OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. – To commemorate their final appearance at the Oakland Coliseum, the Twins pitched a combined perfect game.
That’s not how history will record it, but that’s how it felt. A day after Bailey Ober retired the last 17 A’s in a lopsided victory, Pablo López scored the first 17 A’s he faced on Sunday en route to a 3-0 shutout, the Twins’ sixth win over Oakland in seven games this month.
The Twins’ 34 consecutive batters retired, a streak that ended when Lawrence Butler hit a two-out single to right field in the sixth inning, is the longest streak in Twins history.
“It’s crazy. An all-time Twins record, it’s pretty amazing,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It felt good to have guys out there in control of what they’re doing. You can sit back a little bit and let them work.”
And for a change, that job was satisfying for Lopez, who had allowed at least one run in his 15 starts this season and 28 runs in his previous six. Lopez, third in the majors in home runs allowed, had not had a homerless start since May 9.
“(When) you know things are flowing, you find yourself making one good pitch after another. (Catcher Christian) Vazquez would call a pitch in one location, and that’s where my focus would be, just tunnel vision toward that target. “Lopez said. “‘This release has a purpose. This release has meaning.’ It’s like I’m 100 percent focused on this action here and now.”
Here and now, Lopez was a different pitcher on the mound Sunday, dominating with sweepers out of the strike zone and fastballs above it. He struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced and finished with 14 total strikeouts, tying his career high. He allowed two hits, both singles, and a walk in eight innings.
How aware were you as the game went on that you hadn’t allowed a runner?
“I was aware of it. Any pitcher who said no would be lying, but it was just one pitch at a time. What can I do to win this pitch?” said Lopez, who added that he spent the past week “simplifying” his approach so he wouldn’t have as many things to think about on the mound.
So what did he think when Butler’s line drive hit the right field grass, ending his quest for perfection? “Next pitch,” he said. “That’s all.”
Standing in center field, Byron Buxton’s reaction, he said, was…hey, wait a minute!
“I didn’t even know the no-hitter was there until the hit came! That’s how crazy it was, it was fluid and smooth,” Buxton said. “I was seeing pitches like this,” he said, making lateral movements with his hand, “nothing straight or mid-middle. That kept them off balance. It was one of those ones where (you think), ‘That’s Pablo!’ “
Subscribe to our Twins Update newsletter
BOX SCORE: Twins 3, Oakland 0
An interesting point, because Sunday’s game also had a “That’s Buck” feel to his performance. Buxton, who hit just .210 on the road this year, hit a 432-foot home run in the second inning. In the seventh, the Twins reeled off three straight hits, capped by Buxton’s RBI double.
“It’s nice to see the ball explode off his bat like that. He’s a special player and he can do things you don’t see every day,” Baldelli said. “Today he had a really nice day.”
Yeah, Buxton noticed that too. “See ball, hit ball. Simplify and just go compete, that’s it. Too much information,” he said. “Believing in yourself is a very important thing. Once you do that, all you have to do is go up, have a quality at-bat and compete.”
It was a nice way to end the Twins’ long history at the Coliseum, where they compiled an overall record of 140-179, including 2-2 in the postseason.
“I would say this place has soul. I don’t know if I would say the same about every stadium I walk into, but I can say that about the Coliseum,” Baldelli said. “I’ll miss the Colosseum. I’ll miss all the good things and the not-so-good things. I’ll miss everything.”
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.