Twenty five years ago today, the world irrevocably changed. There was “the world before 9/11” and “the world after 9/11”. On September 10, 2001, the Minnesota Twins played their last game in that old world.
Opening up what was to be a four-game series at Detroit’s year-old Comerica Park, the Twins sent Joe Mays to the mound to oppose the Tigers’ knuckleball-ing starter Steve Sparks.
The visitors got on the board first in the top of the second inning when a Corey Koskie triple was paid off via a David
Ortiz sacrifice fly. 1-0 MIN.
A similar sac from Brandon Inge tied the contest in B3, plating Damion Easley. 1-1.
In a sequence that probably would have netted some early defensive work with manager Tom Kelly the next day were the world’s trajectory not about to wobble, errors from Koskie at 3B & Cristian Guzman at SS gave DET a 2-1 lead in B5.
Fortunately, a T8 leadoff single from Luis Rivas eventually came around to score on a Koskie RBI knock. 2-2.
After Mays finished eight strong frames (4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), the Twins would complete the comeback in T9. This time it was Torii Hunter hammering a leadoff triple and trotting home on a Matthew LeCroy sac fly.
“Everyday” Eddie Guardado entered for the save and punched out both Tony Clark & Randall Simon before inducing a game-ending fly out from Shane Halter.
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 3, Detroit Tigers 2.
That night, 19,456 fans attended a baseball game. They ate hot dogs, peanuts, & Cracker Jack and guzzled soda & beer. They were treated to a tight back-and-forth sporting contest. The Twins moved to within 6 games of AL Central front-running Cleveland (spoiler alert: MN wouldn’t catch them).
The next time the Minnesota Twins baseball club assembled on a diamond was September 18, 2001—and it was a different world.
Twenty five years later, let’s remember that monumental moment in history, reflect on its significance, and hopefully learn the right lessons going forward so as not to let that particular strand of history ever repeat itself.
