MINNEAPOLIS — After 10 matchups in three weeks, the Tigers and Twins won’t face each other again until a makeup game at Comerica Park at the end of August. The Tigers won’t return to Target Field until the final week of the regular season. That might be for the best.
After three back-and-forth battles, these teams need some time away from each other. The Tigers’ 17-14 win on Wednesday afternoon clinched their first series win at Target Field since July 21-23, 2017. But like the extra-inning battles the previous two nights, this series rubber match was a grind that turned out to be historic.
Detroit seemingly had the game in command for starter Wily Peralta after an eight-run, 11-batter top of the fourth inning off Twins starter J.A. Happ and former Tiger Beau Burrows built a 10-0 lead. By the time Kyle Funkhouser stranded the bases loaded to end the bottom half, Minnesota had brought the potential tying run to the plate, a threat the Twins would repeat against Derek Holland in the next inning.
By the time Joe Jimenez struck out Max Kepler to end the eighth, the Twins had the potential tying run on base, having homered four times in their second six-run inning of the afternoon. Detroit pitchers retired the Twins in order in four of the other seven innings.