Twins 8*, Cleveland 5: Manfredball is broken

Baseball has well-known unwritten rules: don’t talk about a no-hitter, don’t swing on 3-0 against a position player, and don’t flip your bat. Well, Manfredball also has unwritten rules: The Twins always lose, and usually-competent Twins pitchers look terrible. One of those unwritten rules was broken today.

THAT’S RIGHT, THE TWINS MANAGED TO WIN IN EXTRA INNINGS TODAY

Go Twins Go, and all that!

Cleveland opened the game by getting to the Twins starter again, today being JA Happ. Jose Ramirez doubled in Cesar Hernandez, and then Eddie Rosario singled in Ramirez in the first, for the Lakesiders to take a two-run lead early. Amed Rosario singled in Yu Chang in the second in order to stake Zach Plesac a total of three runs, which normally would have been enough for Cleveland’s vaunted rotation. Also, Ch and C should not make the same sound. Why does his name rhyme?

Anyhow, the Twins came back with a fury today, once again via the big inning. Zac Plesach (see how silly that is) was knocked out before he could complete the fourth, but after the Twins scored five runs. Max Kepler, continuing his domination of Cleveland pitching, hit a bomba with Josh Donaldson and Luis Arraez on base, tying the game. Folk hero Rob Refsnyder RBI’d, and Andrelton Simmons grounder’d in a run to make the score favorable to the Twins.

Twin Wins don’t come easy in 2021 though. Cleveland would chip away, adding a run in fifth to make it a one-run game, and then tying it up in the ninth, and sending us to Manfredball. And everyone knows what that means.

Everyone except Kyle Garlick, that is, who hit a three-run homer in the top of the tenth to give us our final score. Tyler Duffey let the ghost runner advance on a sac fly, and walked a man in the home half of the inning, but escaped unscathed.

*Pretend runners only count in Manfredball, so the real score was 7-5.

Studs:

Garlick
Kepler

Duds:

No Duds, Twins Win
But also, Rob Manfred

Roll Call