It’s been a tough, eminently forgettable season for my Minnesota Twins. Having grown up in northern Minnesota, and having been a Twins fan since I was old enough to know what baseball was, I have to keep reminding myself that it’s only early May. Still, there’s no denying that Minnesota, usually one of baseball’s feel-good stories, has been the worst team in baseball for most of this season’s first few weeks. All-World catcher Joe Mauer has been a non-factor with injuries, the normally reliable offense has been absent, and pitching- normally one of the Twins’ strong points- has been nothing if not erratic. There hasn’t been a lot to celebrate thus far.
It was with this so-far-forgettable season as a backdrop that Nelson Liriano, he of the 1-4 record and the 9.13 ERA, took the mound in Chicago last night. 123 pitches, two Ks, six BBs, and a boatload of sterling defense plays behind him later…and Liriano had himself a no-hitter. Somehow, Liriano managed to keep things together long enough to beat the White Sox 1-0.
I missed the game, unfortunately. I was sitting at Jeld-Wen Field in downtown Portland watching the Timbers lose to San Jose 1-0 on a goal in the 120th minute. I’m not even certain I could have found the game on TV here in Portland. (The Twins hail from Minnesota…but when it comes to TV, it might as well be Murmansk- but that’s another story for another time.) It wasn’t until I got home late last night that I discovered what had taken place in Chicago. It put a smile on my face, because even though the Twins historically and until the past few years have been doormats, two of the highlights of my life are the World Series titles they won in 1987 and 1991.
Ironically enough, the pitcher that Liriano beat, Edwin Jackson, pitched a 1-0 no-hitter last season for Arizona. No one will call Liriano’s no-hitter a gem; he walked six, and his defense made numerous stellar plays behind him to preserve his place in history. In the end, though, he still got 27 White Sox batters out without giving up a hit…and that’s not something that happens every day.
OK, so Liriano’s ERA is still 6.61. The Twins are still 10-18, still in fourth in the AL Central, and have still given up 63 more runs than they’ve scored. For one night, at least, none of that mattered. Tonight, the Twins and White Sox will take the field again for another game. Life goes on, as does baseball. For one cold night in Chicago, though, Nelson Liriano made Twins fans forget how epically bad the Twins have been so far this season. For one night, he did something special…and for now I’ve got a smile on my face.
