Article: MIN 4, BOS 3: Twins Win in 17th Inning, Get First Walk-Off

[jkcarew]

Sometimes when things aren't clicking (both sides), mistakes are made, hittable pitches are missed...and frustration and doubt creep into the picture...games simply become a war of wills. All of the air left the team and the building it seemed after that sequence in the bottom of the 6th and top of the 7th. This was a different kind of win than the club has come up with to date...and pretty impressive.

[IndianaTwin]

 

My assumption was that they would need to call up someone, but as I look at it, I’m not sure they need to. Everyone pitched, but no one more than 30 innings. Parker is the only guy who pitched on the last two days, and that was only a total of 34 pitches. There’s really not anyone who isn’t available for at least a couple batters. Now if several guys get used for a good number of pitches tonight...

 

And by 30 innings, I of course meant 30 pitches. 

 

Or that game went even longer than I thought. 

[Doomtints]

 

I've been screaming for this to happen for years now. A standup double. From a bunt. I knew it would happen but MLB players are irrationally resistant to trying it.

 

It's kind of infuriating, really. This is perhaps the easiest bunt in the world to attempt. All you need to do is keep the ball fair and bunt as hard as you frickin' can. No soft hands needed; in fact, you want the opposite. Doesn't matter if it's on the ground or in the air, just get the damned ball 100+ feet and you're standing on second base.

 

https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1140797879390527488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1140797879390527488&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1140797879390527488%26autosize%3D1

 

Exactly. This is what the Sox were showing several times last night. I don't know how you look at that, either as a player or a manager, and not exploit it.

Not only will it get you on base, but it will make the other team feel like morons. Stuff like that turns a game around.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Doomtints

[USAFChief]

Exactly. This is what the Sox were showing several times last night. I don't know how you look at that, either as a player or a manager, and not exploit it.

Not only will it get you on base, but it will make the other team feel like morons. Stuff like that turns a game around.

Many teams, including Boston often last night and including sometimes the Twins, when shifting against a LH hitter, now position the third baseman at or near his normal spot, until there are 2 strikes. This takes away the free bunt, and opens the normal SS position.

 

Otherwise, agreed. Take advantage of the virtually free base hit.

[GCTF]

Unfortunately the win was somewhat tainted as it was accomplished while wearing those hideous red jerseys.

[USAFChief]

Unfortunately the win was somewhat tainted as it was accomplished while wearing those hideous red jerseys.

I love the red tops. “Maple Leaf Red” I believe.

[GCTF]

 

I love the red tops. “Maple Leaf Red” I believe.

Disconcur. More like murder scene red.

[Squirrel]

 

Disconcur. More like murder scene red.

 

I think that's a bit perfect.

[VATwinsFan]

So do we get Good Gibson two games in a row?

[Dman]

 

Cora's a punk ... Even if you don't agree with a call, you don't attempt to assault the umpires after the game .... He should be suspended .... Apology is a cop out ... Learn the rules .... I can guarantee Baldelli would never behave that way

 

Yeah he really made himself out to be an idiot there.  At least he acknowledged he made a mistake and apologized.  I agree he should not have come after the umps like that but he paid the price of looking like a crazy man for all to see. 

 

Long game lots of ups and downs emotions get out of control.  Both teams really wanted that game and only one team could win.  I get it but there were lots of bad calls that could have determined that game so to get that upset over just one of them seems odd or maybe it was the straw that broke the camels back.  Whatever the case he made himself look the fool for nothing.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Yeah he really made himself out to be an idiot there.  At least he acknowledged he made a mistake and apologized.  I agree he should not have come after the umps like that but he paid the price of looking like a crazy man for all to see. 

 

Long game lots of ups and downs emotions get out of control.  Both teams really wanted that game and only one team could win.  I get it but there were lots of bad calls that could have determined that game so to get that upset over just one of them seems odd or maybe it was the straw that broke the camels back.  Whatever the case he made himself look the fool for nothing.

Not to make excuses for him, but it was extremely late! I know my judgement wasn't good after midnight, as I was still listening to this game.

 

And it must have seemed pretty egregious at the time -- Gladden also seemed to think he was out of the box on the radio broadcast. And it's a much different kind of call than balls & strikes too.

[h2oface]

Apparently Eddie didn't actually break any rules on that bunt. Cora says he's sorry for whining

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/heres-rule-had-alex-cora-hopping-mad-until-he-realized-umpires-hadnt-gotten-it-wrong-after

Rule 6.06 (a) states that a batter is out for illegal action if, "he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box."

 

Like tennis, any part of the foot on the line counts as in the box. The umps seem to never call the violation of this rule when the players intentionally kick the back line into non-existent and have the back foot totally out of the box.... that has no demarcation anymore. That happens all the time and is ignored.

[IndianaTwin]

Not to make excuses for him, but it was extremely late! I know my judgement wasn't good after midnight, as I was still listening to this game.

 

And it must have seemed pretty egregious at the time -- Gladden also seemed to think he was out of the box on the radio broadcast. And it's a much different kind of call than balls & strikes too.

Not to mention that often times the explosion comes after a buildup of frustration on other calls. Particularly given the timing, this play was apparently the one that lit the fuse.

 

Again, not to excuse him. But I suppose I’m at least giving him an excuse.

[Wyorev]

 

They were saying on eddies bunt attempt he left the batters box.
I personally think he did a little but he made a conscious effort to stay in.

The rule states that the batter must be "entirely outside the batter's box."

The crazy thing - or at least until Cora lost his mind - watching on the MLB app - Jack Morris did not know the rule. How do you not know that rule? That seemed extremely odd to me.

Also, how could Cora really believe that Rosario had left the box entirely? Rosey was way out there, but the box is pretty dang big. And it always has been. Cora's entire career its been that big...

Man. That seems to betray the fact that the BoSox are not that good, are not playing that well, and are beginning to see a future that does not include them in the playoffs this year.

[Squirrel]

 

Not to mention that often times the explosion comes after a buildup of frustration on other calls. Particularly given the timing, this play was apparently the one that lit the fuse.

Again, not to excuse him. But I suppose I’m at least giving him an excuse.

He could also be trying to try and bolster his team after a tough loss because we have another one to play today.

[Dman]

 

Rule 6.06 (a) states that a batter is out for illegal action if, "he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box."

Like tennis, any part of the foot on the line counts as in the box. The umps seem to never call the violation of this rule when the players intentionally kick the back line into non-existent and have the back foot totally out of the box.... that has no demarcation anymore. That happens all the time and is ignored.

 

Yeah looking at the replay I couldn't see the line clearly either.  Almost impossible to call it when it is that close and the line that hard to see.  At any rate it appears to me looking at the video that umps made the right call. Honestly I don't know how they can keep track of everything they have to do behind the plate.

[h2oface]

Didn't Boston have a 6 game winning streak going into this game? And they were pretty close to making it 7. I wouldn't call that "not playing that well", myself.

[james2334]

I'll be the crazy fan that defends Sano. And my defense is this: It's a a long season, all hitters go through peaks and valleys. Hot streaks and cold streaks. Remember when Kepler was 0 for 21? Remember when Marwin couldn't hit anything for the entire month of April? Peaks and valleys. Also when you consider that Sano is an all or nothing hitter his valleys will look worse and are filled with strike outs. On the other side his peaks are filled with home runs and doubles. Right now he is in a valley, but I believe a peak is on the horizon.

 

I'll also defend Garver on the pick off, even though it was a bone headed play. He was trying to get a good lead so that if the ball was put in play on the ground he would be able to beat a throw home. He wandered farther than he should have and he should have slide back into third. It was a good lesson for him to learn in a regular season game. Now he knows not to do that again.

[MVP Nick Punto]

And by 30 innings, I of course meant 30 pitches.

 

 

Or that game went even longer than I thought.

Ahh, good catch. I was ready to jump on ya. Edited June 19, 2019 by MVP Nick Punto

[Darius]

Kepler is a star. Most underrated player right now in the MLB (outside of MN). Very few corner outfielders in the game that are better (yes, he’s better right now than Judge who plays on a T-ball field in NY).

 

He actually had a better game last night than the scorebook will tell you. Be got “robbed” of another XBH and RBI or two on the walkoff

 

Polanco has gotten a ton of praise (rightfully so?), but where would this team be without Kepler?. He might be my front runner for team MVP right now.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

The rule states that the batter must be "entirely outside the batter's box."

The crazy thing - or at least until Cora lost his mind - watching on the MLB app - Jack Morris did not know the rule. How do you not know that rule? That seemed extremely odd to me.

Also, how could Cora really believe that Rosario had left the box entirely? Rosey was way out there, but the box is pretty dang big. And it always has been. Cora's entire career its been that big...

Man. That seems to betray the fact that the BoSox are not that good, are not playing that well, and are beginning to see a future that does not include them in the playoffs this year.

See 2 posts above yours: Rule 6.06 (a) states that a batter is out for illegal action if, "he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box."

 

In real time, with the chalk worn away, it certainly looked like either one of Rosario's feet could have been outside of the box. He took multiple steps during the pitch!

[Darius]

I'll be the crazy fan that defends Sano. And my defense is this: It's a a long season, all hitters go through peaks and valleys. Hot streaks and cold streaks. Remember when Kepler was 0 for 21? Remember when Marwin couldn't hit anything for the entire month of April? Peaks and valleys. Also when you consider that Sano is an all or nothing hitter his valleys will look worse and are filled with strike outs. On the other side his peaks are filled with home runs and doubles. Right now he is in a valley, but I believe a peak is on the horizon.

 

I'll also defend Garver on the pick off, even though it was a bone headed play. He was trying to get a good lead so that if the ball was put in play on the ground he would be able to beat a throw home. He wandered farther than he should have and he should have slide back into third. It was a good lesson for him to learn in a regular season game. Now he knows not to do that again.

The Sano chatter is ridiculous. They don’t like the man personally, do it affect the baseball opinion (where are all of the overweight comments about fan-fave Tortuga?).

 

First off, he’s basically in spring training right now. He’s behind everyone, and he’s seeing real live pitching (not some guy working on his changeup or career minor leaguer).

 

Before last nights game, his OPS was still over .900, I believe, which is elite. After last night to sill above .850, still elite.

 

I saw a stat recently regarding his HR/AB. It was significantly higher than the year he was called up midway through and took the league by storm (everyone thought he was a future HOF then).

 

Your slump observation is perfectly valid. It’s laughable that people only fault Sano for this (have they seen Schoop lately?). Did people really expect him to hit 85 HRs in 3/4 of a season and OPS 1.200 the whole year?

 

Sano is a huge part of this team.

 

When it comes to Garver, there is no circumstance in any alternate reality where getting picked off of 3rd with 2 on and nobody out is defensible. It’s the worst possible mental mistake you can make. This team is OPSing higher than any other team in history. You don’t have to get the extra 5 ft. If he were a borderline player this year as in the past, he’s back in Rochester the next day.

[IndianaTwin]

The rule states that the batter must be "entirely outside the batter's box."

The crazy thing - or at least until Cora lost his mind - watching on the MLB app - Jack Morris did not know the rule. How do you not know that rule? That seemed extremely odd to me.

Also, how could Cora really believe that Rosario had left the box entirely? Rosey was way out there, but the box is pretty dang big. And it always has been. Cora's entire career its been that big...

Man. That seems to betray the fact that the BoSox are not that good, are not playing that well, and are beginning to see a future that does not include them in the playoffs this year.

Maybe Jack did not know the rule because it’s so rarely enforced!

 

I was also thinking about how batters are typically hugging the back line. I wonder if that has the effect of making anyone in front the plate SEEM like they are out of the box.

[cmoss84]

 

See 2 posts above yours: Rule 6.06 (a) states that a batter is out for illegal action if, "he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box."

 

In real time, with the chalk worn away, it certainly looked like either one of Rosario's feet could have been outside of the box. He took multiple steps during the pitch![/quote

 

Yup. I thought he stepped out initially...it was closer than you think. After 17 inn of an emotion filled game, I get where he was coming from (during the game-not after when he went ballistic)

Living on the west coast is awesome for these types of games. One of the best games I have ever seen front to back.

Sano: think he will be okay. Most ABs a player gets 1 pitch to hit. Noticing he is fouling a lot of those pitches straight back the last few games.

Garver: got caught a bit in between on the pickoff...looked a combination of shocked and too close to the base to slide. But what a game to catch all 17 inn!

Guts and balls. Lots of both from a lot of players.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

not on the 40 man, is he?

You are correct Chief. I really want to see him get a chance at pitching in the majors. He is a man who has high moral values...but then so do I, but I can't pitch very well.

[yarnivek1972]

So, an .847 WPA, huh?

 

That’s got to be one of the highest single game totals of the year, right?

[yarnivek1972]

The Sano chatter is ridiculous. They don’t like the man personally, do it affect the baseball opinion (where are all of the overweight comments about fan-fave Tortuga?).

 

First off, he’s basically in spring training right now. He’s behind everyone, and he’s seeing real live pitching (not some guy working on his changeup or career minor leaguer).

 

Before last nights game, his OPS was still over .900, I believe, which is elite. After last night to sill above .850, still elite.

 

I saw a stat recently regarding his HR/AB. It was significantly higher than the year he was called up midway through and took the league by storm (everyone thought he was a future HOF then).

 

Your slump observation is perfectly valid. It’s laughable that people only fault Sano for this (have they seen Schoop lately?). Did people really expect him to hit 85 HRs in 3/4 of a season and OPS 1.200 the whole year?

 

Sano is a huge part of this team.

 

When it comes to Garver, there is no circumstance in any alternate reality where getting picked off of 3rd with 2 on and nobody out is defensible. It’s the worst possible mental mistake you can make. This team is OPSing higher than any other team in history. You don’t have to get the extra 5 ft. If he were a borderline player this year as in the past, he’s back in Rochester the next day.

I have nothing personal for or against Sano. I do have a problem with a guy who was promoted, even to some degree by this FO - but moreso by the previous regime, as the next Harmon Killebrew and is looking more like the next Chris Davis.

[Nine of twelve]

 

I still want to know why the 3rd base coach didn't notice the 3rd base getting in behind Garver.

When you are a MLB coach you need to keep track of batted balls because Mike Coolbaugh.

[ashbury]

So, an .847 WPA, huh?

 

That’s got to be one of the highest single game totals of the year, right?

Yep, it's #1 so far.

 

All-time? Take a look at this game in 1966, where Art Shamsky came in during the top of the 8th inning as part of a double-switch when a reliever was called in. He hit a home run in the bottom of the inning to give his Reds a lead. Their bullpen coughed up a run in the top of the 9th, and then a go-ahead run in the 10th, so in the bottom of the 10th Shamsky launched another one to extend the game. The Pirates scored two more in the 11th, and Shamsky responded with a two-run shot to send it to the 12th. Only one Red reached base after that, so when the Pirates took the lead again in the 13th, the lead held up because Cardenas grounded into a game-ending DP, leaving Shamsky in the hole.

 

WPA of 1.503, and like Kepler it was only a partial game's worth of work. And the team still lost!

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN196608120.shtml

 

PS. Then there's Jimmie Foxx's 1.307 WPA game, in a 18-17 barnburner. He went 6-for-9 plus a walk, including 3 HR. He played all 18 innings, and I guess that watered down his clutch numbers a bit. Shortstop Johnny Burnett had a .910 WPA for the opponents. No pitcher for either team had a positive WPA, unsurprisingly. (There were only 5 pitchers total!)

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE193207100.shtml

 

Our own Nelson Cruz ranks third all time with 1.220 for this game while he was with Baltimore. He went 4-for-5 with two homers and a triple, driving in every Oriole run in a 7-5 extra innings win.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA201409070.shtml

[Otto von Ballpark]

David Freese, .964 WPA for 2011 WS Game 6 is pretty impressive too!