Major League Baseball: The Minnesota Twins ignite pain on the White Sox by ending the series 3–0
The American League is almost about to end and Major League Baseball is about to enter the playoff season. With teams looking to top their divisions and make their way to the grand stage, the fixtures are getting more intense, day by day. For Chicago White
Sox, their home advantage of playing in the U.S. Cellular Field stadium hasn’t paid off well, these days. Yesterday was no different a night for the top position chasers, as they welcomed the Minnesota Twins to their playground for a season finale.
Its one thing to be on the top but to shrug off the pressure of losing the lead is another quality to be g*y about. Moreover, that’s exactly what the Twins have been carrying around; the will and the morale to oust any competitive side in the league. If
that doesn’t convince many of their deserving chance on claiming the top rank in the division, then it surely is a mystery as to what will. The side were 2 – 0 up in the game set and an opportunity came to thwart the White Sox, with a series clean sweep. Carl
Pavano walked into the game and he harboured win to lose ratio of, 16 – 11. That was going to change as he outpitched the Chicago ace man to end his Earning Runs Average (ERA) at 3.60. He allowed 8 hits and 5 runs in his 5 innings of play.
White Sox, on the other hand, have been on the dark side of the league in the recent days. It seems, to many that their bid for a coup on the division leaders has failed miserably, already. The chance to reduce the lead between the two rivals had been completely
wasted in the last two fixtures and to save some face, this game marked an opportunity to at least save the team from any kind of embarrassment in terms of a white wash. Mark Buehrle, who carries an ERA of 4.16, had been tied on 11, in terms of wins and defeats.
He was called to make a difference in the game. However, that wasn’t to be the case the man crashed to an eight hits, 6 runs and 2 walks give away in his 5 innings of play.
The two sides faced a harsh time at the start as the hitters released their rage on the two starting pitchers. Much to the satisfaction of the 27,180 fans in the crowd, the runs came rolling in fluidly. Michael Cuddyer was the first to score in the game
and the Twins man did so in style as Jim Thome singled to the left centre in the top 2nd. Young was the second hitter to score in the inning as he sprinted past the last base off Jason Repko’s dramatic infield single to shortstop. Repko then scored
when James Jerry Hardy doubled to the deep centre.
The top 2nd produced 3 runs for the strong Twins side and the White Sox took good note of that. They issued their counter attack in the bottom 3rd with Paul Konerko, who smashed a stellar home run, 395 feet long, towards the left. Alexei
Ramirez made it 2 for the side in the bottom 4th when Juan Pierre released him with a single to the centre.
The score read Twins 3 – Chicago 2 and the visitors extended their lead in the top 5th. Denard Span scored this time and Cuddyer was the pusher with a sacrifice fly hit. The side was now on 4 and it didn’t take long for another addition to come
along soon. Joe Mauer was occupying a base when Delmon Young came to the plate. The big hitter banged a massive 402 feet homer to the left to get the ball club’s 6th run.
Chicago responded in the bottom 6th and there were two consecutive homers to lead the innings. Anthony John Pierzynski smashed his 376 feet homer to the left and Ramirez boomed his 366 feet homer through the same side. Pierre scored the fifth
when Alex Rios grounded his shot into the fielder’s choice.
Both sides remain on the 6 (Minnesota) – 5 (Chicago) score line till the 9th inning. The top 9th finally decided the winner and it was the Twins again. Orlando Hudson scored his first and Cuddyer gave the man his chance at a scoring
go with single to the left. Mauer then scored the last run through Matt Tolbert, who hit a sacrifice fly to the right.
The match eventually ended with the White Sox side reeling. The match, in itself was an amazing and both side carried the game till the last innings, before the Twins came out as successors.
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