Quebec baseball player Édouard Julien helped the Minnesota Twins end an unprecedented streak on Tuesday. A delirious shortage. Incredible lethargy.
Longest losing streak in playoff games.
Wait.
Not just in team history. Not just in baseball history. Throughout the history of the four major North American circuits. How many defeats in a row did that represent? Eighteen. Their last victory dates back to October 2004. George W. Bush was President of the United States, the Mirabel airport was still open and the Expos had just played their last game at the Olympic Stadium.
More consecutive playoff losses
- Minnesota Twins 18 (2004-2023)
- Chicago Blackhawks 16 (1975–1979)
- Detroit Pistons 14 (2008–2023)
- Los Angeles Kings 14 (1993–2001)
- Boston Red Sox 13 (1986–1995)
- New York Knicks 13 (2001–2012)
Source: Stathead
In addition, the Twins did not enter this season’s fall tournament through the front door. They fell through the basement window, winning only 87 of their 162 games. How were they able to qualify with such a record? Their four division rivals have all won fewer than 75 games…
We would have understood if the Twins had started the series with a feeling of inferiority. However, on Tuesday, they showed us the opposite. They puffed out their chests. Pumped their biceps. Plucked the Blue Jays, 3-1.
Rookie Royce Lewis stood out by producing all of the Twins’ runs, thanks to two home runs. Amazing for an injured player whose departure was uncertain, a few hours before the match. In contrast, the Jays’ offense did not fly high. At the top of the lineup, George Springer and Brandon Belt were shut out in nine appearances. Their only threat came in the sixth inning, when Matt Chapman came to bat with two runners on the trails. The Jays third baseman catapulted the ball 401 feet from home plate. That’s it, we said to ourselves, the wind is changing direction. But no. Outfielder Michael Taylor jumped the fence and grabbed the ball, scoring the third out.
Édouard Julien, in all of this?
The Quebec striker was faithful to his usual, showing patience with the bat. In his first appearance, he drew a walk, then scored on Lewis’ thunderbolt. In his second appearance, he reached a full count, before being taken out by a decision by referee Andy Fletcher. I should point out that Fletcher’s catch area on Tuesday looked like it was designed for a giraffe. The Jays players complained about it throughout the game. The next time, Julien was retired on a rolling. And the next one? There was no next time. His manager, Rocco Baldelli, replaced him with a backup hitter.
For what ?
Because Julien, a left-handed hitter, was going to face a left-handed reliever. Baldelli, like many modern managers, prefers to rely on the odds and pit a right-handed hitter against a left-handed pitcher. Moreover, Julien has only managed nine hits this season against left-handers. This explains that. On defense, the Twins second baseman was not very busy. He escaped a bullet while jumping to catch an arrow, but it was of no consequence. The scorer awarded a hit on the play.
The following ? Since it’s a best-of-three series, the Twins will have the opportunity to advance to the next round by beating the Jays on Wednesday afternoon. They will rely on starter Sonny Gray, who has had career success against Jays hitters. The Torontonians will rely on a former Twins ace, José Berrios. Will he take advantage of his knowledge acquired from his former teammates? Not much. Royce Lewis, Édouard Julien and Matt Wallner were not in the lineup when Berrios was. Rest assured, on the other hand, that the Twins instructors are well aware of the preferences of their ex-gunner.
Minnesota Advantage.
The Twins lead the series 1-0. Next match: this Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.