Bronx Bombers Catch the Bomba Squad. Can Twins Regain Record?

The only HR's that will mater will be the ones we hit against the Yankees in the postseason.

If the Twins get rained out tonight and tomorrow and the games don’t need to be made up, the Twins would only have 160 regular season games. It’s possible, the Nationals have a 2 1/2 game lead for the top wild card spot. If it is at least that after the 29th, they won’t play the games. Of course, that also assumes that the Twins clinch the Central before then without those two games.

Also, MLB wants the Yankees (not the Twins) to have the record. I don't discount that.

Yankees can have this record. It would not, in any way, diminish this Twins season if they do not end the year with the most homers hit. AL Central champions is far more important.

Also, congrats to the Yankees on hitting a whole bunch of homers in a game where they allowed 12 runs to the Tigers and lost. They should feel really good about how they played last night.

While it’s a novelty, and would be nice to set the record, I don’t care too much if they finish with more or less than the Yankees. All that matters is the post-season.

I do wonder, though, if MLB does something to swing the pendulum back towards pitchers next year. This year has been crazy with regards to home runs. If so, the record could stand for a while.

Impressive given the health issues the Yankees have dealt with all season.

That's true, but I'm guessing neither team wants to potentially play a makeup game after the 29th, let alone two. Especially Washington -- that would likely eat their only off day before the wild card game.

 

I'd be surprised if they don't get both games in to finish this series. They may postpone tonight's game to tomorrow afternoon if necessary, and/or wait out multiple delays, but they'll try. The current forecast suggests the Thursday night game should be OK as scheduled.

And while I realize the potential importance of getting the games in, I’m pretty sure the last thing the Twins want to do is risk MORE injuries playing in rain or on a soaked field. Keep in mind, until the first pitch is thrown, the decision to play belongs to the Twins.

It was a bullpen game for New York, one in which they were mostly using pitchers who won't be on their playoff roster.

 

I'm sure they'd rather win than lose, of course, but they're 99.9% to win their division, and they may even like the 2nd seed (and facing MIN in the first round, against whom they are 4-2) almost as much as the 1st seed (where they'd play either TBR 12-5, OAK 2-4, or CLE 3-4) -- even just having the certainty of knowing/preparing for a single opponent might be nicer than waiting for the wild card game outcome. (AL wild card game is scheduled for Oct. 2nd, and the ALDS begin on Oct. 4)

Deja vu

Didn't the Twins surpass the record on a night they lost?  To that same Gardy team?

Yeah, but the Twins only gave up 10 runs in the game they lost!

It was a bullpen game for New York, one in which they were mostly using pitchers who won't be on their playoff roster.

With Edwin Jackson starting for Detroit, it was really a bullpen game for both teams. I think in a battle of bullpens, the Yanks still hold a pretty sizable advantage.

I recognize my original post was pretty salty. The Twins were going to set a new record in the Tigers series at some point. The Yanks (mostly fans on Twitter) celebrating tying the Twins HR total in a game they lost to the worst team in baseball is what mostly set me off. Also, because I kind of want the Twins to have the record at the end of the season.

I think it's very meaningful that the Twins finally have fielded a team that can hit HR's at a rate at/near the top of the league. It's an important part of being able to consistently win games. Especially in this era, where opponents WILL hit HR's.

Do I care about the record? Not in the least. Between the evolving approaches to hitting, and complicit acts of MLB (balls, new parks, etc.), the record was always destined to last about a day and a half.

Well, I don't want the Twins swinging for the fences because. They will get home runs or not get home runs. Cruz, Kepler and Sano have to stay healthy and the Twins have to feel comfortably playing Sano. 

I want Cave to get three more dingers so the Twins can at least have that record (12 players with 10+ home runs).

But the key is still winning the division and then advancing from there.

Imagine if the Yankees had Stanton all season. They would be 30 homers ahead of the Twins.

More important is for the remaining healthy three or four guys to keep barreling up as many pitches as possible. Home runs are nice, but when you've got runners on base, it's vital to keep the line moving. 

Here are two things more important than home runs:

• Don't needlessly give up outs
• Don't give up walks

Do them and you don't have to live or die by the long ball.

I'd rather win a World Series than have the Home Run record....We showed the Yankees we can play with them and I don't think this team is afraid of them...

I 'liked' some of the posts because they were in tune with my thoughts on this. I think the most interesting thing about the HR record could be its permanence of MLB decides to go back to a real baseball next year and in the future. To me this is sort of like moving the mound in to 54' and being impressed by the amount of strike outs pitchers are accruing! .