Minnesota wins A.L. Central
If the Minnesota Twins couldn’t win the A.L. Central title at home, Chicago was the next best place for a party.
Torii Hunter and Corey Koskie each hit two-run home runs in the first inning, and the Twins clinched their third straight division crown on their main rivals’ home turf, beating the Chicago White Sox 8-2 Monday night.
“This one is better than the other two,” Hunter said. “We had to sit around for the last two years and sit in the locker room and watch the game and wait for somebody to lose and then we could get pumped up again. Just to celebrate on the field, that was the best feeling ever, man.”
The Twins hung over the railing in front of their dugout for the last inning, and manager Ron Gardenhire inserted veteran Jacque Jones as a defensive replacement to make sure he was on the field. When Timo Perez popped out to shortstop Cristian Guzman for the final out, the Twins rushed onto the field, turning second base into an impromptu mosh pit.
After bopping around and hugging for several minutes, they walked toward the dugout to shake hands with the coaching staff. Gardenhire stayed at the end of the line, hugging each player as he went off the field.
A couple of hundred Twins fans stood behind the dugout whooping and hollering, and the scoreboard flashed congratulations. It’s the first time in the team’s 44-year history the Twins have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons.
“They’re all great,” Gardenhire said of Minnesota’s three straight division titles. “It means everything in the world.”
Ankiel impressing Cardinals
At the very least, Rick Ankiel is laying the groundwork for a run at the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation next season.
The team was enthused about Ankiel’s throwback performance Sunday: four strikeouts in two nearly perfect innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“He’s thrown the ball good every time he’s pitched,” pitching coach Dave Duncan said. “He hasn’t pitched a lot yet, but when he’s had the opportunity to pitch he’s thrown well.”
Ankiel’s electrifying outing Sunday, a day after the Cardinals clinched the N.L. Central and their fourth playoff berth in five years, was the highlight of a 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. He received two standing ovations, the first when he walked to the mound and the second when he struck out the side in the fifth while showing off a mid-90s fastball and a curveball that froze hitters.
Clearing the bases
Red Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera is expected to miss two games to be with his wife, who will have surgery in Colombia. He wasn’t in the starting lineup against the Orioles but should return Wednesday for the third game of the four-game series. … Tim Raines is back with the Montreal Expos, joining their coaching staff for the rest of the season. Raines has been managing the Brevard County Manatees, Montreal’s affiliate in the Florida State League.