Yesterday (July 6th), Sue and I took the bus from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis to take in the afternoon Twins-Astros game at Target Field. Believe it or not, it was only my second Twins game of the 2024 season, and Sue’s first.

While everyday at the ballpark is a good one, yesterday’s was special. We, along with 31,000 others, got to witness two historic events.

The first, and by far the most impressive, was watching Twins Jose Miranda get his 11th & 12th hit in consecutive at-bats, tying the Major League record. Here is the list of those who now hold this amazing record:

• Jose Miranda, Twins, July 3-6, 2024
• Walt Dropo, Tigers, July 14-15, 1952
• Pinky Higgins, Red Sox, June 19-21, 1938
• Johnny Kling, Cubs, August 24-29, 1902

Miranda achieved this feat against eight different pitchers. And when you factor in that his day began by getting hit by a 96-mile-an-hour fastball in the hand, hits 11 and 12 are even more amazing.

One of the reasons I think that I love baseball more than any other sport comes down to the fact that I was too big a wimp to play it very long myself. In my first two Little League at-bats in Cheney, Washington, I got hit by wild pitches. (We did not have coach-pitched games in the late 1960s, just games thrown by the biggest, hardest-throwing 12-year-olds on each team). In my first at-bat I was hit in the ankle and on my second I took wild pitch off my helmet. The result was that I was terrified of the ball for the rest of my brief, baseball playing career. Ever after, when I got to the batters box, I stood as far away from the plate as I could and took only half-hearted swings. My strategy amounted to hoping for a base on balls. I could never overcome my fear and my flinch-factor.

I admire baseball players at every level for being tougher than I am. I know that if I got hit in the hand by a 96-mile-an-hour fastball, I would be curled up in the fetal position and calling in sick for work for at least a week or two. Hell, I would probably be doing the same for an errant 65 mile-an-hour curve from a high school pitcher.

Baseball players play the most difficult game in the world. And, for my money, the toughest. And the toughest thing to do in baseball is to hit a pitch. To do it in 2024 against the vast array of pitches that are thrown by today’s starters, as well as against the 100+ mile-per-hour ptiches thrown by today’s platoon of relief pitchers, is amazing. To go 12-for-12 is, well epic, unfathomable, unbelievable, awe-inspiring.

One other “historic” event took place in yesterday’s game. Switch-hitting, Twins rookie-phenom Brooks Lee hit his first Major League homer off a curveball into the right-field flower boxes. Given Lee’s ability (he was a first round draft choice), this will no doubt be the first of many home runs. Barring injuries (a particular Twins plague of late) Lee has the potential to be another Twins’ great (knock on wood).

Every day at the ballpark is special. Yesterday was just more special than most.