Tyler Duffey doubles his Twins season victory total in one day

Sam Dyson was initially given the victory Friday night.

August 18, 2019 at 5:35AM
Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara jogs to the dugout as Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Tyler Duffey (21) celebrates getting Isiah Kiner-Falefa to fly out with the bases loaded, ending the fifth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Twins reliever Tyler Duffey celebrated getting Isiah Kiner-Falefa to fly out with the bases loaded, ending the fifth inning of Saturday night's game. (Tony Gutierrez — AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Tyler Duffey earned a win on Saturday without throwing a pitch. Hours later, he got another, throwing nine pitches.

Major League Baseball informed the Twins that the scoring had been changed on Friday night's 4-3 Twins victory. Using the discretion that MLB rules give to scorers when a starting pitcher does not qualify for a win, official scorer Steve Weller originally awarded the win to Sam Dyson.

But a day later, MLB determined that Duffey's one-batter appearance — he relieved Jake Odorizzi with the Twins trailing 3-2 and struck out Rougned Odor to end the sixth inning — was not "brief and ineffective." Those are the circumstances that allow scorers to award the win to someone other than the pitcher of record when the winning team takes a lead that it never surrenders.

The Twins scored two runs, on Jonathan Schoop's home run, in the top of the seventh, making Duffey the winner. Dyson pitched a scoreless seventh.

Under similar circumstances Saturday night, Duffey (4-1) was first out of the bullpen after starter Jose Berrios couldn't get through five innings. Duffey got two outs and was followed by three more Twins relievers.

Etc.

Max Kepler's 33 home runs season are the most in one season by a European-born player. "I'm super honored. It's special," the German-born Kepler said of passing Bobby Thomson, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and whose 32nd homer for the Giants in 1951 won the NL pennant in historic style. "I would have never even dreamt of getting to this level a couple of years [ago]. And to be doing this, it's living the dream."

The Twins watched Josh Hamilton's induction into the Rangers Hall of Fame. "He's the single most talented baseball player I've ever been around," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, a teammate of the 2010 AL MVP for two minor league seasons in the Rays system. "… He could do anything on a baseball field."

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Sam Dyson throws to the Texas Rangers in a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sam Dyson entered Friday's game at Texas with the Twins ahead -- and still was awarded the victory, but only for a day, as MLB gave the victory back to Tyler Duffey on Saturday. (Ken Chia — AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writer

Phil Miller

Reporter

Phil Miller has covered the Twins for the Star Tribune since 2013. Previously, he covered the University of Minnesota football team, and from 2007-09, he covered the Twins for the Pioneer Press.

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