With the season completed, it’s time to look back on the 2017 Minnesota Twins season. We’ll continue our look at 2017 with a look at the month of September.
The Minnesota Twins have completed their season, and it’s time to take a look back at what was an exciting ride for Twins fans!
Puckett’s Pond is doing a series reviewing the 2017 season month by month. Make sure to check out the reviews of April, May, June, July and August. Continue reading for our look at September.
September Overview
In a month where the Twins desperately needed to make up some ground, the team went a disappointing 14-14, against 7 different teams, only 2 of which had records above .500. The Twins lost series’ to the Royals, Rays, Yankees and Indians, swept the Padres and Tigers and ended the month splitting with Detroit. They scored 10 or more runs 3 times, shutting out the Padres and the Royals. Interestingly, they never lost by double digits the entire month.
September began with the Twins 8 games back of Cleveland. The division title was all but sewn up by the Indians. Even so, Minnesota had the chance to make the playoffs after a disastrous 2016. They had the chance to be the first team in history to make the postseason after losing 100 games the prior year. With a schedule laden with sub-.500 teams, it was certainly possible. Then the Twins faltered in September and finished 17 games out of first. However, they still made a Wild Card game, setting the league record.
Individuals of Note
Joe Mauer picked up right where he left off in August. He amassed a 14 game hitting streak and ending September batting .343 with 9 doubles. Brian Dozier continued his usual late season surge as well. Dozier hit 8 more homers, drove in 19 runs and batted .298 for the month. On the other hand, Byron Buxton hit a slump in September. His batting average dropped from .324 to .270. His numbers were down in every category, including stolen bases. Eddie Rosario also struggled in September. He still hit 7 home runs but his average dropped significantly, from .307 to .276.
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Miguel Sano, who went on the DL in August, was sorely missed by the Twins. His power could have made a difference in the close games. As a team, the Twins certainly fell off compared to their hot August and made the Wild Card race interesting.
From the mound, Kyle Gibson picked up 4 wins and posted a 3.28 ERA. Matt Belisle settled into the closer’s role vacated by Brandon Kintzler’s departure at the trade deadline. He finished September with a 0.93 ERA in 4 saves.
Twins hitter for the month of September: Joe Mauer
Twins pitcher for the month of September: Kyle Gibson
Next: Twins Make Two Front Office Hires
Goodbye Glen?
Glen Perkins made what may have been his final appearance with the Twins in an emotional relief spot on September 30th. Perkins spent the last 16 months rehabbing from a torn labrum. His ultimate goal was to pitch for the Twins again. Although he didn’t look like the Glen Perkins of old, Twins Nation tips our caps to one of the nicest, hardest working guys in the game. If that was the last time we see him, thanks for everything, Glen. We’re going to miss you.
That concludes our monthly reviews. We’ll be starting a series of positional reviews soon, so keep your eyes peeled!