Twins 3, A’s 0: The End of an Era

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rivalry between the Tom Kelly Minnesota Twins and the Tony La Russa Oakland A’s was one of the best in baseball. More often than not in that span, one of those squads was atop the AL West when all was said and done.

Today, the Twins squared off with the A’s for the final time in their current iteration (Oakland) and ballpark (Coliseum) as the green-and-yellow organization begins the transition to Vegas by way of Sacramento. Pablo Lopez made sure the visitors’ plane ride out of town for the final time was a joyous one.

After Royce Lewis nearly put three first-inning runs on the board (his deep drive dying on the warning track), in appropriate fashion a Twins centerfielder—this time Byron Buxton, not Kirby Puckett—homered in the 2nd to give MN an early 1-0 lead over the A’s.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

As is often the case with the 2024 Twins, the bats then went silent for a bit. But it mattered little, as Pablo Lopez flirted with a perfecto—only surrendering a hit with two outs in the 6th. Those mysterious mechanical tweaks that JohnFoley mentioned Rocco chatting about pregame certainly paid dividends.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

In the 7th, a ringing Carlos Santana single started a rally, 2024 Twins MVP Willi Castro extended it with a blooper to CF, and Buxton kept the carousel spinning with a gapper. Even after a controversial non-obstruction call at 3B wiped Buck off the base paths and Kyle Farmer was caught stealing at the second sack, when the dust settled it was 3-0 Minnesota.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Twins didn’t touch toes on home plate again this afternoon, but again it mattered little with Lopez so locked in (see: Studs). Only a 100+ pitch count corralled him from continuing towards a complete game. Instead, Griffin Jax dispatched the top of the Oakland order with relative ease for a save.

Your final (THE final in OAK for MIN): Minnesota Twins 3, Oakland Athletics 0.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Studs

• Oakland fans, who have had to endure years of noncompetitive play and now will lose the franchise entirely. My hat is truly off to them and I hope they will channel their baseball energies into a new team or outlet.
• The A’s honoring the 50th anniversary of their 1974 championship.

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• Lopez: 8 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 15 K. An absolutely awesome, Johan Santana-like outing.

Duds

• Other than “everyone involved in the Athletics ownership group” for allowing this debacle to stretch on for so long—no one.

Comment of the Game

• Nagurskiinsandpoint asking for a Pablo gem and receiving exactly that!