Herb Carneal was born in Richmond, Virginia on this date in 1923. He was in the Twins radio booth for FORTY-FOUR years, from 1962 to 2006. Share your favorite memories or stories about Carneal in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Biggest Comeback Win in Team History:
The Twins overcame an 8-1 seventh-inning deficit for the biggest comeback win in team history on this date in 2000.
After Cleveland scored four in the top of the seventh to take an 8-1 lead, the Twins scored six in the bottom of the inning to pull within one. David Justice homered in the top of the ninth to give Cleveland a 9-7 lead, but after an RBI-hit in the bottom of the ninth, Midre Cummings hit a two-out walk-off homer for a 10-9 Twins win.
Matt Lawton went 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, raising his season average to .365. Cleveland’s Jim Thome went 3-for-4 with a home run and double.
From CBS News:
Quote
“This team, we don’t beat you with the long ball. And me? I never hit homers,” Cummings said after his game-winning home run . . . “That’s the first time in my life I hit a game-winning homer,” Cummings said. “We had a fast guy on first and I was just trying to hit the ball into the gap. And I never thought I’d hit out the opposite way.” . . . [Steve] Karsay said the outside fastball was exactly where he wanted it. “If I was going to get beat, it would be to the opposite field,” he said.
Twins Ambush Perry:
Lenny Green and Vic Power started the bottom of the first with back-to-back home runs off Cleveland pitcher Jim Perry on this date in 1962.
Fun Fact: Nobody reached base more often in the Twins’ first two seasons than Lenny Green (522). And of course Jim Perry won the Cy Young pitching for the Twins in 1970.
Back-to-back home runs to begin a team’s half of the first inning tied the major league record at the time. The current record is three-straight to begin a game.
Fred Lynn Hits Ninth-Inning Homers in Three-Straight Games:
Baltimore’s Fred Lynn hit ninth-inning home runs in three-straight games against the Twins including two walk-offs beginning on this date in 1985.
Ron Davis gave up a walk-off home run to the Yankees’ Don Mattingly on May 13 to make it four-straight ninth-inning home runs surrendered by the Twins.
Are you interested in Twins history? Then check out the Minnesota Twins Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Twins uniform!