder.  He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1991.  His best year was 1993, when he batted .282 with an OPS of .813 in 284 at-bats.  1994 was his next-to-last year– he would bat just .119 in 42 at-bats in 1995, and then his major league career was over.

Otis Nixon, of course, would go on to play for the Twins in 1998.  He went 1-for-5 in this game.

We’ve already had three games from 1994.  That’s just how randomness works sometimes.

Record:  Boston was 32-28, in third place in the AL East, 4 games behind the Yankees.  They would finish 54-61, in fourth place, 17 games behind the Yankees.

Minnesota was 34-27, in third place, 1 games behind Cleveland and the White Sox.  They would finish 53-60, in fourth place, 14 games behind the White Sox.  After this game, the Twins would go 19-33, the worst record in baseball over that span.  That’s one of the things that happens when you give 25 starts to a guy with an ERA over seven.

Random Record:  The Random Twins have a six-game winning streak, and are 7-3 (.700).

MINNESOTA TWINS 2, SEATTLE MARINERS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 1, 1994.

Batting stars:  Alex Cole was 3-for-4 with a double.  Pat Meares was 2-for-3.  Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Kevin Tapani pitched eight innings, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk and striking out six.  Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Felix Fermin was 3-for-3 with a double.  Chris Bosio pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on nine hits and a walk and striking out one.

The game:  Cole hit a one-out double in the first but remained at second.  Seattle got on the board in the third, as Fermin hit a one-out double and scored on Torey Lovullo’s two-out double.  The Twins got the run back in the third when Meares laid down a bunt single and scored on a Knoblauch double.  

Each team missed chances to take the lead.  Fermin and Dan Wilson hit one-out singles in the top of the fifth, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  In the bottom half, Meares singled with one out and advanced to third with two out on a stolen base-plus-error, but a ground out ended that threat.  In the top of the sixth, Tino Martinez hit a two-run single and went all the way from first to third on a passed ball, but was stranded there.

The Twins finally broke through in the seventh.  Matt Walbeck singled with one out.  He went to second on a ground out and Knoblauch delivered an RBI double to put the Twins ahead.  Cole followed with a single put men on first and third, but the Twins could do no more.  

Still, they led, 2-1, and it was enough.  The Mariners got a two-out single in each of the last two innings, but did not move the man past first.

WP:  Tapani (6-2)..

LP:  Bosio (2-7).

S:  Aguilera (11).

Notes:  Chip Hale was at first base, with Kent Hrbek moving to DH.  Dave Winfield was the regular DH that season.  David McCarty came in for defense at first in the ninth.

Kirby Puckett was batting .335.  He would finish at .317.  Knoblauch was batting .328.  He would finish at .312.  Shane Mack was batting .315.  He would finish at .333.  Cole was batting .306.  He would finish at .296.

Tapani was really up and down in 1994, mixing some fine games like this with some bad ones.  He would finish 11-7, but with an ERA of 4.62.  That ERA was actually the best among Twins starters, with Pat Mahomes as the only other starter posting an ERA under five.  Despite that, the Twins made no changes to their rotation, with only six starts made outside of their regular five starters.  The starting five was Tapani, Mahomes (4.73), Scott Erickson (5.44), Carlos Pulido (5.98), and Jim DeShaies (7.39).

This was Fermin’s last season as a regular.  He would be a part-time player for the Mariners in 1995 and make eleven appearances for the Cubs in 1996 before ending his major league career.

Record:  Seattle was 21-30, in third place in the AL West, just 2.5 games behind Texas.  They would finish 49-63, just two games behind Texas.  Texas won the division with a record of 52-62, but there were no playoffs that season.

The Twins were 26-24, in third place in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the White Sox.  They would finish 53-60, in fourth place, fourteen games behind the White Sox.

Random Record:  The Random Twins have a five-game winning streak and are 6-3 (.667).

MINNESOTA TWINS 7, TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS 3 IN TAMPA BAY

Date:  Tuesday, May 6, 2003.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 5-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third), a double, and three runs.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fourth.  Bobby Kielty was 2-for-4.  Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer, his fourth.

Pitching star:  Brad Radke pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk and  striking out six.

Opposition stars:  Rey Ordonez was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rocco Baldelli was 2-for-4.  Nick Bierbrodt pitched three shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out two.  Jesus Colome struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  Jones led off the game with a home run, giving the Twins a quick 1-0 lead.  Tampa Bay threatened in the bottom of the inning.  Baldelli hit a one-out single and stole second with two out.  Travis Lee walked, but a strikeout ended the inning.  In the second, Kielty hit a one-out single followed by Mohr’s two-run homer, making it 3-0.  In the third, Jones again led off with a home run.  With two out, Todd Sears walked and Hunter hit a two-run homer to give the Twins a 6-0 lead.  The Twins threatened in the fourth, as A. J. Pierzynski led off with a single and Jones singled with one out.  A force out put men on first and third, but a fly out ended the inning.

Meanwhile, Radke was in control.  He retired nine in a row before Al Martin reached on an error.  Toby Hall followed with a single, but a fly out ended the threat.  The Twins threatened again in the sixth, as Pierzynski was hit by a pitch with one out and Jones hit a two-out double, but a ground out ended the inning.

The Devil Rays finally got to Radke in the sixth.  Singles by Baldelli, Aubrey Huff, and Lee loaded the bases with none out.  Martin grounded out to score one and Hall hit a sacrifice fly to bring in another, but that was all Tampa Bay could do.  They threatened again in the seventh, getting one-out singles from Ordonez and Marlon Anderson, but a double play ended the inning.

Each team tallied one in the ninth.  Jones singled, stole second, and scored on a Corey Koskie single.  Chris Truby drew a two-out walk and scored on an Ordonez double.  That brought us to the final score of 7-3.

WP:  Radke (3-3).

LP:  Steve Parris (0-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Sears was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Chris Gomez was at second in place of Luis Rivas.  Kielty was the DH.  The Twins didn’t really have a regular DH in 2003, with Matthew LeCroy getting the most starts there.

Jones was batting .336.  He would finish at .304.  Kielty was batting .310.  He would finish at .252.  Radke got off to a very slow start in 2003–this would lower his ERA to 5.53.  His ERA was 5.49 in the first half of the season and 3.24 in the second half.

While Tampa Bay got a couple of men on base, Radke did not give up a run in the first inning.

Johan Santana pitched the last two innings.  This was in the “Free Johan” days, with Santana (and many fans) believing he should be starting, but Ron Gardenhire and the Twins believing he was more valuable in relief.  He would start a game three days later, on May 9, but would not join the rotation until mid-July.

This would be the last major league start and last major league decision for Parris.  He would make three more appearances, all in relief, and be released June 18, never to return to the major leagues.

Whatever became of Rocco Baldelli, anyway?

Record:  Tampa Bay was 12-20, in fifth (last) place in the AL East, eleven games behind the Yankees.  Not that the Devil Rays had high expectations, but it has to be discouraging to already be eleven games out in early May.  They would finish 63-99, in fifth (last) place, 38 games behind the Yankees.

The Twins were 16-15, in second place in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 92-70, in first place, four games ahead of the White Sox, with KC falling to third.

Random Record:  The Random Twins have a four-game winning streak and are 5-3 (.625).

MINNESOTA TWINS 6, DETROIT TIGERS 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 1.

Batting stars:  Alexi Casilla was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Justin Morneau was 3-for-4 with a double.  Craig Monroe was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer (his eighth) and a walk.  Carlos Gomez was 2-for-3 with two walks.  Mike Redmond was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Scott Baker pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out five.  Joe Nathan pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Carlos Guillen was 3-for-4 with three runs.  Marcus Thames was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his sixteenth.  Gary Sheffield was 2-for-4 with a double.  Ivan Rodriguez was 2-for-4.  Zach Miner pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and four walks.  Bobby Seay pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

The game:  The Twins threatened in the first.  Gomez walked, Casilla got a bunt single, and a wild pitch moved runners to second and third with none out, but a home-and-first double play took the Twins out of the inning.  Detroit started the scoring in the fourth, when Guillen singled, went to third on Thames’ single, and scored on a wild pitch.  The Twins came right back in the bottom on the fourth.  Redmond and Morneau led off the inning with singles and Monroe followed with a three-run homer, putting the Twins up 3-1.  Minnesota added to their lead in the fifth.  Denard Span led off with a double, Gomez followed with a bunt single, Casilla hit an RBI double, and Redmond delivered a two-run single, making the score 6-1 Twins.

Detroit got back into the game in the sixth when Guillen hit a one-out single and Thames followed with a home run, making it 6-3.  The Twins got three one-out walks in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases, but a double play ended the threat.  Detroit got one more in the eighth.  Guillen singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Sheffield’s two-out double.  But the next four batters were retired and the Twins took a 6-4 win.

WP:  Baker (5-2).

LP:  Nate Robertson (6-7).

S:  Nathan (23).

Notes:  Redmond was behind the plate in place of Joe Mauer.  Brendan Harris was at short, with Nick Punto going to third and sort-of regular third baseman Brian Buscher on the bench.  Monroe was at DH in place of Jason Kubel.

Casilla was batting .327.  He would finish at .281.  Morneau was batting .314.  He would finish at .300.  Redmond was batting .300.  He would finish at .287.

The Twins had fourteen hits.  Their first five batters went 12-for-18 with a home run, two doubles, and four walks.

Nathan did not allow an obligatory baserunner, retiring Detroit in order in the ninth.

This was the last home run Monroe would hit as a Twin.  He was released on August 8.

I think of Span as a center fielder, but he was in right in 2008, with Gomez in center.  He would not become the regular center fielder until 2010.

Future Twin Clete Thomas played left field for the Tigers, going 0-for-3.

Record:  Detroit was 42-41, in third place in the AL Central, 5.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 74-88, in fifth place, 14.5 games behind Chicago.

Minnesota was 46-38, in second place, two games behind Chicago.  They would finish 88-75, in second place, one game behind Chicago, due to losing game 163.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 4-3 (.571).