I just found the busiest doubleheader day of the 2020 season: Friday, September 4, No less than five twin bills were played, and we'll look at four and a half of them. (Game i between the Yankees and Orioles went the full nine innings, with the Yankees winning 6-5.)
Let's begin at Fenway Park in Boston, where the Blue Jays are hosting the Red Sox.
Game 1:
Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 8 (Blue Jays led 8-7 after seven)
The Red Sox scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to finish their comeback from an 8-4 deficit. Left fielder Yaro Munoz led off with a single to left center. After first baseman Mchael Chavis' fly was caught at the wall by Jays center fielder Randal Grichuk for the first out, second baseman Jose Peraza lined a double off the wall in left to score Munoz and tie the game at eight. Right fielder Alex Verdugo went down swinging for out number two, but third baseman Rafael Devers singled up the middle to score Peraza with the eventual winning run. Red Sox reliever Phillips Valdez retired the Jays in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season,
W- Ryan Brasier (2-0)
S- Phillips Valdez (1)
L- Tom Hatch (3-2)
Original winning pitcher A,J, Cole's record is now 2-0. Anthony Bass' save has been disallowed; he now has six for the year. Original losing pitcher Zack Godley's record is now 0-3.
Game 2:
Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3 (Red Sox led 3-2 after seven)
The Jays were the ones who came back this time. scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Bosox. Second baseman Cavan Biggio lined a two-out single to right. Center fielder Randal Grichuk followed with a double to center that scored Biggio to tie the game at three. Afte third baseman Santiago Espinal walked, designated hitted Teoscar Hernandez lined a base hit up the middle to bring Grichuk home with the winning run,
W- Jordan Romano (3-1)
L- Ryan Weber (1-4)
Original winning pitcher Josh Taylor's record is now 0-1. Matt Barnes' save has been disallowed; he now has eight for the year. Original losing pitcher Ross Stripling's record is now 0-1 with the Blue Jays, 3-2 overall.
Now to the second game of the Yankees-Orioles doubleheader from Camden Yards in Baltimore:
Orioles 7, Yankees 4 (Orioles led 6-3 after seven)
The Orioles added a run in the bottom of the eighth. Third baseman Rio Ruiz banged a one-out double off the wall in left and scored on second baseman Pat Valaika's bloop single to right to put the Os up 7-3,
The Yankees got that run back in the top of the ninth. Gary Sanchez, batting for catcher Erik Kratz, led off with a single up the middle and scored on a two-out double down the left field line by center fielder Aaron Hicks. A pair of walks loaded the bases for New York, but Os reliever Tanner Scott got Yankees right fielder Clint Frazier to bounce into a game-ending force play.
Reliever Cesar Valdez's save has been disallowed. He now has two for the year.
S- Scott (2)
DS- Valdez (1)
Now to Target Field in Minneapolis, where the Tigers are taking on the Twins:
Game 1:
Twins 9, Tigers 3 (Twins led 2-0 after six and a half)
The Twins extended their lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Right fielder Marwin Gonzalez bashed a leadoff triple off the top of the wall in left. After second baseman Ehire Adrianza went down swinging for out number one, center fielder Byron Buxton's sacrifice fly to right brought Gonzalez home to make it 3-0. Left fielder Jake Cave was next, and he hit a blooper that dropped on the right field line and bounced into the corner, then got away from Tigers right fielder Pat Demeritte. Cave never stopped running, even ignoring the stop sign from Twins third base coach Tony Diaz. Demeritte's throw to the plate was cut off, and Cave had an inside-the-park home run, his fifth of the year, to give the Twins a 4-0 lead,
The Tigers cut into the Minnesota lead with two runs in the top of the eighth. Third baseman Isaac Paredes drew a one-out walk and moved to third on center fielder Victor Reyes' single to right center. Reyes then stole second. and both runners came home when second baseman Jonathan Schoop lined a base hit to left center, bringing the Tigers within 4-2.
The Twins exploded for five runs in the bottom of the eighth. Shortstop Jorge Polanco beat out a bouncer to third for a leadoff infield single. After third baseman Josh Donaldson struck out swinging. designated hitter Nelson Cruz socked a double to left that scored Polanco to put the Twins up 5-2.
First baseman Miguel Sano followed with another double. this one to left center. Pinch runner Aaron Whitefield scored, and it was 6-2 Minnesota. A wild pitch from Tigers reliever Daniel Norris moved Sano to third, and he trotted home on Gonzalez's sacrifice fly to make it 7-2. Adrianza walked on five pitches, and Buxton topped things off with a towering two-run homer into the left field upper deck. his sixteenth of the year. The Twins now led 9-2.
The Tigers scored a run in the top of the ninth. Castro lined a one-out triple into the left field corner and came home on Bonifacio's grounder to first.
Twins reliever Taylor Rogers' save has been disallowed. He now has eight for the year.
HR- MIN: Buxton (16), Cave (5)
DS- Rogers (8)
Game 2:
Twins 4, Tigers 2 (Twins led 3-2 after eight)
The Twins added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Adrianza began the inning as the courtesy runner at second. He moved to third with one out when Polanco beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single and scored on Sano's base hit up the middle.
Note: In this game, the Tigers were considered the home team and batted in the bottom of each inning.
Next, we go to Truist Park in Atlanta to check in on the Nationals and the Braves:
Game 1:
Braves 7, Nationals 1 (Braves led 7-1 after six and a half)
There was no further scoring.
Game 2:
Nationals 12. Braves 9 (Nationals led 10-9 after seven)
The Nats added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the eighth. First baseman Eric Thames drew a one-out walk. Third baseman Wilmer Difo flew to shallow right center for out number two, but second baseman Luis Garcia's single to left kept the inning alive and brought up right fielder Michael A, Taylor, whose double into the right center power alley scored Thames and Garcia to extend the Washington lead to 12-9. Reliever Ryne Harper pitched out if a first-and-third jam in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Daniel Hudson's save has been disallowed. He now has nine for the year.
S- Harper (1)
DS- Hudson (9)
Our fifth and final stop is Pittsburgh's PNC Park, where the Pirates are hosting the Reds.
Game 1:
Reds 8, Pirates 4 (Reds led 4-2 after seven)
The Reds added two runs in the top of the eighth. Center fielder Brian Goodwin worked a leadoff walk, and catcher Curl Casali followed with a two-run homer over the Clemente Wall in right field to give the Reds a 6-2 lead. This was Casali's seventh home run of the year.
The Reds added two more runs in the top of the ninth. Right fielder Nick Castellanos drew a leadoff walk. After designated hitter Mike Moustakas struck out swinging, third baseman Eugenio Suarez hit a two-hopper to his counterpart Ke'Bryan Hayes, who looked to start an inning-ending double play. But his throw to second was wide of the bag and got away from second baseman Kevin Newman. Castellanos went to third, while Suarez ended up at second. A walk to eft fielder Shogo Akiyama loaded the bases, but Bucco reliever Chris Stratton struck Goodwin out swinging, and there were two down. That brought up Casali, who blew the game wide open with a base hit to left center, Castellanos and Suarez both scored, which gave Casali four RBIs in two innings and the Reds an 8-2 lead.
The Bucs mounted a comeback of sorts in the bottom of the ninth. Center fielder Cole Tucker stroked a leadoff single up the middle, Adam Frazier, who was catching for the first time in his major league career, lifted a fly ball to right that Castellanos dropped, putting runners at first and second. Reds reliever Amir Garrett struck out shortstop Erik Gonzalez swinging, then caught Newman looking. Left fielder Bryan Reynolds was the Pirates' last hope. and his bloop into right center fell on for a double. Tucker and Frazier both scored, and the Bucs were back within 8-4. But Garrett rebounded to strike out designated hitter Colin Moran swinging to end the game.
Rafael Iglesias' save has been disallowed. He now has eight for the season.
DS- Iglesias (9)
HR- CIN: Casali (7)
Game 2:
I'm going to go the summary route with this one:
The Pirates led 4-3 after seven. The Reds tied the game in the bottom of the eighth when Suarez hit a two-out homer to left center. his seventeenth of the season.
In the top of the tenth, Cole Tucker was the courtesy runner, pinch running for catcher John Ryan Murphy. He moved to third on Newman's grounder to first and scored when Frazier beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. The Bucs led 5-4 after nine and a half.
In the bottom of the tenth, Tucker Barnhart was the courtesy runner for the Reds, who loaded the bases on a pair of walks. But Derek Holland, normally a starter, came out of the bullpen to retire left fielder Kyle Farmer on a grounder to first to end the game. Our final in ten; Pirates 5, Reds 4.
W- Geoff Hartlieb (2-0)
S- Derek Holland (1)
L- Michael Lorenzon (3-2)
Rich Rodriguez's save has been disallowed. He now has four for the season, Original winning pitcher Sam Howard's record is now 2-3. Original losing pitcher Trevor Bauer's record is now 5-3.
HR- CIN: Suarez (17)
DS- Rodriguez (4)
There were no changes in the standings.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?