*Photo from Yahoo! News*
They were oh so close to accomplishing something oh so special, but it was not meant to be. Carlos Correa homered and drove in 3 runs, Joe Ryan was near a no hitter, and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals with a 6-3 victory on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
By the end of the night, the Twins got what they were seeking, a win. But, there was a bit of a sour taste. Rookie starter Joe Ryan had a no hitter going through 7 innings, but had thrown 106 pitches. The decision was made by manager Rocco Baldelli to take him out, and the no hit bid ended in the 9th.
Baldelli said that "I think in those situations, you kind of have to be direct about what’s going on. They don’t happen often, but the closer you get to the end of these kinds of games, these very well-pitched games, the tougher and tougher it would ever be to take someone out of that game. One hundred thirty pitches, 135 pitches, it wasn’t something he was going to get to today, one way or the other. But he gave us all of those amazing feelings, when you see a guy just pitching a gem."
The scoring started thanks to Correa in the 3rd inning, who gave the Twins a 1-0 lead on a double that scored Gilberto Celestino. Luis Arraez then scored on a single from Jose Miranda, doubling the lead to 2-0. In the 5th, Correa hit a two run home run, and Miranda followed that up with a solo shot, and the lead was 5-0 Twins.
One inning later, in the 6th, Gio Urshela hit a solo home run to center field, increasing the Twins lead to 6-0. The Royals got on the board in the 9th inning, when Bobby Witt Jr broke up the no hitter with an RBI double, making it a 6-1 game. Sebastian Rivero singled in a run, and Vinnie Pasquantino hit a sac fly to cut the deficit to 6-3, but the Twins held on from there.
The rookie Ryan pitched a gem of a game in his start. He departed after 7 no hit innings, walking just two hitters while striking out 9 in his 11th win of the season. Jovani Moran pitched the final two innings, allowing all 3 runs while the no hit bid was broken up by Witt Jr.
Ryan said of wanting to stay in that "I just pleaded a case. I wouldn't say I was grilling or anything. The pitch count obviously comes into play. We're trying to win some games and I'm throwing in five days again, too. Going for probably 130, 135, I haven't done it this year. I totally understand and we're in a hunt. I think we just make the right decision for the team."
Starting for the Royals was Kris Bubic, who was responsible for 5 runs on 10 hits and one walk in 5 innings pitched. Anthony Misiewicz came on and allowed one run in one inning, before Brad Keller pitched the final two innings with a scoreless outing.
Witt Jr said of breaking up the no hitter that "Especially in that situation, you’re going, ‘I want to get a hit, I want to get a hit.' And they just slowed down the game for everyone, I think. In those situations, the game speeds up. You got to figure out how to slow it down. Seeing what those guys did really helped."
Up next, the Twins and Royals continue their series on Wednesday night. Sonny Gray gets the start for the Twins, while Zack Greinke takes the mound for the Royals.
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