“THE BIG TRAIN” ROLLS AS TWINS PUMMEL ATHLETICS IN SPRING TRAINING OPENER
Eternal Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS – “You know where you don’t wanna be when “The Big Train” is rolling?” asked Twins catcher Mitch Garver.
One would assume the answer is “on the tracks”, but that’s where the Athletics were as Twins ace Walter “The Big Train” Johnson stymied their lineup again and again in Minnesota’s pre-season opening 11-1 win over Oakland. Johnson pitched a complete-game five-hitter, allowing Rickey Henderson’s 394-foot home run as his only hiccup of the night.
Oakland starter Rube Waddell was in trouble immediately, walking his first two batters before Harmon Killebrew’s single loaded the bases. The Twins sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning, and RBI singles from Mitch Garver and Max Kepler alongside Kirby Puckett’s sacrifice fly gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead.
Trouble continued for Waddell in the second inning, as Goose Goslin’s double was followed by walks to Miguel Sano and Harmon Killebrew. With Waddell missing his spots badly, Mitch Garver seemed content to watch and walk on five pitches, driving in the Twins’ fourth run. Max Kepler appeared to strike out but his bat ticked A’s catcher Mickey Cochrane’s glove. The rare “catcher’s interference” ruling allowed a run to score, and Waddell hit Kirby Puckett in the thigh on the very next pitch. Minnesota let 6-0 after just two innings.
Following Rickey Henderson’s home run swat in the top of the third, the Twins were back at work in the bottom of the inning. Harmon Killebrew’s RBI single plated Goose Goslin and Mitch Garver followed with a sacrifice fly to push Minnesota’s lead to 8-1 and send Rube Waddell to the showers. Connie Mack handed the ball to Dave Stewart, who challenged Max Kepler with a fastball and lost. Kepler pounded an absolute moonshot home run 420 feet to right field, lifting Minnesota to a 10-1 lead after just three innings.
Goose Goslin led off the fifth inning with a 379-foot homer to right to cap the scoring on the day. Most of Minnesota’s damage was done by the top of the order, with Goslin/Sano/Killebrew combining to go 5-for-10 with five walks and just one strikeout. Oakland’s Rube Waddell (0-1) took the loss, allowing six hits, six walks, and nine earned runs in just two and two-thirds innings. Walter Johnson (1-0) earned the complete game win behind an impressive pitching line (9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K).
Tuesday night brings game two of this pre-season opening series. Oakland hands the ball to right-hander Chief Bender, while Minnesota counters with lefty Johan Santana. First pitch from Target Field is at 7:05 PM EST.
Photo credit: Target Field Panorama by Jonathan Miske
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