DETROIT – If these Twins ever have a pennant-clinching game of their own, Kyle Gibson looks ready to pitch it. Well, as long as Ian Kinsler isn't in the lineup.
Gibson gave up only four hits Sunday, but Kinsler had three of them, and his offense — plus a Cy Young performance by David Price — was enough to propel Detroit to its fourth consecutive AL Central championship with a 3-0 shutout of the Twins on the final day of the season.
A sellout crowd of 40,501 roared in appreciation as former Twin Joe Nathan recorded the final three outs, getting Oswaldo Arcia to pop up for the final out and setting off a raucous celebration on the pitcher's mound and in the stands. Detroit's victory officially eliminated Kansas City, relegating the Royals to Tuesday's AL wild-card game, and sent the Twins into the offseason with a 70-92 record, their fourth straight season of 90-plus losses.
"It's always kind of stabbing to the heart, so to speak, to watch guys do that, but it's good for our young guys to see that," said second baseman Brian Dozier. "This was probably the best playoff atmosphere you could be in without being in [a pennant race] yourself. It was electric."
So were both starting pitchers, each of whom went 7⅓ innings and gave up only three singles and one extra-base hit. The Tigers acquired Price at the trade deadline just for this type of game, but Gibson was new to it all. And but for a couple of hiccups, he nearly matched the former Cy Young winner's brilliance.
"That was fun to see. That's the kind of a performance you hope for out of a young pitcher," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "This is an experience that will be beneficial to him."
Kinsler probably taught him something, too. The All-Star second baseman smashed a rare Gibson mistake, a hanging curveball, into the bullpen in the third inning, just out of reach of Chris Herrmann's wall-climbing reach. It was the game's lone run until the eighth inning, and the only one Price, who never allowed a Twin to advance beyond second base, would need.
"I've faced [Price] numerous times, and that's the best I've seen him command every pitch," Dozier said. "He threw his cutter a lot, and it was sharp. It wasn't just a baby cutter."
Gibson was almost as spectacular but walked the bottom two hitters in the Tigers lineup in the eighth — which brought up Kinsler. He lined a single to left field, and Herrmann's throw to the plate bounced as it reached catcher Josmil Pinto, allowing Andrew Romine to score. Another former Twin, outfielder Torii Hunter, followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Tigers owned a 3-0 lead.
Only a few minutes later, they were spraying champagne. "I watched three teams celebrate last year, and I watched them again [today]. I hope I don't have to watch any more," Dozier said. But he's confident his 70-win team is closer to contention that it appears.
"You look at the big picture, obviously we've got to get better. But to be honest, [with] a few additions, a couple of things around the corner, we're better. We're better than that team. … We'll be clinching soon."
Etc.
• The Twins were shut out for the 12th time this year, three fewer than a year ago. They finished with 715 runs scored, 101 more than last year and the fifth-highest total in the American League, and they allowed 777, more than any AL team.
• By finishing with the fifth-worst record in the major leagues, the Twins earned the sixth pick in next June's amateur draft, after Arizona, Houston (which will pick second as compensation for not signing top pick Brady Aiken this year), Colorado, Texas, and Houston again.
