The anniversary of a magical season
First Pitch: 1:10 PM CT
TV: Bally Sports North
Radio: TIBN
Know Thine Enemy: Over the Monster
I have a theory when it comes to Major League Baseball’s overall popularity: 2004 was the last time a baseball season and playoffs fully captivated the general public’s imagination. This thought will be expanded upon as our ’24 summer unspools, but suffice it to say that today’s Minnesota Twins opponent—the Boston Red Sox—provided most of that magic.
The first time the Twins and BoSox clashed in ’04 was mid-June at Fenway Park. Though rather innocuous in the grand scheme, it was a big series for the identically-matched 39-30 clubs. The Twins were questing for an AL Central three-peat, while the Sawx were trying to shake off ’03 playoff heartbreak.
The first game of the series saw a Curt Schilling vs Kyle Lohse mismatch and a 9-2 MN defeat—with David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Nomar Garciaparra launching long-balls.
The Twins fired back with a 4-2 victory in game two behind the usual Carlos Silva “scatter a bunch of hits but somehow not give up many runs” routine (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER). Torii Hunter’s homer off Derek Lowe proved the margin of victory.
In the rubber match, Big Papi parked one off Brad Radke in the first inning (surprise, surprise) but the Twins’ bats connected on Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball more often than not. Tied 3-3 into extras, Lew Ford scrapped a sac fly off Boston closer Keith Foulke to score Cristian Guzman. Faced with the daunting Papi-Manny-Nomahhh gauntlet in the bottom of the 10th, Twins stopper Joe Nathan dispatched them 1-2-3 for the series victory.
The next time the teams met in 2004? The kickoff to a wild stretch-run and postseason.
But that’s a story for another summer afternoon. Today, Joe Ryan looks to finish off the sweep and propel the Twins to officially their second-longest win streak in franchise history. Here’s hoping for another behind-the-mound photo op later on!