On Aug. 12, 1979, Minnesota defeated the Oakland Athletics 1–0 at Metropolitan Stadium in a game that only lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes. There were 17 combined hits, but somehow only one runner crossed home plate, and the game was over in less time than many feature-length movies.
Jerry Koosman was the star of the afternoon. The veteran left-hander scattered 10 hits across nine scoreless innings, striking out four without issuing a walk. Minnesota managed to give him just enough run support, though it arrived differently than manager Gene Mauch initially envisioned.
A Failed Bunt Produces the Winning Run
A full moon rises over the Minnesota Twins logo in a game between the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox at Target Field. | USA TODAY Sports
Mike Cubbage started the Twins’ decisive rally with a single before Danny Goodwin stepped to the plate. Mauch initially asked Goodwin to bunt Cubbage into scoring position, hoping to manufacture the game’s first run. Goodwin fouled off the attempt, prompting Mauch to call an audible and let him swing away. The decision immediately paid off. Goodwin doubled Cubbage home, giving Minnesota the only run either team would score.
Goodwin was already one of baseball’s more unusual figures before delivering that double. He remains the only player in MLB draft history to be selected No. 1 overall twice. The Chicago White Sox chose him first in 1971, but Goodwin attended Southern University rather than signing.
Four years later, the California Angels selected him first overall again. That enormous draft pedigree never quite translated at the Major League level. He finished his seven-year career with an underwhelming .236/.301/.373 slash line, 13 home runs, and an 84 OPS+, spending most of his time at designated hitter and first base.
Minnesota acquired Goodwin alongside Ron Jackson before the 1979 season in a trade that sent Dan Ford to California. Koosman was another newcomer, arriving from the New York Mets that same offseason. His complete-game shutout was part of a season in which he eventually won 20 games and finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting. Both offseason additions proved essential that afternoon, just in dramatically different ways.
Even with modern rule changes such as the pitch clock designed to speed up the sport, nine-inning games in 2026 are still tracking around two hours and 38 minutes. Minnesota’s 103-minute win was roughly 55 minutes shorter. Baseball may continue searching for ways to trim the fat from games, but matching the pace of that afternoon would require far more than another rule change.
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