Before action started this afternoon, the Minnesota Twins inducted Corey Koskie into their Hall of Fame. Introduced by Michael Cuddyer and speaking in front of Twins legends and friends, Koskie showed the humble-but-proud nature that made him such a fan favorite in the early 2000s.
Ironically, two left-side infielders would immediately propel the Twins to a decisive victory over the Detroit Tigers and avoid a sweep at home.
After all the folding chairs were returned to the church basement (probably—this is the Midwest, after all), Thomas Hatch—a real life baseball player for the Twins—started this one off with a 1-2-3 first inning, escaping (heh, heh) the early foibles that have plagued MN this entire series.
In honor of Koskie, current 3B Royce Lewis began the barrage with a big bomb in B2…
Alas, a Colt Keith double & a Kerry Carpenter single knotted it right back up again in T3.
But in B3: A Twins bats explosion…
When the Target Field dust had settled: a 7-1 advantage for the home squad!
More in B4: a Buxton single-and-steal set the stage for him to be driven in by a Keaschall fielder’s choice & error. 8-1 MIN.
Besides the bountiful bats, the bullpen-game hurlers were ready to roll—at one point striking out seven consecutive Tigers!
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 8, Detroit Tigers 1.
Minnesota salvages a game from the first-place Tigers and allows all the famous alumni to exit the ballpark with smiles on their faces instead of grumbling under their breath (okay, I’m sure Tom Kelly was doing both).
Up next: Off day Monday followed by three with the Address Unknown Athletics (T night, W night, H afternoon).