2009 Minnesota Twins: The Key Moments That Preceded Game 163

[Matthew Lenz]

The offseason can be a slow burn, especially when your ownership group imposes a salary cap on the front office. With the Minnesota Twins' hot stove colder than the arctic, let’s look back at one of the most fun seasons of the 21st century.

Image courtesy of Image courtesy of © Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

Our own Nick Nelson reviewed the 2009 season as a whole and another Twins Daily contributor specifically focused on Game 163, but now, we are going to relive the key moments that got us to one of the most exciting games in Twins history. While there's always the argument that every game counts and a win in April is just as important as a win in September, this look back will start at the 2009 Trade Deadline.

Jul. 31: Twins acquire Orlando Cabrera
Some of you young 'uns have spent the last few years getting your first taste of how promising Twins teams can disappoint the fan base with lackluster trade deadlines. However, we more experienced folks went through this for most of the 2000s, with the lone exception being 2003, when the Twins acquired Shannon Stewart. Alas, in 2009, the front office made a (relative) splash by acquiring shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland Athletics. He was a spark plug in the 2-hole for the Twins, providing them with a .742 OPS, 36 runs batted in, and 42 runs scored in just 260 plate appearances.

Aug. 21: Orlando Cabrera Walk-Off Picks Up A Rare Joe Nathan Blown Save
This marks the day The Magic started, as the Twins entered the day seven games back of the division-leading Tigers and opened a series against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Down 3-0 entering the sixth, they tied the game on the strength of the bats of Alexi Casilla and Denard Span, who would also give them the lead in the eighth. The game was then sent to extra innings after a rare Joe Nathan blown save in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Casilla at first and Cabrera facing an 0-1 count, the key deadline acquisition hit a triple that gave the Twins a 5-4 lead. They would go on to sweep the Royals and finish the season 27-13 from this date.

Aug. 25: Delmon Young Walks Off the Baltimore Orioles
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Twins pitching staff gave up six earned runs in the first six innings of the game. Fortunately, the offense rallied in the fifth, tying the game where the score remained until the bottom of the ninth. Baltimore Orioles reliever Kam Mickolio got two quick outs before giving up a single and a walk to Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel, respectively. Facing a two-out full count, Young hit a single to the opposite field, scoring Cuddyer from second base and securing the Twins' fifth straight win.

Sept. 1: Another Walk Off
After LOOGY specialist José Mijares failed to get Scott Podesdnik out to lead off the eighth inning, Matt Guerrier gave up a two-run home run to Gordon Beckham. This tied the game at 3-3 and set up for more Twins heroics in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, José Morales came to the plate with Brendan Harris on first and Nick Punto on second. After a first-pitch strike, Morales sent a ball to the right-field grass, scoring Punto and clinching the Twins' 67th victory of the season.

Sept. 14: Twins Explode for a Six-Run Eighth
Despite that big win to open September, the Twins had a measly 4-7 record over the first fortnight of the month and were still facing a 5.5-game deficit. Things were looking especially bleak after they were shut out for seven innings by Cleveland starter Jeremy Sowers, but fortunately, Twins starter Carl Pavano kept them in the game with six innings of three-run ball. Cleveland would use three different relievers in the eighth, as the Twins sent 10 hitters to the plate. Home runs by Cuddyer and Kubel helped the Twins take a 6-3 lead that would be held by Joe Nathan in the final frame. It ended up being their second win of a six-game streak, and marked another critical point in the season, as the Twins would only lose four more games over their next 15.

Sept. 18: Twins Blank Tigers
Having won four in a row, the Twins hosted the Tigers, trailing in the division by three games. One of the more unsung heroes from this stretch was rookie Brian Deunsing, who carried a 2.86 ERA as a starter down the home stretch. On this day, he provided 6 ⅓ innings of shutout ball, allowing just five baserunners and striking out one. Mijares, Jon Rauch, and Nathan would finish off the gem, with the only semblance of a threat coming in the ninth inning.

Sept: 29: Brandon Lyon Struggles in the 10th
After a rainout the day before, the Twins and Tigers faced off in a doubleheader on the 29th. With the Twins trailing two games with seven to play, they desperately needed to at least split the day. In the first game, Nick Blackburn, Rick Porcello, and both bullpens dominated, as the game entered extra innings tied 1-1. Tigers reliever Brandon Lyon entered in the 10th and gave up a single to Span. Two wild pitches later, Span was on third, and Cabrera delivered a one-run lead with an RBI single. A walk of Joe Mauer put runners on first and second, and a Carlos Gómez bunt advanced them 90 feet. The Tigers elected to intentionally walk Cuddyer to load the bases, and Young gave the Twins a two-run lead with a sacrifice fly. Nathan then came on to earn his 45th save of the season.

Oct. 3: Michael Cuddyer’s Go-Ahead Home Run
The Twins were one game back with two to play, facing a lowly Royals team while the Tigers were facing a middling White Sox team. After scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-0 lead, Blackburn and Mijares stumbled in the seventh and eighth, allowing the Royals to tie it up. Royals reliever Dusty Hughes, who got Joe Mauer to fly out to end the seventh, got Kubel to ground out to lead off the eighth inning. Cuddyer then stepped to the plate, drew a 2-0 count, and took the third pitch of the at-bat over the left-field wall to give the Twins a 5-4 lead. For the 47th and final time that season, Nathan would slam the door shut with a 1-2-3 ninth, and the Twins would enter Sunday tied atop the division.

From there, we know how the story ends. The Tigers and Twins both won on Sunday, leading to one of the best games in Major League Baseball history, and completing a comeback for the record books. It's easier to forget, though, the many games Minnesota had to pull out over the final two months to force that showdown.

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[theBOMisthebomb]

From those highlights, you an see the Metrodome was rocking in 2009. Target Field came into existence in 2010 and has been amazing. I'm not saying I want the Metrodome back, I do miss it though. 

This was a nice memory jog for some of the role players on the 2009 Twins. You really do forget names and details after 15 years. 

[Doctor Gast]

A lot of good memories of the Metrodome. That place really rocked at times. I guess I never saw the Metrodome at the end so I only remember the good. I miss it too.

Budget restrictions shouldn't be an excuse for the inactivity, Au! Contraire. This offseason should be really jumping. There are a lot of trades that should have been done already. Trades that don't cost us any $, trades that should save us money, trades w/o affecting the team's integrity, really significant trades. But the longer the FO sits around & waits, the more likely we'll see insignificant trades & trades that affect the integrity of the team.

[LambchoP]

I was at game 163 and the place was going wild when we won. People were running around downtown with Twins flags, I'll never forget that night!

[Jeff K]

Thank you for the joyful trip down memory lane!

[Blyleven2011]

30 years of good memories at HHH metrodome , can't really pick any memory  better than game 7 of world series  ...

Baseball always has exciting moments , this off season is not one of them  ...

[Morland]

Game 163 was one of the most exciting Twins games ever but you really couldn't call it one of the best in terms of play (That's reserved for Game 7 of the 1991 World Series). Both the Twins and Detroit made a lot of errors, both physical and mental in that game.