The Twins Almanac for June 21: Twins Ambush Madison Bumgarner

[Matt Johnson]

In Today's Almanac:

• Twins ambush Madison Bumgarner
• Twins tie record for runs in an extra inning
• Pitcher raises batting average to .368

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Eight-Straight Hits to Start Game

Twins hitters tied a major-league record by reeling off eight consecutive hits to start the game versus Madison Bumgarner in San Francisco on this date in 2011. The game began single-double-single-double-single-double-single-double before Bumgarner finally struck out Twins pitcher Carl Pavano on three pitches. It would be the only out Bumgarner recorded in the game. He was pulled after leadoff hitter Ben Revere doubled for his second hit of the inning, driving in the Twins’ seventh and eighth runs. It’s worth noting that Alexi Casilla and Michael Cuddyer both doubled off Bumgarner on 0-2 counts.

Pavano, meanwhile, was solid, holding the Giants scoreless through six, and ultimately allowing just two runs over eight innings. Casilla added a solo home run leading off the ninth against Sergio Romo. Jose Mijares pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, giving the Twins a 9-2 win. With the loss, Bumgarner fell to 3-9 on the season.

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Twins Score 11 Runs in Tenth

On This Date in 1969: Tied for first atop the newly formed American League West, the Twins and Athletics played to a 3-3 tie through nine at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Twins’ offense erupted in the top of the 10th, sending 16 batters to the plate and scoring 11 runs to tie an extra-inning record set by the 1928 Yankees.

Ted Uhlaender and Rod Carew singled to begin the inning and were driven in on a three-run homer by Harmon Killebrew. Killebrew later walked and scored the 11th run of the inning on a Frank Quilici single. There was still only one out at that point, but the inning finally ended when Leo Cardenas lined out to the pitcher and Quilici was doubled off first.

The win gave the Twins sole possession of first place in the division. They went on to win the AL West by nine games before losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the first ever American League Championship Series. The “Miracle Mets”—featuring Minneosta native Jerry Koosman—won the World Series, defeating Baltimore in five games.

The record of 11 runs scored in an extra inning stood until July 3, 1983 when the Rangers scored 12 in the 15th inning, also in Oakland. Sixteen batters in an inning is still tied for the team record with the fifth inning on May 20, 1994 when Alex Cole made the first and last out of the inning. 

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Pitcher Perry Raises Average to .368

Jim Perry went 1-for-2 with sacrifice in an 11-2 win in Kansas City on this date in 1970, raising his batting average to .368 (14-for-38). He kept his average over .300 until August 11 but finished the season at .247—his best average since he hit .300 (15-for-50) during his 1959 rookie season in Cleveland, when he finished runner-up to Washington’s Bob Allison for Rookie of the Year.

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