Twins’ ace and All-Star Joe Ryan stepped up and did what all aces do, limiting the opponent to one run over six-plus innings, and the team offense finally found an extra gear to score a rare 4-1 win over the Yankees at the Stadium Wednesday night.
The Yankees scored first, the Twins tied the game in the fourth inning and then pulled away in the sixth with two singles, two doubles and an error on a Yankee outfielder and the club had a three-run lead that it would never relinquish.
Kody Funderburk and Justin Topa pitched two-plus innings of scoreless relief and a huge bottom-of-the-ninth inning double play helped seal the win for Minnesota.
The Twins now head home to play the Tigers on Thursday. Bailey Ober gets the ball.
Extra innings…
–Ryan’s line: One run allowed on four hits across six-plus innings with two walks and seven strikeouts on 102 pitches. He fanned the side in the fifth inning. He is now 12-5 with a 2.72 ERA. The Twins dumped a lot of players at the trade deadline. I’m so glad Joe wasn’t among them.
–The Twins scored the four runs on eight hits, half of them extra-base hits. Byron Buxton, Kody Clemens, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach all connected for doubles.
–The other big news Wednesday was the announcement that the Pohlad family, the owners of the Twins, will not sell the team, but instead will sell stakes in the team to two different limited partnership groups.
“After a detailed and robust process, our family will remain the principal owner of the Minnesota Twins. To strengthen the club in a rapidly evolving sports landscape – one that demands strong partnerships, fresh ideas, and long-term vision – we are in the process of adding two significant limited partnership groups, each of whom will bring a wealth of experience and share our family values,” the Pohlads said in their announcement.
So why go this route? Were they unable to find a buyer to pay the club’s valuation, which at more than $1 billion seemed high to me, or do they instead get a fresh injection of capital and more expertise about the current state of the game?
That’s the direction I’m leaning. And if the two groups can improve the financial health of the club, then perhaps they get the first right of refusal to own the team when the Pohlads finally decide to step aside.
But what’s the overall mindset here? Based on the trade deadline fire sale, someone, either the Pohlads or the new investors, have decided that slashing costs is job No. 1. So are they trying to re-fashion the Twins into the next West Sacramento A’s or Tampa Bay Rays? There’s a lot to admire in both teams as they drill down on smart baseball and developing talent, but you also can forget about marquee players and big contracts. That’s just something that doesn’t exist with either club. Are Twins fans ready for that?
–About 44,000 fans filled Yankee Stadium for Aaron Judge bobblehead night. That makes the Twins win extra sweet. Judge was 0-for-4 with one whiff.