Minute-by-minute: The Twins' crazy long day of playing, scoreboard watching

The Twins played two games in Cleveland on Wednesday while other teams in the AL wild card mix were on the field around the country. We tracked progress as the day went into late night.

October 1, 2015 at 11:54AM
Progressive Field, seen here on Opening Day, was the site of 18 innings of baseball Wednesday between the Twins and Indians. The teams split a doubleheader.
Progressive Field, seen here on Opening Day, was the site of 18 innings of baseball Wednesday between the Twins and Indians. The teams split a doubleheader. (Brian Stensaas — ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Tracking a crazy long day of baseball surrounding the American League wild card race.

3:10 p.m.: Twins-Cleveland Game 1 begins at Progressive Field

Twins starter Kyle Gibson
(Tom Wallace — Associated Press file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

3:14: Joe Mauer clubs a solo home run to center field in the first inning, 1-0 Twins

3:36: Kyle Gibson strikes out the side in the 2nd inning and has four Ks through 2

4:04: Mauer leads off 4th with a double to left-center on an 0-2 pitch, he's 2-for-2

4:07: Trevor Plouffe brings in Mauer with a RBI single to left. 2-0 Twins

4:12: Torii Hunter clears the bases with a three-run double. 5-0 Twins

Minnesota Twins' Trevor Plouffe (24) congratulates Eddie Rosario (20) and Miguel Sano (22) after all three scored on a three-RBI double by Torii Hunter in the fourth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(Brian Stensaas — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

4:33: Gibson gets out of a jam, but he's at 72 pitches through 4 innings

5:02: Gibson throws his 100th pitch of the game with 2 outs in the in the sixth inning. He exits four pitches later tying a career-high nine strikeouts

5:30: Blaine Boyer allows his third hit on just 12 pitches. The Indians are on the board and Neal Cotts is on to pitch for the Twins.

5:35: Jose Ramirez hits a line drive to Trevor Plouffe at third, who throws to second to double-off Jesus Aguilar and end the inning. Bullet dodged.

5:44: From MLB.com Tigers reporter Jason Beck: Twins/Indians game being shown on the jumbotron in Arlington as Rangers and Tigers prepare for their game.

6:10: A's-Angels underway in Anaheim

6:16: Twins win Game 1, 7-1 in Cleveland.

6:25: LaTroy Hawkins pitches the ninth and Toronto crushes Baltimore 15-2 to clinch its first AL East title since 1993. Molson for everyone!

6:50: Twins-Cleveland underway in Game 2

(Brian Stensaas/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

6:54: Jason Hayward hits a grand slam in Pittsburgh to give St. Louis a 6-0 lead in the third inning. Chill the NL Central champagne.

6:57: Mike Trout tattoos a Barry Zito pitch way over the center field wall to give the Angels a 1-0 lead in the third inning

7:10: Mike Pelfrey gets Cleveland's Chris Johnson to ground out to third with the bases loaded in the top of the first inning

7:14: Eric Sogard puts the A's on top 3-1 over the Angels with a three-run double down the right field line in the top of the fourth inning

7:20: David Freese gets one back for the Angels, a leadoff solo home run in the fourth.

7:21 Michael Martinez RBI single gives Cleveland a 1-0 lead on the Twins. Aaron Hicks airmails a throw home, putting Martinez on second with one out.

7:27-7:35: An RBI double from Jose Ramirez on Mike Pelfrey's 40th pitch makes it 2-0 Cleveland. Francisco Lindor beats out an infield single on the next pitch. The Twins challenge, but after a lengthy review the call is upheld. One pitch after that, Pelfrey bounces wild pitch past Chris Herrmann and it's 3-0 Cleveland.

7:37: Mike Trout makes a leaping catch in center field to rob Oakland of a hit just as Pelfrey's night comes to a close in Cleveland after just 1.2 innings.

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout makes a leaping catch for last out of the game on a fly ball from Oakland Athletics' Ike Davis during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 30, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. Los Angeles won 6-5. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

7:41: Chris Herrmann throws out Carlos Santana trying to steal second baseto end the second inning.

8:06: Johnny Giavotella blasts a two-run homer to left field giving the Angels a 4-3 lead in Oakland at the exact moment Robinson Chirinos hits a solo home run to give the Rangers a lead over Detroit in Arlington

8:11: Angels go up 5-3 on a Kole Calhoun two-out double as the Twins are retired 1-2-3. Minnesota has one hit through four innings.

8:18: Francisco Lindor hits a two-run home run to make it 7-rip Indians.

8:19: Mike Napoli gives Texas a 6-2 lead. Nothing going right for the Twins anywhere.

8:37: But wait - Oakland won't go away. The A's tie the Angels 5-5 in the seventh.

8:44: Oakland goes ahead 7-5 on the Angels after a two-run single by Stephen Vogt

8:59: The Angels' fourth error leads to another Oakland run

9:05: It takes 100 wins, but the Cardinals clinch the NL Central for the third consecutive season. They will play the winner of NL Wild Card game between division foes Pittsburgh and Chicago.

9:07: Ricky Nolasco in for the Twins, trailing 7-0 in the seventh inning.

Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco.
(Brian Stensaas — ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

9:17: Angels creeping back, trail 8-6 in the eighth on a Carlos Perez solo home run

9:19 Miguel Sano blasts a 3-2 pitch 436 feet away into the seats, his 18th home run of the season. But it's only a solo homer. 7-1 Indians.

9:30 Nolasco gets a rude welcome back after a 1-2-3 seventh, a three-run homer by Jose Ramirez in the eighth to make it 10-1 Indians in a game that's for all intents and purposes been over some time. But don't tell that to Ramirez. He admired the ball as it flew, flipped his bat an induced a series of foul language from the Twins dugout.

Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor watches in the first inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(Brian Stensaas — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

9:31: The Angels head to the bottom of the ninth trailing 8-6. They have Calhoun, Trout and Pujols due up.

9:36: Whoa boy. Eddie Rosario hits a home run (and has some words for Ramirez as he rounds second) for the Twins – just as Kole Calhoun leads off the Angels' ninth with a home run of his own.

9:42: Twins lose 10-2 in Cleveland

9:43 Mariners take a 1-0 lead on Houston with a wild pitch, then go ahead 2-0 on a Jesus Sucre RBI single

9:47: Twins catch a break as the Angels get a run in the ninth but lose 8-7 in Oakland, stranding a pair of runners

10:23: Rangers win over Detroit 6-2 to reduce their AL West magic number to two games over the Angels.

10:24: Louis Valbuena gets Houston on the board in the fifth with a solo home run to cut the Mariners lead 2-1

10:34: Logan Kensing comes on in relief for the Mariners and can't do his job. On just seven pitches, Houston goes from down one run to up 3-2 in the fifth.

10:55: Kyle Seager puts the Mariners back in front with a three-run home run off Scott Kazmir. Three pitches later Nelson Cruz makes it 6-3 with a solo home run.

11:16: Chris Carter lifts an 0-2 pitch from JC Ramirez for a three-run home run and the Astros tie the Mariners 6-6

11:41 Seattle puts two on in the sixth but Seager pops out to end the inning. Tied 6-6

11:44: Evan Gattis hits his 11th triple of the season after Seattle's Brad Miller, a shortstop by trade, slips in right field

11:47: Houston goes up 7-6 on a Colby Rasmus bloop single

12 midnight: As we reach nine hours of scoreboard watching and the calendar flips to October, the Astros cling to their lead at Safeco Field

Houston Astros' Luis Valbuena, left, is congratulated by teammate Marwin Gonzalez after Valbuena scored on a three-run home run by Chris Carter during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
(Brian Stensaas — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

12:24 Carlos Correa makes the Astros' fourth error of the game, putting Ketel Marte on second base with two outs in the bottom of the eighth in Seattle.

12:27: Oliver Perez, the Astros' fifth pitcher, gets Seager to pop up to end the eighth inning stranding the runner on second base

12:41: Luke Gregerson allows a single, but induces a game-ending double play when pinch runner James Jones is doubled off first base by Houston center fielder Carlos Gomez. It ends 9 hours, 41 minutes of exciting September-into-October baseball.

about the writer

about the writer

Brian Stensaas

Multiplatform Editing Team Leader

Brian Stensaas has been with the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2004. He is a Multiplatform Editing Team Leader, with reporting experience covering high school sports, the NHL, NBA and professional golf.

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