The Twins and Toronto Blue Jays traded blowout wins in the first two games of this series, and the Twins were set to do it again Sunday until reliever Tyler Duffey served up a three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth.
Still, the Twins held on for the 8-6 win to take two of three games from the Jays. The Twins scored their 8 runs on 16 hits, getting a 4-for-4 day from Luis Arraez, home runs from Gary Sanchez and Trevor Larnach, as well as two hits from Jose Miranda and a three-hit day from Gilberto Celestino, who seemed no worse for wear after a stint on the COVID-19 list.
The pitching win went to reliever Jharel Cotton and the save to closer Jovani Moran, his first.
The Twins are off Monday and then welcome the New York Yankees to Target Field on Tuesday. A Twins pitcher has not been announced. The Bronx Bombers are playing like, well, the Bombers. They are 39-15 in the American League East. They are 23-7 at home, 16-8 on the road and 8-2 over their last 10 games. It just got real, Minnesota.
Extra innings…
-The Blue Jays’ right fielder misplayed a pop up in the sun on Sunday, which led to an early run for the Twins. It also reminded Star Tribune Columnist Patrick Reusse about a similar incident during a Twins/White Sox game in early July 1977.
Watching OFer butcher fly ball b/c he doesn’t have sunglasses makes me misty w/ nostalgia for Disco Dan Ford in Comiskey Park on Fourth of July weekend 1977.
Cost Twins first of two. Actual steam coming from Mauch’s office between games. 😊
Smalley’s my witness.— Reusse (@Patrick_Reusse) June 5, 2022
-On July 2, 1977, the Twins took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the eighth against the South Siders, and then watched it all fall apart after they committed three errors, leading to six unearned runs. One of those errors was a ball misplayed in the sun by Twins outfielder Dan Ford.
Twins manager Gene Mauch held a closed-door meeting with his team after the game and when he emerged he was still hot.
“I neglected to check all our players when they took the field in the eighth inning to see that they were all wearing shoes, gloves and glasses,” said Mauch to the Minneapolis Tribune.
Asked if Ford would be fined for not wearing sunglasses, Mauch replied, “We’ll talk about it.”
After the Ford error, a trainer ran onto the field to bring him sunglasses.
“I never wear glasses because they fall down my nose,” said Ford, but he wore them on Mauch’s orders.
-We can still be thankful that the 2022 Twins are not the 1982 Twins. On June 4, 1982, the Twins snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 6-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
The Tribune teased the win on the front page with a photo of the game and a headline of, “Finally!”
Inside on the sports front, they went with “Yes it’s true! The streak is over.”
And the subhead? “Pitching unusually good as Twins blank Orioles.”
Wow.
Sources: MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Newspapers.com