Royce Lewis snapped a long hitless streak, Trevor Larnach and Brooks Lee had six of the Twins’ 13 hits and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. delivered the most important hit of the game: a bottom of the 10th inning base knock to walk-off the San Francisco Giants 7-6 and extend the team’s winning streak to eight games.
The streak: Two wins at Boston and back to back sweeps over the Orioles and Giants. The Twins now hit the road and will face the Orioles again on Tuesday.
The Twins are 21-20. They are 8-2 over the last 10 games and have gained some ground on their AL Central foes because the Tigers, Guardians and Royals all lost. The Twins are five games back of first place with a lot of baseball left to play. The season is officially back on track, folks.
Simeon Woods Richardson gets the ball Tuesday.
Extra innings…
–Larnach had three hits, including a double, while Lee had three hits with a home run.
–Lewis, who got hurt during spring training and only recently returned to the lineup, snapped an 0-for-36 hitless streak with two base knocks in Sunday’s win. He nearly tied a hitless streak that was set by former Twins catcher Butch Wynegar who went 0-for-39 in September 1978.
Wynegar finally got a hit on Sept. 24, 1978, but his modest accomplishment was completely overshadowed by the death of former Twin Lyman Bostock, who was shot and killed on the same date in Gary, Indiana.
The Minneapolis Tribune’s lede:
“The life of Lyman Bostock, which began 27 years ago with rags in Alabama and continued with riches in California, ended early Sunday on an operating table in this squalid steel-mill city.
“The California Angels outfielder died about three hours after being hit in the temple at point-blank range with a shotgun blast — a blast apparently intended for the estranged wife of the suspected killer.”
Current and former Twins players reacted to the news:
“Ninety minutes before the Kansas City game Sunday, Dan Ford, the Twins’ muscular outfielder, sat at his locker sobbing.
“In Milwaukee, outfielder Larry Hisle, his eyes red and his voice choking, said he was too upset to play and left the stadium before the Brewers’ game with Oakland.
“A few minutes later at Hisle’s home, his wife, Sheila, said Hisle was ‘resting now. He has a headache.’
“That was how Lyman Bostock’s death affected the men who played with him in the Twins outfield in 1976 and 1977 and who were among his closest friends.”
Twins manager Gene Mauch on Bostock’s death:
“When I heard about it I was shocked,” Mauch said. “I was sad. I was angry. Then I just got downright sick.
“I know people don’t realize what strong feelings of respect and admiration develop on a ball club. But I thought the world of the man. I don’t think I’ve ever known anybody who wanted to be as good as Lyman Bostock, wanted to be appreciated as much and wanted to be respected as much.”
The Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on that somber Sunday. Wynegar broke his hitless streak while two other Twins snapped O-fers as well, according to the Tribune.
“It also was satisfying for other Twins players yesterday: Outfielder Dan Ford broke a two-month homer drought with his 11th in the sixth inning to snap a 3-3 tie, shortstop Roy Smalley ended a 0-for-20 spell with a double in the seventh inning and catcher Butch Wynegar beat a 0-for-39 slump with a line single to right field in the eighth inning.”
Source: Newspapers.com