Twins notes: Hughes finishes up record year

It was an outing that punctuated his strong season — and sent Phil Hughes into the record books.

Hughes held the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run over eight innings, leading the Twins to a 2-1 victory on Wednesday in the final game at Target Field this season. His 16 victories were the most by a Twin since Carl Pavano won 17 games in 2010.

His 11.63 strikeouts per walk set a major league record, and he's the only pitcher in the modern era to pitch over 200 innings and walk 16 or fewer batters. Hughes won his 16 games while walking 16 and giving up 16 home runs.

But all everyone talked about after game was a measly $500,000.

Hughes has a clause in his contract in which he would have received the bonus if he pitched 210 innings this season. He needed 8 ⅓ innings on Wednesday to get it.

As Hughes pitched the eighth inning, the rain began to fall. He got the final out of the inning and walked off the field as the rain intensified. That led to a 1-hour, 6-minute delay — too long for Hughes to return to the mound. So he fell one out shy of the bonus.

"After pitching eight innings, that's something that's not worth the risk," Hughes said. "So that was not an option."

"It wasn't 209 ⅔, it was 210," Hughes said. "That's the way it goes sometimes."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was prepared to break his protocol — bringing in his closer with a one-run lead in the ninth — and allow Hughes to pitch the ninth. But the rain washed away those plans. Jared Burton gave up one hit in the ninth but earned the save.

"It's unfortunate," Gardenhire said. "But it is what it is."

Gardenhire was then asked about using Hughes out of the bullpen in Detroit.

"You're really trying to get me fired, aren't you?" he said. "He's done for the year, and that was his last start."

"It's unbelievable," Gardenhire said. "You just don't see things like that, 16 walks in 200-plus innings. That's incredible and again today, just pounding the strike zone."

Hughes already has earned a pair of $250,000 bonuses for reaching 180 innings pitched, then 195. He missed out on the final bonus threshold but ends the season having discovered himself as a pitcher.

"It's something that just isn't meant to be," Hughes said. "That's the case this time. I'm very proud of my season regardless of that."

Hughes went over to retrieve the ball in the sixth inning when Trevor Plouffe tried to tag out A.J. Pollack on the front end of a double steal.

That's when he realized Plouffe was injured.

Plouffe took Kurt Suzuki's throw and came down with a tag as fast as he could, but his arm banged into Pollock's knee as he slid into the base. The result is a broken left forearm.

Plouffe will be examined on Thursday by specialist Dr. Thomas Varecka.

"Unfortunate," Gardenhire said. "He had a heck of a year for us, a great year. He did what you hoped a guy who's been around here a little bit would do. That's settle down, calm down and play the game the right way."