Another Improbable Twins Victory
That's the best way I can describe the Twins win last night. It started off predictably enough but someone threw a veritable sack full of wrenches into the plot somewhere around the eighth inning.
Juan Rincon, who'd only given up 1 homer all year, gave up a homer to bring the Mighty Whities to within 2 at 6-4. TheMighty Whities got another run on a sacrifice fly to close to within 1 at 6-5.
A day after getting a contract extension, lefty Dennys Reyes couldn't find the strike zone, walking the bases full before getting yanked by Gardy with a 2-0 count. Pat Neshek, just 2 months into his major league career, struck out former Twin A.J. Pierzinski swinging to end the uprising just a night after Pierzinski took him deep to tie Friday night's game.
After Nick Punto, one of the 'Piranhas' that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is always raving about, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, most Twins fans breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Joe Nathan was ready and waiting for the 9th. Nathan is one of the top closers in baseball, surpassed only by Mariano Rivera. Here's where 'they' threw in another wrench. Jermaine Dye hit a game-tying 2-run homer just a night after making the last out against Nathan on a foul popup that umpire Rick Fletcher called fan interference on.
Chisox closer Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless 10th, giving his team a chance to win in the bottom of the 10th. Willie Eyre, who hadn't pitched in this big of an inning, pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th.
Enter the Piranhas again. Lew Ford pinch hit for Jason Tyner & immediately singled. Jason Bartlett laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that pitcher Matt Thornton & third baseman Joe Crede almost misplayed into a hit. Thornton reacted quickly enough to throw a fastball to first baseman Russ Gload to get the out. Lew Ford took third on Luis Castillo's infield grounder, setting up a confrontation between Thornton & Nick Punto. Punto won the battle, lining a ball off a diving Gload's glove into right field, scoring Ford with the go-ahead run.
A.J. grounded out to Punto to start the bottom of the 11th. Scott Podsednik pushed a bunt past the mound that Castillo couldn't shuffle cleanly enough, setting up the likelihood of Eyre having to face Dye one last time. Likely because Tadahito Iguchi had only grounded into 4 double plays all season. Make that 5 now. (I told you this was an improbable win.)
After the game, Chisox manager Ozzie Guillen, known to those of us who follow the game as a quote machine said that he liked his team "but I love that other team."
Ozzie, I know what you're saying. I know exactly what you're saying.
PS- Eyre got 6 tough outs to win collect his first major league win. (I'm telling ya that this was another improbable win.)
Posted Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:49 AM
July 2006 Posts
No comments.
Juan Rincon, who'd only given up 1 homer all year, gave up a homer to bring the Mighty Whities to within 2 at 6-4. TheMighty Whities got another run on a sacrifice fly to close to within 1 at 6-5.
A day after getting a contract extension, lefty Dennys Reyes couldn't find the strike zone, walking the bases full before getting yanked by Gardy with a 2-0 count. Pat Neshek, just 2 months into his major league career, struck out former Twin A.J. Pierzinski swinging to end the uprising just a night after Pierzinski took him deep to tie Friday night's game.
After Nick Punto, one of the 'Piranhas' that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is always raving about, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, most Twins fans breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Joe Nathan was ready and waiting for the 9th. Nathan is one of the top closers in baseball, surpassed only by Mariano Rivera. Here's where 'they' threw in another wrench. Jermaine Dye hit a game-tying 2-run homer just a night after making the last out against Nathan on a foul popup that umpire Rick Fletcher called fan interference on.
Chisox closer Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless 10th, giving his team a chance to win in the bottom of the 10th. Willie Eyre, who hadn't pitched in this big of an inning, pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th.
Enter the Piranhas again. Lew Ford pinch hit for Jason Tyner & immediately singled. Jason Bartlett laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that pitcher Matt Thornton & third baseman Joe Crede almost misplayed into a hit. Thornton reacted quickly enough to throw a fastball to first baseman Russ Gload to get the out. Lew Ford took third on Luis Castillo's infield grounder, setting up a confrontation between Thornton & Nick Punto. Punto won the battle, lining a ball off a diving Gload's glove into right field, scoring Ford with the go-ahead run.
A.J. grounded out to Punto to start the bottom of the 11th. Scott Podsednik pushed a bunt past the mound that Castillo couldn't shuffle cleanly enough, setting up the likelihood of Eyre having to face Dye one last time. Likely because Tadahito Iguchi had only grounded into 4 double plays all season. Make that 5 now. (I told you this was an improbable win.)
After the game, Chisox manager Ozzie Guillen, known to those of us who follow the game as a quote machine said that he liked his team "but I love that other team."
Ozzie, I know what you're saying. I know exactly what you're saying.
PS- Eyre got 6 tough outs to win collect his first major league win. (I'm telling ya that this was another improbable win.)
Posted Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:49 AM
July 2006 Posts
No comments.
