CHICAGO — Joe Ryan, assigned No. 74 as a rookie, says modesty — and his last name — prevent him from ever asking to wear No. 34 in the future. But let's not be too hasty.
Ryan had a game Wednesday that MLB all-time strikeout king Nolan Ryan, whose No. 34 is retired by three different teams, would be proud to claim, except perhaps for the length. The Twins rookie, making just his fourth major league appearance, mowed down Cub after Cub with a fastball that, judging by how many they took, few batters expected to wind up in the strike zone.
Ryan struck out 11 of the 18 hitters he faced over five innings — the first pitcher in Twins history to rack up so many K's in a start of five innings or less — including the last seven in a row, and the Twins left Wrigley Field with a 5-4 victory over the Cubs and a sweep of their two-game series.
"He's not doing this with tricks [or] deception. He's in the zone," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He is coming right at them with pitches that, even when they take, they're in the zone. That's what you're looking for — guys that can beat guys in the zone."
While Ryan mostly silenced Chicago's passive hitters, Max Kepler continued to make himself at home in the National League's oldest park. The veteran outfielder, mired in a seasonlong slump that had worsened in September, cracked two home runs and a double, driving in three runs for the first time since July 5. It was Kepler's second three-hit night in a row.
The victory over their final National League opponent of 2021 allowed the Twins to split the season series with the Cubs and finish the season with a 20-20 interleague record, just the fourth time in 11 years they have avoided a sub-.500 record against NL teams.
Ryan, whose last start ended with an injury scare when he was struck on his right wrist by a Myles Straw line drive last Tuesday, showed no ill effects a week later. Quite the contrary. His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range, and clearly had plenty of movement. The Cubs swung and missed at 14 of his pitches but six times watched strike three go by, including the last five hitters he faced.
"Couldn't tell you" why the Cubs kept taking third strikes, Ryan said. "I've been told I had some good little hop at the end of the pitch, so maybe it looks like it's going to be down and stays in the zone a little longer. I really don't know what it is."
