In Twins-related news, the Hiroshima Carp, a team that hadn’t won a Central League title since 1991, ended that title drought on Saturday by beating the Tokyo Giants, 6-4.
広島 #カープ優勝 おめでとうございます！ Congrats #HiroshimaCarp on winning the pennant! No Carp, no life. #Carp #広島カープ #NoCarpNoLife pic.twitter.com/T5TUGNnvKT
— キャロライン・ケネディ大使 (@CarolineKennedy) September 11, 2016
How is this Twins related? Kris Johnson, who pitched briefly for the Twins in 2014, pitches for the Carp and so far has won 14 games. He is 14-6 with a 2.22 ERA. He also won 14 games in 2015. I bet the Twins would kill for a 14-game winner.
Meanwhile, the Twins played more baseball on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians and actually won the game, 2-1, in 12 innings. Joe Mauer delivered the game-winning, walk-off hit. Miguel Sano hit his 23rd home run. What does it all mean? It means the Twins stave off another day of not losing 90 games.
Extra innings…
-With the win, the Twins “improved” to 53-89.
-After spending 10 years in the minors, James Beresford, recently called up by the Twins, made his major league debut on Saturday and got his first hit. He also played at third base.
“It’s been quite a ride,” Beresford told MLB.com. “Tonight makes the last 10 years all worth it.”
-Sept. 11, 1999: On this day, Twins pitcher Eric Milton no-hit the Anaheim Angels, 7-0, before 11,000 fans at the Metrodome. Those who bothered to attend, saw Milton strike out 13 over nine innings. The game had an unusual start time of 11 a.m. to accommodate a Golden Gophers football game, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Another oddity: The Twins game was free to anyone who attended in their pajamas. No wonder nobody showed.
Jose Berrios gets the ball on Sunday. Good luck, Jose.