The Twins overcame a very early 6 run deficit to gain the series sweep of Detroit in a 7-6 win. The Tigers put 6 runs on the board in the top of the 1st, but the home team was able to come back for a thrilling victory.
Being down by 6 certainly seems like an insurmountable lead to overcome, but that didn’t stop the Twins. The comeback started in the 4th, when Joe Mauer scored on a Justin Morneau single after hitting a double. Then in the 5th, with 2 runners on, Nick Punto drove them both in with a double. With 2 outs in the 7th, the Twins took the lead. That rally started with a Matt Tolbert double and Punto reaching base on an error. Carlos Gomez beat out an infield single to drive in Tolbert. Brendan Harris hit a ground rule double to score Punto and then Joe Mauer, who started it all, singled in Gomez and Harris to put the Twins ahead for good.
What started out as a disaster for Boof Bonser steadied out as he was able to overcome the 6 runs he gave up in the first. Going into the second, it might be expected he was still a bit shaken, but Bonser locked in and didn’t allow any more Tiger runs over his remaining 5 innings. Matt Guerrier pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Joe Nathan notched his 11th save and 4th in 5 games.
The importance of this win cannot be understated. Not only were the Twins able to score a significant amount of runs, but they were able to score them all in coming back from a huge deficit. The hitters never gave in and were always looking to get on base in order to score and cut into the Tigers’ lead. Bonser shook off his 6 run first inning to give the Twins the chance to come back. Both components were working in harmony to achieve one of the Twins best wins of the season so far.
Not only was it a comeback victory but it was their 5th in a row, against division rival Detroit and also gave them the sweep of the Tigers. This can only serve to increase the confidence of the team as they embark further into the season.
