Tag Archives: using the bench

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-nine

CHICAGO 13, MINNESOTA 12 IN CHICAGO (GAME 2--12 INNINGS)

Date:  Thursday, October 3.

Batting stars:  Pedro Munoz was 3-for-6 with a home run (his seventh), a double, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Gene Larkin was 3-for-6 with two doubles.  Scott Leius was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fifth) and two RBIs.  Paul Sorrento was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and three RBIs.  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-1 with a two-run homer, his twentieth.  Greg Gagne was 1-for-5 with a home run, his eighth.

Pitching star:  Gary Wayne pitched three innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Ozzie Guillen was 4-for-5.  Dan Pasqua was 4-for-6 with a home run (his seventeenth), a double, a walk, and three runs.  Warren Newson was 3-for-4.  Carlton Fisk was 3-for-7 with two home runs (his seventeenth and eighteenth), a double, three runs, and six RBIs.  Craig Grebeck was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.  Lance Johnson was 2-for-6 with a double, a stolen base (his twenty-fifth), and two runs.  Tim Raines was 2-for-7 with a stolen base, his fifty-first.

The game:  The White Sox got on the board in the third when Guillen doubled, went to third on Raines' single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  The Twins responded with six in the fourth.  Gagne led off with a home run to tie the score.  Munoz and Chili Davis singled, Larkin had an RBI double, Lenny Webster walked, Sorrento had a two-run single, and Leius had an RBI single.  Jarvis Brown drew a one-out walk to load the bases, and with two out Munoz walked to force in a run.  The Twins left the bases loaded, but they led 6-1 and things looked good.

It didn't last.  In the fourth, Johnson reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a stolen base-plus-error-plus-error, making it 6-2.  In the fifth Pasqua and Fisk hit back-to-back home runs to make it 6-4.  The Twins got a run back in the sixth on a pair of errors, making it 7-4, but in the bottom of the fifth Frank Thomas homered, Pasqua and Fisk hit back-to-back doubles, and Newson had an RBI single, tying the score 7-7.

Chicago took the lead in the seventh.  A single and two walks loaded the bases and Fisk hit a two-out grand slam to give the White Sox an 11-7 lead.  Leius homered in the eighth to make it 11-8, but in the bottom of the eighth Johnson doubled, went to third on Grebeck's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 12-8.

Munoz led off the ninth with a homer to make it 12-9.  With two out Webster singled and scored from first on a Sorrento double.  Hrbek then hit a pinch-hit two-run homer to tie it 12-12.

The Twins had men on second and third in the tenth but could not score.  Chicago had men on first and third in the tenth but could not score.  In the twelfth Joey Cora singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a Matt Merullo single to win the game for the White Sox.

WP:  Brian Drahman (3-2).  LP:  Terry Leach (1-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Brown was in center field in place of Kirby Puckett.  He batted first.  Gagne batted second.  Munoz was in left in place of Dan Gladden and batted third.  Larkin was in right field in place of Shane Mack.  Webster was behind the plate in place of Brian Harper.  Sorrento was at first base in place of Hrbek.  Al Newman was at second base in place of Chuck Knoblauch.

Randy Bush pinch-hit for Chili Davis in the fourth.  Harper pinch-hit for Bush in the ninth.  Hrbek pinch-hit for Leius in the ninth.  Knoblauch then replaced Hrbek and went to second base, with Newman moving to third.  Mike Pagliarulo pinch-hit for Gagne in the tenth and stayed in the game at third base, with Newman moving to shortstop.  Mack pinch-ran for Harper in the tenth.  Gladden pinch-hit for Sorrento in the eleventh.  Gladden then went to left field, with Munoz moving to right and Larkin going to first base.

Webster was 1-for-3 and was batting .333.  Harper was 1-for-2 and was batting .313.  Bush was 0-for-2 and was batting .308.  Mack was 0-for-1 and was batting .306.

Kevin  Tapani started and pitched five innings, allowing four runs on eleven hits and two walks and striking out five.  His ERA was 2.99.  Carl Willis allowed three runs in one inning to make his ERA 2.65.

Brown was 0-for-6 and was batting .161.  Newman was 0-for-5 and was batting .194.

Greg Hibbard started for Chicago.  He lasted just three innings, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk and striking out none.  The White Sox used nine pitchers:  Hibbard, Roberto Hernandez, Steve Wapnick, Jeff Carter, Donn Pall, Scott Radinsky, Bobby Thigpen, Ken Patterson, and Drahman.

In eight games against the Twins in 1991, Warren Newson went 6-for-16 (.375).  For his career he batted .326/.425/.579 against the Twins for an OPS of 1.004.  For his career overall, he batted .250/.374/.401.

Fisk's grand slam was his last home run of the season.  He would hit only four more in his career.  He was forty-three at this point, and near the end of his career, but he played two more seasons before finally retiring.

What's more fun than playing a meaningless doubleheader at the end of the season?  Playing two extra-inning games in a meaningless doubleheader at the end of the season!

Record:  The Twins were 94-65, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-eight

CHICAGO 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN CHICAGO (GAME 1--10 INNINGS)

Date:  Thursday, October 3.

Batting stars:  Chuck Knoblauch was 3-for-4 with a stolen base, his twenty-fourth.  Chili Davis was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Dan Gladden was 1-for-5 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching stars:  Jack Morris pitched five shutout innings, giving up six hits and a walk and striking out five.  He threw 72 pitches.  Mark Guthrie pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits.

Opposition stars:  Jack McDowell pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and four walks and striking out three.  Lance Johnson was 4-for-4 with a triple and a stolen base, his twenty-fifth.  Frank Thomas was 2-for-3 with two walks.

The game:  The White Sox loaded the bases with one out in the first on two singles and a walk, but Bo Jackson hit into a double play to end the inning.  The Twins put men on first and second with two out in the fourth, but Brian Harper flied out to end the inning.

Those were the only threats until the sixth, when Gladden led off the inning with a home run to put the Twins up 1-0.  The Twins added a run in the ninth when Kent Hrbek walked and pinch-runner Jarvis Brown scored from first on Davis' double.

It was 2-0 going to the bottom of the ninth, and Rick Aguilera came in to finish it off.  But he walked Warren Newson to lead off the inning, and Johnson then circled the bases on a triple-plus-error to tie the score 2-2.  The next three batters went out, so we had free baseball.

The Twins went down in order in the top of the tenth.  In the bottom of the tenth, Tim Raines reached on a two-base error.  A ground out, an intentional walk, and a foul popup gave the Twins hope, but Newson delivered a single to score Raines and give the White Sox the victory.

WP:  Scott Radinsky (5-5).  LP:  Aguilera (4-5).  S:  None.

Notes:  Al Newman was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne.

Lots of substitutes again.  Brown pinch-ran for Hrbek in the ninth and stayed in the game in right field.  Gene Larkin pinch-hit for Harper in the ninth and stayed in the game at first base.  Gagne pinch-ran for Davis in the ninth.  Randy Bush pinch-hit for Shane Mack in the ninth, but after a pitching change Pedro Munoz pinch-hit for Bush.  Lenny Webster then replaced Munoz in the bottom of the ninth and went behind the plate.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Mike Pagliarulo in the ninth and stayed in the game at third base.

Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 and was batting .318.  Harper was 0-for-3 and was batting .312.  Mack was 0-for-3 and was batting .306.  Morris lowered his ERA to 3.43.  Terry Leach pitched two-thirds of an inning without giving up a run to make his ERA 3.46.  Aguilera allowed three runs (one earned) in 1.2 innings to make his ERA 2.38.  It was his ninth blown save of the season.

Newman went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .198.  He would not get back over the Mendoza line.

What's more fun than a doubleheader after the pennant race is over?  Extra innings in a doubleheader after the pennant race is over!

It's a little surprising to me that Aguilera would stay in the game to pitch the tenth.  He ended up throwing thirty-nine pitches, which these days would be considered a lot for a closer.  Things were different then, of course.  Still, with the expanded rosters and a meaningless game, I'd have expected someone else to come in to pitch the tenth.

Record:  The Twins were 94-65, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Chicago.

On October 2, when the Twins didn't play (presumably they were rained out), Toronto won and clinched the East, so the Twins would play the Blue Jays in the ALCS.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-six

MINNESOTA 8, CHICAGO 3 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Monday, September 30.

Batting stars:  Randy Bush was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his sixth.  Brian Harper was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Pedro Munoz was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his sixth), a double, and two runs.  Paul Sorrento was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.

Pitching stars:  Tom Edens pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and no walks and striking out two.  Steve Bedrosian pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition star:  Matt Merullo was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer, his fourth.

The game:  In the second Harper walked, went to third on a Bush single, and scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Twins up 1-0.  The White Sox got a pair of one-out singles in the third but could do nothing with them.  In the fourth, Munoz doubled, Harper had an RBI single, and Bush followed with a two-run homer, putting the Twins ahead 4-0.

The Twins put it away in the fifth.  Al Newman led off with a single, but a force out put Jarvis Brown at first base instead.  He stole second, Greg Gagne walked, and Munoz hit a three-run homer.  Sorrento made it back-to-back homers and gave the Twins an 8-0 lead.

The White Sox got on the board in the fifth when Lance Johnson led off with a triple and scored on a ground out.  They got a couple more in the ninth when Warren Newson walked and Merullo hit a two-run homer, but never threatened to get back into the game.

WP:  Edens (2-2).  LP:  Alex Fernandez (9-13).  S:  None.

Notes:  As you might suppose the day after clinching the division, it was an unusual lineup.  Brown started in center in place of Kirby Puckett and batted first.  Gagne moved up to the second spot.  Munoz was in left in place of Dan Gladden and batted third.  Paul Sorrento was at first base in place of Kent Hrbek and batted fourth.  Harper was the DH in place of Chili Davis.  Bush was in right field in place of Shane Mack.  Lenny Webster was behind the plate.  Newman was at second base in place of Chuck Knoblauch.

It should be noted that with the roster restrictions now, teams can no longer do this.  The day after a team clinches, several regulars are still going to have to play, because there won't be enough reserves to fill out the lineup.

The Twins made just one substitution--Scott Leius came in for Gagne at shortstop in the fifth inning.

Harper raised his average to .316.  Bush went up to .312.  Webster was 0-for-4 and was batting .333.  Rick Aguilera allowed two runs in one inning to make his ERA 2.34.

This was the first time Bedrosian had pitched since September 17.  He presumably had some sort of injury or illness that he was dealing with.

A couple of weeks earlier, of course, it had looked like this might be an important series in the last week of the season.  As it turned out, the Twins had clinched the day before, rendering the series meaningless as far as the pennant race was concerned.

This was the thirty-second game of Brown's career, but only his second start.  He was used as either a pinch-runner or a defensive replacement in the other thirty games.  I'm sure he was happy to be in the big leagues at all, and I'm sure he was also happy to be on a championship team.  Still, it must have been just a little frustrating to not get more of a chance to play.  He probably understood it, but it still would be frustrating.

Record:  The Twins were 93-63, in first place in the American League West, nine games ahead of Chicago.

Toronto lost and Boston won, so the Red Sox kept their hopes alive in the East.  The Blue Jays led by 3.5 games.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty

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MINNESOTA 9, TEXAS 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 22.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-3 with a stolen base, his eleventh.  Mike Pagliarulo was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Chili Davis was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Pitching stars:  Jack Morris pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks and striking out six.  Terry Leach pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Geno Petralli was 2-for-3.  Dean Palmer was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his thirteenth.

The game:  In the second Kent Hrbek and Davis led off with singles and Brian Harper was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with none out.  A sacrifice fly scored one run and Gagne singled home another, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead.  In the top of the third Jack Daugherty had a two-out double and Julio Franco had an RBI single, cutting the lead to 2-1, but the Twins got the run back in the bottom of the third when Chuck Knoblauch doubled and later scored on an error, making the score 3-1.  In the fourth, Pagliarulo doubled, went to third on a Gagne single, and scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Twins up 4-1.

The Rangers put men on second and third with one out in the seventh, but the score stayed 4-1 until the eighth, when the Twins put the game out of reach.  Davis hit a one-out triple and scored when Harper reached on an error.  Shane Mack singled and Pagliarulo had a two-run single.  Randy Bush and Al Newman followed with RBI singles to increase the Twins lead to 9-1.

Palmer hit a three-run homer in the ninth to make the final score look better for the Rangers, but they never came close to getting back into the game.

WP:  Morris (17-12).  LP:  Hector Fajardo (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Dan Gladden was out of the lineup.  Mack went to left, with Gene Larkin playing right and batting leadoff.

The Twins again made a lot of substitutions.  Newman replaced Knoblauch at second base in the eighth.  Gladden came in to play left field in the eighth, with Mack moving to right and Larkin coming out of the game.  Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Davis in the eighth and went to center field, with Kirby Puckett coming out of the game and the Twins losing their DH (no pitcher came to bat).  Bush pinch-hit for Gagne in the eighth.  Scott Leius came in to play shortstop in the ninth.

Puckett was 0-for-5 and was batting .320.  Harper was 0-for-3 and was batting .311.  Mack was 1-for-3 and was batting .309.  Bush was 1-for-1 and was batting .302.  Leach lowered his ERA to 2.98.

This was Davis' only triple of the year.  He had 30 for his career, with a high of six in 1982 and again in 1984.  He actually had some speed early in his career--he had 142 career stolen bases, with a high of 24 in his rookie year of 1982.  He was not a good percentage base-stealer, however, going 142-240 for a percentage of 59.2%.  In his high stolen base year, 1982, he was 24-for-37, a percentage of 64.9%.

Texas starter Hector Fajardo pitched 7.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and no walks and striking out two.  This was his first season and his first start for the Rangers--he had appeared in one game in relief for them and had started two games for Pittsburgh in August.  He was not good as a major league pitcher:  5-9, 6.95, 1.54 WHIP in 124.1 innings (30 games, 17 starts).  He did pitch very well in AAA:  7-1, 2.39, 1.19 WHIP in 83 innings (28 games, 9 starts).  It looks like he struggled with injuries--he appeared in just 11 games in 1992 and 8 in 1993.

The White Sox lost to California 4-2, so the Twins moved closer to clinching the division.

Record:  The Twins were 90-60, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Chicago.  The Twins' magic number was five.

In the East Toronto won and Boston lost, increasing the Blue Jays' lead to 1.5 games.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-five

MINNESOTA 9, KANSAS CITY 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, September 16.

Batting star:  Brian Harper was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer (his tenth) and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Kevin Tapani pitched 7.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out seven.  Paul Abbott struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Bill Pecota was 2-for-4.  Storm Davis struck out three in three innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits.

The game:  Singles by Dan Gladden and Chuck Knoblauch put men on first and third with none out.  Gladden scored on a sacrifice fly.  Knoblauch then went to third on a stolen base-plus-error and scored on a ground out, making it 2-0 Twins.  In the fourth, Kent Hrbek and Chili Davis started the inning with back-to-back doubles.  Harper singled and Shane Mack was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.  A pair of sacrifice flies made it 5-0.

Meanwhile, the Royals did not get a hit for the first four innings.  They got a pair of singles in the fifth, but nothing came of it.  The Twins put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth when Hrbek and Davis walked and Harper followed with a three-run homer, making it 8-0.  In the eighth, Lenny Webster doubled and Mike Pagliarulo singled to bring the final to 9-0.

WP:  Tapani (15-8).  LP:  Mark Gubicza (8-10).  S:  None.

Notes:  The box score looks like a spring training game, with Pagliarulo the only Twin to play the whole game.  Sadly, with the roster restrictions, we won't see this any more.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the sixth and stayed in the game at shortstop.  Paul Sorrento replaced Kent Hrbek at first base in the seventh.  Al Newman replaced Knoblauch at second base in the seventh.  Pedro Munoz replaced Gladden in left field in the seventh.  Gene Larkin replaced Mack in right field in the seventh.  Jarvis Brown replaced Kirby Puckett in center in the eighth.  Lenny Webster replaced Harper at catcher in the eighth.  Randy Bush pinch-hit for Davis in the eighth.

Puckett was 0-for-3 and was batting .324.  Harper raised his average to .314.  Mack was 1-for-2 to make his average .313.  Webster was 1-for-1 and was batting .409.  Tapani lowered his ERA to 2.83.

Sorrento was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.

Tapani's game score of 77 was his second-highest of the year.  It was topped only by an 82 in a complete game shutout on April 12, his first start of the season.

The White Sox did not play, so the Twins gained a half-game.

Record:  The Twins were 87-58, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of Chicago.

In the East, Toronto lost to Seattle 6-5 but Boston lost to Baltimore 9-2, so the Blue Jays' lead remained 3.5 games.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-four

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TEXAS 4, MINNESOTA 2 IN TEXAS

Date:  Sunday, September 15.

Batting stars:  Randy Bush was 2-for-4.  Gene Larkin was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Brian Harper was 1-for-2 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Mark Guthrie pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Jose Guzman pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and five walks and striking out five.  Ruben Sierra was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Ivan Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

The game:  The Twins jumped to an early lead.  Larkin led off the game with a double, Chuck Knoblauch walked, and Shane Mack reached on a fielder's choice, loading the bases with none out.  The Twins did not totally cash that in, but a ground out and a sacrifice fly each plated a run to make it 2-0 Twins.

That was as good as it would get.  In the second, Monty Fariss had a one-out single, Mario Diaz walked, a wild pitch moved the runners up, and Rodriguez delivered a two-run double to tie the score.  The Twins put two on in the third and the fourth, but could not score.  The Rangers went ahead in the fifth when Brian Downing singled and scored from first on a Sierra double.

The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the sixth, but a pair of strikeouts ended the threat.  Texas added an insurance run in the seventh when Rodriguez led off with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a Sierra single.  The Twins would again put two in the ninth, but a fly out ended the game.

WP:  Guzman (12-5).  LP:  Allan Anderson (5-9).  S:  Jeff Russell (28).

Notes:  Pedro Munoz was in left in place of Dan Gladden.  Larkin was in right field, with Mack moving to center and Kirby Puckett on the bench.  Larkin batted first.  Randy Bush was at DH in place of Chili Davis.  Al Newman was at third in place of Mike Pagliarulo and Scott Leius.

Again there were a lot of bench moves.  Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Larkin in the seventh.  He stayed in the game in left field, with Munoz moving to right.  Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Munoz in the eighth.  Gladden replaced him and went to left field, with Brown going to right.  Lenny Webster pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the ninth.  Davis pinch-hit for Chuck Knoblauch in the ninth.

Harper raised his average to .312.  Mack was 0-for-5 and fell to .312.  Webster was 0-for-1 and was batting .381.  Terry Leach pitched a third of an inning and did not give up a run, dropping his ERA to 3.05.

Sorrento was 0-for-1 and was batting .174.

The Twins stranded ten runners and were 0-for-10 with men in scoring position.

The Twins had scored 13 runs in their last five games.  Four of them came in one extra inning.

The White Sox beat California 9-2, so they gained a game on the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 86-58, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Boston won and Toronto lost, so the Blue Jays' lead in the East fell to 3.5 games.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-two

MINNESOTA 7, TEXAS 3 IN TEXAS (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Friday, September 13.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Chuck Knoblauch was 2-for-5 with a double.  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his seventeenth.

Pitching stars:  David West struck out five in four innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits and two walks.  Gary Wayne struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Kevin Brown pitched seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk and striking out five.  Mario Diaz was 3-for-3 with two runs.  Brian Downing was 2-for-5 with a home run, his sixteenth.

The game:  Downing led off the bottom of the first with a home run, giving the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead.  The Twins tied it in the third.  Gladden and Knoblauch hit two-out singles, putting men on first and third, and a pickoff attempt went awry to allow Gladden to score.

Texas went back into the lead in the fifth.  Diaz led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, took third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly, making it 2-1 Rangers.  The Twins again tied it in the seventh.  Puckett singled and Hrbek walked.  A double play moved Puckett to third and he scored on Randy Bush's pinch-hit single, making it 2-2.

Texas again went back into the lead in the bottom of the seventh.  One-out singles by Diaz and Downing put men on first and third and a ground out made it 3-2 Rangers.  The Twins again tied it in the eighth.  Gene Larkin drew a one-out walk.  Pinch-runner Jarvis Brown stole second and third and scored on a Knoblauch double to tie it at three.

The Twins took their only lead of the game in the tenth.  With one out Lenny Webster singled and Gladden walked.  Puckett's two-out single scored one run and Hrbek delivered a three-run homer to give the Twins a 7-3 advantage.   Texas got only one single in the bottom of the tenth.

WP:  Terry Leach (1-1).  LP:  Kenny Rogers (9-10).  S:  None.

Notes:  Pedro Munoz was in right field in place of Shane Mack.  Junior Ortiz caught in place of Brian Harper.

The Twins made extensive use of the bench.  Bush pinch-hit for Munoz in the seventh and remained in the game in right field.  Al Newman pinch-hit for Ortiz in the seventh and remained in the game at shortstop.  Larkin pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the seventh.  Brown pinch-ran for him and Webster then came in to catch.  Mack entered the game in the eighth in right field in place of Bush.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Mike Pagliarulo in the ninth and remained in the game at third base.  I'm going to miss teams being able to make that many moves in September games.

Puckett raised his average to .328.  Mack was 0-for-1 and was batting .313.  Webster was 1-for-1 and was batting .400.

Scott Erickson started for the Twins but pitched just two innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.  He threw twenty-nine pitches.  I assume he came out because of his elbow.  He would not miss a start, however.

Erickson's ERA went to 3.15.  Leach pitched two-thirds of an inning scorelessly to make his ERA 3.06.  Rick Aguilera similarly pitched two-thirds of an inning scorelessly to make his ERA 2.17.

This was Leach's only win of the season.

Kenny Rogers was primarily a reliever in his first four years in the majors.  In fact, he led the league in appearances in 1992 with 81.  He made just twelve starts in those first four seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 1993.

Diaz was not in the starting lineup.  He batted for Jeff Huson in the fifth inning.

The White Sox defeated California 1-0, but again, time was running out on them.

Record:  The Twins were 86-56, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Chicago.

In the East, Toronto and Boston both won, so the Blue Jays remained in the lead by 3.5 games.

 

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-eight

MINNESOTA 10, KANSAS CITY 4 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Monday, September 9.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-4 with a double.  Chuck Knoblauch was 3-for-5 with a double.  Brian Harper was 2-for-4.  Shane Mack was 2-for-5 with two stolen bases (his eighth and ninth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Chili Davis was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Lenny Webster was 1-for-1 with a two-run homer, his third.

Pitching stars:  Tom Edens struck out five in five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks.  Gary Wayne pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out three.

Opposition star:  Brian McRae was 3-for-4 with a triple.

The game:  It was close most of the way.  In the first, McRae tripled and George Brett singled to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.  In the second Brent Mayne led off with a double and scored on a pair of ground outs to make it 2-0.

The Twins got it going in the fifth.  Mack singled and Gene Larkin reached on an error.  With one out, Gagne had an RBI single and Dan Gladden delivered a two-run triple.  Knoblauch then singled in a run to make the score 4-2 Minnesota.  In the sixth, Davis and Harper singled and an RBI ground out followed, increasing the Twins lead to 5-2.

Kansas City came back in the bottom of the sixth.  Bill Pecota led off with a walk, but the next two men went out.  Then, however, Jim Eisenreich, Kirk Gibson, and McRae all singled, plating two runs and cutting the Twins' lead to 5-4.

That was as close as they would come, though, and the Twins put it away in the last two innings.  In the eighth, Harper singled and pinch-runner Jarvis Brown scored from first on a Mack single.  Mack then stole second and scored on a Gagne single to make it 7-4.  In the ninth Knoblauch led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Then Davis singled and Webster hit a two-run homer to bring the final score to 10-4.

WP:  Edens (1-1).  LP:  Mike Boddicker (11-11).  S:  Wayne (1).

Notes:  Larkin was at first base in place of Kent Hrbek.  Hrbek pinch-ran for Larkin in the fifth and stayed in the game at first base.  Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Hrbek in the eighth and stayed in the game at first base.  Brown pinch-ran for Harper in the eighth and was replaced by Webster, who went behind the plate.

Puckett was 0-for-3 and was batting .328.  Harper raised his average to .318.  Mack raised his average to .311.  Webster was now batting .368.  Carl Willis was charged with two runs in two-thirds of an inning to raise his ERA to 2.48.

Sorrento was 0-for-1 to drop his average to .158.  Edens lowered his ERA to 6.00.

Boddicker pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and no walks and striking out three.  This was Boddicker's last full year as a starter.  He wasn't bad, going 12-12, 4.08, 1.37 WHIP.  He would make eight starts and twenty-one relief appearances for the Royals in 1992 and ten starts for Milwaukee in 1993.

This was one of four career saves for Wayne.  He had one in each of 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1993.

Hrbek was being given some time off, presumably due to a minor injury.  This was the only game he would play between September 7 and September 12, and he didn't finish this one.  Larkin presumably came out of the game due to a minor injury as well.  He would not start a game again until September 15, although he would make two pinch-hitting appearances in that time.

The White Sox defeated Oakland 7-1, so the distance between them and the Twins remained the same.

Record:  The Twins were 84-54, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-seven

MINNESOTA 6, NEW YORK 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, September 8.

Batting stars:  Chili Davis was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Shane Mack was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his eighteenth) and two runs.  Scott Leius was 2-for-4.  Pedro Munoz was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his fourth.

Pitching star:  Mark Guthrie struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Matt Nokes was 3-for-4 with a home run, his twenty-third.  Hensley Meulens was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk  Pat Sheridan was 1-for-1 with a home run, his fourth.

The game:  Each team scored two in the second.  In the top of the inning, Nokes singled, Roberto Kelly tripled, and a sacrifice fly made it 2-0.  In the bottom of the second, Davis singled and Mack hit a home run to tie it 2-2.

The Yankees edged back into the lead.  Nokes homered in the fourth to make it 3-2.  In the fifth, Pat Kelly singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on an error to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.  But in the sixth, Mack  and Davis led off with singles followed by Munoz' three-run homer to put the Twins in front 5-4.

The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Mack hit into a double play to end the inning.  In the eighth, Gene Larkin walked, Lenny Webster singled, and Gagne hit an RBI double to make it 6-4.  They needed the run, because Sheridan homered leading off the ninth to make it 6-5.  That was it, though, as the next three batters went out and the Twins held on for the victory.

WP:  Scott Erickson (18-6).  LP:  Jeff Johnson (5-10).  S:  Steve Bedrosian (6).

Notes:  Dan Gladden was again out of the lineup, with Mack moving to left and Munoz in right.  Scott Leius batted leadoff.  Larkin was at first base in place of Kent Hrbek.  Junior Ortiz caught in place of Brian Harper.

Webster pinch-hit for Ortiz in the sixth and stayed in the game at catcher.  Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Leius in the eighth and was pinch-run for by Al Newman.  Newman went to second base because Randy Bush pinch-hit for Chuck Knoblauch in the eighth.  Mike Pagliarulo replaced Bush and went to third base.

Kirby Puckett was 0-for-3 with a walk and was batting .330.  Mack raised his average to .310.  Webster was 1-for-2 and was batting .333.  Sorrento drew a walk and was batting .167.

Scott Erickson pitched six innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks and striking out one.  His ERA was 3.13.

Jeff Johnson started for the Yankees and pitched five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks and struck out none.

This was the second consecutive day that Gladden was out of the lineup.  I don't know if he had a slight injury or if he was just being given a couple of days off.

Rick Aguilera was apparently given the day off after being used two days in a row.  Bedrosian gave up the leadoff home run in the ninth but after that got the job done.

Nokes was 6-for-12 with two doubles and a home run in the series.  The Twins swept the series from the Yankees (doesn't that sound good?), but it wasn't Nokes' fault.

The White Sox lost to Texas 7-6, so the Twins gained a game in the standings.

Record:  The Twins were 83-54, in first place in the American League West, 8.5 games ahead of Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-six

MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 2 IN MINNESOTA (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, September 7.

Batting stars:  Chuck Knoblauch was 3-for-5.  Chili Davis was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a double.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Jack Morris pitched 8.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks and striking out five.  Carl Willis struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Pascual Perez pitched six innings, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.  Matt Nokes was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

The game:  The Yankees took the lead in the first inning.  Leadoff batter Bernie Williams walked, stole second, was bunted to third, and scored on a two-out double by Nokes to make it 1-0.  The Twins put two on with one out in the bottom of the first, but Kent Hrbek hit into a double play.  Davis led off the second with a double, but was thrown out at third trying to advance on a short passed ball.  The Twins put two on with two out in the third but again could not score.

The Twins finally broke through in the sixth.  Larkin led off with a double and scored on Knoblauch's single, tying it 1-1.  The Twins again missed a chance, though, as Puckett reached on an error to put two on with none out and nothing came of it.

The Twins took the lead in the eighth.  Puckett hit a one-out single, went to second on a ground out, and scored on a Davis double.  The Yankees came right back to tie it in the ninth.  Their first two batters went out, but Nokes doubled.  Morris came out of the game and Rick Aguilera came in, but he gave up an RBI single to Roberto Kelly, tying the score at two and sending the game to extra innings.

In the tenth, Puckett again hit a one-out single.  He again went to second on a ground out.  Pedro Munoz pinch-hit and delivered a game-winning single, giving the Twins the victory.

WP:  Carl Willis (8-3).  LP:  Lee Guetterman (3-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Dan Gladden was out of the starting lineup.  Shane Mack went to left, with Larkin playing right.  Larkin batted leadoff.

The Twins made extensive use of the bench.  Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the seventh.  Al Newman then came in to play shortstop.  Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Davis in the eighth.  He was officially the DH at that point, but Munoz pinch-hit for him when his spot in the order came up in the tenth.  Gladden came in for defense at the start of the ninth.  He went to left field, with Mack moving to right.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Mike Pagliarulo in the ninth and stayed in the game at third base.

Puckett raised his average to .332.  Brian Harper was 0-for-4 and was batting .316.  Mack was 1-for-4 and was batting .308.

Aguilera officially pitched a third on an inning and was not charged with a run, lowering his ERA to 2.23.  Willis' ERA fell to 2.26.

Morris threw just 98 pitches in his 8.2 innings.

Steve Howe pitched a scoreless inning.  This was his first year with the Yankees, and it was a really good one--3-1, 1.68, 3 saves, 0.95 WHIP.  This, however, would be the last game he would pitch for the  Yankees this season.  I could not quickly find whether he was injured or if this was one of the numerous times he got into trouble.  He would go on to pitch very well in 1992, struggle in 1993, and pitch very well again in 1994, which was his last good season.

The White Sox defeated Texas 11-6, so the distance between them and the Twins remained the same.

Record:  The Twins were 82-54, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Chicago.