Getting paid to watch baseball, specifically the Minnesota Twins for the Star Tribune. No, I can't believe it, either.
- Tweets 20,193
- Following 0
- Followers 13,669
- Likes 411
As Twins' flight fought through heavy turbulence Mon., Brian Dozier piped up: "Boys, if we go down, we go down the best team in the league."
9
663
1,637
Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire is in the hallway outside the Twins’ clubhouse, here to offer congratulations to his friends still in the organization.
19
33
1,309
F-35 fighter jets from the “Black Widow” squadron based in Utah, two of them flown by Griffin Jax’s brother and sister-in-law Parker and Chandler Jax, fly over Target Field during 9-11 ceremony.
17
70
1,326
111,215
Here's video of flyover at Twins pregame -- and a bald eagle landing on Seattle starter James Paxton as he warms up in left field.
19
263
1,138
Jim Kaat, who also played for the White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals in a 25-year career, confirms he wants a Twins logo on his cap for the Hall of Fame plaque.
10
61
1,140
Baseball weirdness: The Twins nearly pitched a combined no-hitter tonight, but Omar Narváez spoiled it with a single to right. So the Twins settled for their first one-hitter since April 15, 2017, when Ervin Santana allowed nothing except single to right by ... Omar Narváez.
14
130
991
If Mauer is elected, Twins have a complete lineup of Hall of Famers:
C Joe Mauer
1B Jim Thome
2B Rod Carew
SS Paul Molitor (54 career starts)
3B Harmon Killebrew
LF Dave Winfield
CF Kirby Puckett
RF Tony Oliva
DH David Ortiz
P Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Jim Kaat, Steve Carlton
31
65
778
82,343
Carlos Correa just walked up and introduced himself in the Twins’ clubhouse, so I can confirm that he’s here, and he’s very polite. Seems genuinely excited to meet his new team.
11
28
761
Super-agent Scott Boras just hugged Luis Arraez, in case you were wondering if his next contract will be expensive.
28
25
754
Opening Day is exactly two months from today, earliest ever. Twins will open at Oakland Coliseum for the ninth time in their history, more than any park except the Metrodome (15). But the Twins haven’t started a season in Oakland since ... 1991. Opened 1987 season there, too.
26
96
674
Josh Donaldson crushes a BP homer off the batter’s eye, steps out to confer with Michael Cuddyer who demonstrates something with his swing, then steps back in and hits one off the TOP of the batter’s eye. Hits it twice more, and the fans watching erupt in applause as he finishes.
9
42
659
Sonny Gray declared himself ready for the 2023 season after three shutout innings vs. Boston today, then added this interesting comment about the Twins' 2023 rotation:
56
34
668
449,062
Byron Buxton on whether he was shocked that Twins didn’t have more players chosen to AL All-Star team: “Should we be? I mean, everybody ruled us out at the beginning of the season. Even though we know people in here got shortchanged, it doesn’t change what we’re trying to do.”
#MNTwins pitcher Odorizzi joins Polanco on American League All-Star team strib.mn/2NnYUjt
6
29
635
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says bidders to buy Twins backed off when it became evident Justin Ishbia was “the leader in the clubhouse,” but now that he’s out, Manfred is “confident that a transaction will take place,” presumably soon.
23
51
665
130,992
Big cheer at Target Field as the Twins announce that their beer policy -- no sales after the 7th inning -- is being suspended tonight, due to the country music concert scheduled after the game.
13
31
612
Randy Dobnak isn’t taking the team charter to KC, he’s flying commercial to Maryland for his wedding. But as a rookie, he is required to wear his “Dodgeball” Globo Gym on that flight anyway.
2
60
606
Immediately after today’s 12-inning game, Byron Buxton left for a nearby hospital, where his wife is about to deliver their third child.
13
19
604
65,492
“Hamilton” may be In Minneapolis right now, but its creator is in New York to root for the Twins and his cousin.
3
34
546
43,168
You'll notice Marwin Gonzalez holding up his phone in the front of the photo, with Byron Buxton on a video call, allowing the injured Twin to be part of the moment from Minneapolis.
6
24
517
Jose Berrios held an emotional press conference to say goodbye to Minnesota and the Twins. Said he and his wife cried when he told her the news, but he’s excited to join a young team contending for a playoff spot.
12
27
512
Final numbers on Carlos Correa Era in Minnesota:
450 games (plus 6 in playoffs), 459 hits, 61 HRs, .277 BA, .784 OPS.
Twins went 223-227 when Correa played, 219-224 when he started. He missed 144 games in that time; Twins were 75-69 w/o him.
In all, Twins paid $164 million.
39
57
559
68,759
42 days after receiving a new heart and kidney, Hall of Famer Rod Carew was discharged from Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. today.
11
98
469
Tyler Austin on his father’s tweet that “Tyler has more hits in a week with Twins than (Greg) Bird has in a month with Yankees”: “It’s embarrassing, to be honest. I called and told him to take it down right away. That’s not acceptable.” Said he’ll be contacting Bird to apologize.
33
94
451
Ervin Santana at press conference: "How many wins do I have in Yankee Stadium? None? Then tomorrow will be the first."
14
146
448
Joe Ryan enjoys talking about being an All-Star. He’s been told he will very likely pitch an inning tomorrow night, though he’s not sure which one.
6
7
460
15,917
In four at-bats tonight, Willians Astudillo saw seven pitches, swung at five of them (four in play, one foul ball), and collected three hits, including a home run.
9
21
438
With tonight's 10-5 victory, their 4th straight, the Twins accomplish a feat they haven't managed in a decade. Minnesota's all-time record @ Target Field (including postseason) is now 497-496 -- the first time they've been above .500 @ TF since they were 109-108 on July 30, 2012.
18
30
402
Pretty sure I am required by Florida law to post this upon arrival today. Twins pitchers and catchers report Thurs, but most are already here.
11
22
398
26,298
One other Buxton note: When I said to his agent, Al Goetz, that he could have gotten more $$ as FA next year, he said his agency's 1st client was Chipper Jones, "and he probably left a few million on the table in order to be a Brave his whole career. Buck’s out of the same mold."
Byron Buxton might have earned millions more as a free agent after next season than the $100 million for which he signed with #MNTwins this week, but he and his family preferred to remain with the franchise. Story from @MillerStrib startribune.com/lengthy-lucr…
11
20
360
Bullpen reinforcements have arrived— Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain are in the house tonight, early arrivals for Joe Mauer Weekend.
13
22
343
Hey, maybe the Twins ARE signing Bryce Harper ...
OK, my caption-writing skills are rusty. What ya got?
34
23
346
The Twins have hit 5 home runs tonight (AND IT'S THE THIRD INNING). It's their fifth 5-HR game of the season. That ties the most they've ever had in one year (AND IT"S MAY 18).
5-HR Games, Twins
5 -- 2019
5 -- 2017
3 -- 2002
3 -- 1964
3 -- 1963
6
36
332
Just an ankle sprain for Arraez, Rocco Baldelli said. Too soon to tell about next Friday, but not as serious as first feared.
7
29
324
By coincidence, the last time Max Kepler hit three home runs here in Cleveland, it delivered Minnesota's 41st victory. Tonight? Win No. 41. Of course, last time it was in August.
1
41
326
Josh Donaldson also hits .373/.464/.819 with 10 homers in 22 games at Target Field, by far his best performance in any AL park. And he's .395/.487/.852 lifetime against the Twins, who will be glad not to face him anymore.
6
50
314
Josh Donaldson, asked by Justin Morneau about his ejection Thursday: "I think I nailed it, actually. … I heard, Justin, that you had a lot of people texting you and saying they were embarrassed. Well, I’m not. This is my livelihood, this is what makes me the player that I am."
26
33
307
Entire Twins roster/staff was issued t-shirts with team logo on front, and cryptic equation "E + R = O" on back. Apparently, it means "event plus response equals outcome," the message being, you can't always control what happens, but you control your response, turn bad into good.
13
36
309
Twins as AL Manager of the Year
1991 — Tom Kelly
2010 — Ron Gardenhire
2017 — Paul Molitor
2019 — Rocco Baldelli
4
23
296
Most HR in first 17 games of Twins season
8 — Eddie Rosario 2019
7 — Tony Oliva 1966
6 — Tom Brunansky 1985
6 — Kent Hrbek 1982
6 — Bobby Darwin 1972
6 — Tony Oliva 1971
Rosario's second HR today -- and 4th in his last 2 games -- ties the score, 3-3 in 5th.
6
33
299
In what may be his final at-bat as a Twin, Joe Mauer drives a 3-2 fastball the opposite way, and legs out a double, the 428th of his career. No Twin ever had more. Then he acknowledges another standing ovation.
1
58
292
Luis Arraez “has healed faster than anybody expected,” Rocco Baldelli said. Three days ago, Twins were planning for him to miss series, now it’s a game-day decision, he said.
1
14
287
At @TRogers34' request, "the most silent franchise record we've ever seen":
Most Strikeouts by Twins’ Pitchers
1,388 — 2019
1,377 — 2018
1,191 — 2016
1,166 — 2017
1,164 — 2006
1,123 — 2004
1,099 — 1964
6
22
295
The Hammond Stadium stands are empty Sunday morning as Bailey Ober throws live BP to Harrison Bader and Trevor Larnach. Well, almost empty. A chorus of four small voices erupts as Ober warms up, with shouts of “Go Dad! Go Dad!”
6
7
317
17,219
Very classy of the Royals to ask for a moment of silence in honor of longtime Twins scouting director Mike Radcliff, a KC native who died in February.
18
277
29,397
Torii Hunter, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch tonight, says since Joe Mauer will be his catcher, he plans to throw a hard fastball, turn to the Twins' dugout, and shout "Let's Goooooo!" He's hoping to get the team fired up for Game 3.
4
14
289
German soccer fan sports the local kit while taking batting practice today. Yes, it has his name and number on the back.
3
9
274
With AL Central lead down to 5 1/2 games, the Twins will use their top three starters in Cleveland this weekend, including a matchup of All-Stars on Sunday:
Friday -- Kyle Gibson vs. Mike Clevinger
Saturday -- Jake Odorizzi vs. Trevor Bauer
Sunday -- Jose Berrios vs. Shane Bieber
27
30
286
Eddie Rosario on matching Kirby Puckett's back-to-back 2-HR games: "I love that. [He's] in the big names of Minnesota Twins. I want to do everything good for this organization. Kirby Puckett is a legend for the Twins. I want to be there, too."
4
23
269
Byron Buxton, in St Paul for Gillette Children’s Hospital event, on not being called up in Sept: “Pissed? Yes. I ain’t sugarcoating nothing. But I still want to play for the Twins.” Story to come.
17
34
278
Not content to just sign 2-year-old Orioles fan's ball, Hector Santiago has been playing catch with the youngster for 10 minutes.
8
59
271
New Twins righthander Chris Archer says ex-teammate Jake Odorizzi had nothing but good things to say about the Twins when he was deciding where to sign.
4
16
277
I-35 will serve as Twins’ prospect pipeline, starting in 2021. Top three affiliates will be AAA St. Paul, AA Wichita, and (with a slight detour) high-A Cedar Rapids. Adding Wichita and its brand new stadium is huge coup for Twins. From @LaVelleNeal:
m.startribune.com/twins-new-…
20
41
264
Willians Astudillo homered again tonight for Rochester, and also singled in 4 at-bats in the Red Wings' 4-3 win over Columbus. Astudillo is now 8-for-12 (.667) with 2 HRs and a walk since being demoted to AAA on Friday. His OPS is 1.859.
12
16
272
Rod Carew has arrived at Twins camp, and is already offering some seven-time-batting-champion-level advice, here to Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.
2
5
252
How do you make a dull baserunning drill considerably more competitive? Get Austin Martin, Nick Gordon and Byron Buxton to take part.
9
20
257
With no fans at the ballpark in Cleveland, they're asking the media to park on the street that runs just beyond the LF gates of Progressive Field. It's the first time I've covered games where I'm legitimately worried about Miguel Sano damaging my car.
5
17
240
Language barrier correction: Twins have traded RHP Jorge Alcala to Boston, the pitcher said. He’s saying goodbye to teammates in clubhouse.
10
37
265
224,527
Carlos Correa is in Twins camp now to begin an extensive physical exam (which may not be complete until Monday) before signing his contract.
7
11
231
Target Field is going to be adjacent to a construction site for a few years — cranes are already working on what will be a 36-story North Loop Green tower just beyond LF. I assume residents will be able to watch games from their balconies, as they do in St Louis and San Diego.
18
14
242
Joe Mauer was visibly unhappy about a called strike three to end the top of the second, and it immediately began pouring. I mean, there's probably no connection, but ...
11
35
238
Eddie Rosario just hit his 10th HRs in Twins' 21st game
Fastest to 10 HRs, Twins History
21 games — Eddie Rosario, 2019
23 — Kirby Puckett, 1986
28 — Bob Allison, 1964
29 — Harmon Killebrew, 1970
31 — Jimmie Hall, 1964
32 — Miguel Sano, 2017
32 — Harmon Killebrew, 1964
6
55
243
I asked Gary Sanchez if he thought he had won the game with his 9th-inning fly ball to the wall. He closed his eyes and slowly nodded "yes."
13
9
234
The National Baseball Hall of Fame will reveal its 2021 ballot on Monday, and three former Twins are expected to be on it. Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer and LaTroy Hawkins may be longshots for election, but it’s still an honor to be considered after outstanding careers.
11
14
232
Four decades after his grandfather bought the team, Joe Pohlad announced Thursday that “our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins.”
startribune.com/minnesota-tw…
36
32
241
93,104
Taylor Rogers is an All-Star in his hometown of Denver. Twins' reliever is named as a replacement for Seattle's Yusei Kikuchi.
5
10
231
Pohlad family has decided not to sell the Twins after all. They’ll take on new partners, but will retain control of the team they’ve owned for 41 years. In the Star Tribune:
@startribune.com
100
15
231
110,506
You can hear a dozen cameras click when fan favorite Willians Astudillo goes through drills at Twins camp.
7
16
218
Luis Arraez likes the AL’s charcoal-and
-gold All-Star uniforms, especially that “Minnesota is in gold,” he said, so it really stands out.
7
11
213
Joey Gallo interrupted an epic second-half slump (6-for-51) with a 4-for-4 game on Aug. 12. Since then, the drought has gotten unreal: 1-for-25 w/16 Ks. The lone hit, a grounder up the middle on Aug. 16, is the only time he's hit the ball out of the infield in three weeks.
39
22
213
82,643
I don’t know if this look means “Can you believe I’m here?” or “Can you believe they’re making us wear these?” but either way, Taylor Rogers is still in the pinch-me phase of All-Stardom. He’s hoping to get into the game tonight.
18
11
208
Kenta Maeda, happy and healthier, but no promises on pitching this year after Tommy John surgery:
1
29
200
No damage detected on Tyler Mahle’s MRI, Twins say. Just soreness and shoulder fatigue, so he avoids the injured list. Day to day.
8
20
207
Crazy stat: Eddie Rosario’s pinch-hit HR is the Twins’ first 3-run HR in more than six weeks, since Byron Buxton hit one on June 5. The Twins’ last sixty-two (!!) home runs were either solo shots (44, including the last 10 in a row) or 2-run shots (18).
6
32
205
Twins have optioned SS Royce Lewis back to AAA St. Paul. Carlos Correa to be activated Wednesday.
83
15
205
Taylor Rogers sounded a little surprised by Andrew Benintendi's HR, and Twins will love the reason why:
"I’m not sure anybody is better in baseball than me against lefties," he said. "That’s a bold statement, but I’m pretty sure it might hold true."
3
17
198
Kyle Gibson's a starter, but he can work in relief, too: When Baltimore chaplain who administers Sunday chapel for players was delayed today, Gibson agreed to step in and conduct the Easter service himself.
3
32
205
Joe Mauer stood at his locker for 15 minutes this morning (a fairly unusual break in his routine) and talked about his deliberations: “Either way, it’s a good decision, you know? I can either play or go home and be with my girls. I don’t think there’s a wrong decision there."
3
16
205
New Twins shortstop Carlos Correa confers with infield coach Tony Diaz ahead of his first workout in Fort Myers.
3
12
195
C.J. Cron says Jake Odorizzi was tossing food to him on the plane last night, “just to make sure I was seeing him OK.”
Rocco Baldelli on the Cron/Odorizzi/Schoop mixup: “It’s funny because we won.”
17
197
Quinnipiac’s NCAA championship hockey team is being honored at Fenway Park tonight. With Minnesota in town? Ouch. That feels intentional …
9
13
201
65,891
Brian Dozier joins Harmon Killebrew (1961-65-71) and Kirby Puckett (1993) as the only Twins to ever homer in an All-Star Game.
2
148
192
Throughout his minor-league career, Jorge Polanco was told he would eventually move to second base. Tonight, he starts at shortstop for the American League All-Star team.
startribune.com/all-star-evo…
3
5
200
31,904 at Target Field tonight, remarkable for a couple of teams out of the race. It's the Twins' fourth-largest crowd of the season, eclipsed only by Opening Day and a couple of Red Sox games. Twins haven't had less than 20K since May, and draw better than any ALCentral team.
10
28
196
Taylor Rogers since June 26:
7 games, 5 saves
10 2/3 innings
0 runs, 4 hits (all singles), 0 walks
35 batters faced
4 singles, 1 reached on error
30 outs (14 Ks)
1 runner reached 3B
2 runners reached 2B
2
12
193
Byron Buxton slugs a 2-1 pitch from Dodger righthander Tony Gonsolin into the left-field seats, becoming the fourth Twin ever to hit a home run in an All-Star Game.
All-Star HRs by Twins
Harmon Killebrew, 1961, 1965, 1971
Kirby Puckett, 1993
Brian Dozier, 2015
Byron Buxton, 2022
1
13
193
The Twins lead the AL Central by 8 games over Cleveland. Not only is that the largest lead they've ever had in May, it's larger than they have had at any point in all but 7 seasons -- 1965, 1969, 1970, 1991, 2002, 2004 and 2010. They won the division, AL or World Series in all 7.
6
40
187
Minnesota's own Matt Wallner said he hoped the Twins would use that 39th pick on him, but tried not to dwell on it. "My dream has always been to play for my hometown team," said the So Miss outfielder, who grew up going to the Metrodome.
3
14
194
Byron Buxton's 454-foot HR moves him 1 away from the AL extra-base hits leadership. But he doesn't lead his own team:
Extra-Base Hits, AL
31 — Jorge Polanco, Min
31 — Jose Abreu, CWS
31 — Matt Chapman, Oak
30 — Byron Buxton, Min
30 — Xander Bogaerts, Bos
30 — Trey Mancini, Bal
2
26
186
Twins players warm up in front of Justice for George Floyd sign on Target Field’s RF wall, and a Black Lives Matter sign to the left.
13
14
164
Kyle Gibson: “If that’s not the game of the year so far, I don’t know what it would be. Two really, really good teams. ... That’s what playoff baseball looks like; two teams not giving up. Hopefully, the fans enjoyed it and hopefully they realize we’re never out of a game."
9
6
188
Byron Buxton showed no signs of a concussion after being removed from the game. He just had the wind knocked out of him, and is day to day.
9
22
181