April 5, 1998 Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Play by Play and Box Score

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CLE 6
@ANA 4 BAL 6
DET 3 MIN 10
KCR 1 NYY 9
@OAK 7
(10) BOS 10
@SEA 5 TBD 5
CHW 0 TEX 6
@TOR 5 ARI 3
SFG 2 PHI 2
@ATL 1 CHC 7
MON 2 LAD 1
@CIN 0 MIL 5
@FLA 2 HOU 6
COL 2 NYM 7
PIT 0 SDP 8
@STL 7

Standings at end of play this day

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Attendance: 10,851

Sunday, April 5, 1998, 1:05
Time of Game: 3:05

Royals

3-3

Lost 1

2nd, 2½ GB

                1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
Royals          0  0  0   0  0  0   1  0  0    1  7  2
Twins           0  0  0   1  0  1   1  7  X   10 14  0

W: E Milton (1-0), L: T Belcher (1-1)

Twins

2-3

Won 1

3rd, 3 GB

BATTING

Kansas City Royals           AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
J Damon CF                    4   0   1   0    0   1  .346  .876   16    3   0   HBP
J Offerman 2B                 4   0   1   0    0   1  .385  .945   12    2   1   
  J Hansen PH                 1   0   0   0    0   1  .000  .000    4    0   0   
J King 1B                     3   0   1   0    1   0  .316  .855   15    6   2   
D Palmer 3B                   3   0   0   0    1   1  .458 1.313   17    0   0   
J Vitiello DH                 2   0   0   0    1   0  .143  .393    6    0   0   
  T Pendleton PH              1   0   0   0    0   1  .263  .631    6    0   0   
H Morris LF                   4   0   0   0    0   0  .190  .513   13    3   0   
E Young RF                    4   0   2   0    0   0  .231  .462   16    2   0   
M Macfarlane C                4   0   0   0    0   0  .091  .182   10    5   1   
S Halter SS                   4   1   2   1    0   0  .333 1.000   13    3   5   HR

T Belcher P                                                              0   1
  S Service P                                                            0   0
  M Whisenant P                                                          0   0
  J Pittsley P                                                           0   0
Totals                       34   1   7   1    3   5              128   24  10

BATTING

HR: S Halter (1, off G Swindell; 7th inn, 0 on, 0 outs to Deep LF).

HBP: J Damon (1, by F Rodriguez).

TB: S Halter 5; E Young 2; J King; J Damon; J Offerman.

RBI: S Halter (1).

Team LOB: 10.

With RISP: 0 for 4.

FIELDING

DP: 2. S Halter-J Offerman-J King; J King-S Halter-J King.

E: J Offerman (2); D Palmer (2).

Minnesota Twins              AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
M Lawton CF                   2   2   1   0    3   0  .091  .557   22    4   0   2B
A Ochoa RF                    5   1   1   1    0   1  .364  .909   26    0   0   GDP
P Molitor DH                  5   2   3   0    0   0  .286  .747   11    0   0   
M Cordova LF                  2   1   0   1    2   0  .214  .833   21    6   0   HBP
O Merced 1B                   4   0   2   3    1   0  .250  .583   18    6   1   CS
R Coomer 3B                   5   1   2   1    0   1  .235  .529   30    0   3   
T Walker 2B                   2   0   0   1    0   0  .250  .675    8    3   0   SF,GDP
  D Hocking 2B                1   1   0   0    1   0  .000  .500    6    0   0   
T Steinbach C                 4   1   2   0    0   1  .300  .717   11    7   0   
P Meares SS                   4   1   3   2    0   1  .368  .771   15    0   2   

E Milton P                                                               1   0
  G Swindell P                                                           0   0
  M Trombley P                                                           0   0
  F Rodriguez P                                                          0   0
Totals                       34  10  14   9    7   4              168   27   6

BATTING

2B: M Lawton (1, off T Belcher).

SF: T Walker (1, off T Belcher).

HBP: M Cordova (1, by J Pittsley).

TB: P Meares 3; P Molitor 3; R Coomer 2; M Lawton 2; T Steinbach 2; O Merced 2; A Ochoa.

GIDP: T Walker (1); A Ochoa (1).

RBI: O Merced 3 (4); P Meares 2 (3); T Walker (2); A Ochoa (2); R Coomer (2); M Cordova (2).

2-out RBI: O Merced.

Team LOB: 9.

With RISP: 6 for 18.

BASERUNNING

CS: O Merced (1, 2nd base by T Belcher/M Macfarlane).

PITCHING

Kansas City Royals            IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
T Belcher, L (1-1)             6     7   2   1    3   3   0   0.69   26  104-59   47· 6· 7    7· 9· 4· 0     52    -     1.28   0.08
S Service                      0.2   1   1   1    2   1   0   3.38    5   22-11    5· 1· 5    1· 1· 0· 0          0-0    0.95  -0.01
M Whisenant                    0.1   5   6   6    2   0   0  16.20    7   27-13   11· 0· 2    3· 0· 2· 0          3-1    0.53  -0.12
J Pittsley                     1     1   1   1    0   0   0   3.00    5   12-9     6· 1· 2    3· 1· 0· 0          2-2    0.01  -0.00
Totals                         8    14  10   9    7   4   0          43  165-92   69· 8·16   14·11· 6· 0          5-3

Minnesota Twins               IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
E Milton, W (1-0)              6     6   0   0    2   1   0   0.00   26   88-60   42· 7·11    8·10· 5· 0     59    -     1.19   0.38
G Swindell, H (1)              0.2   1   1   1    1   1   1   4.91    4   13-8     4· 0· 4    0· 2· 0· 0          0-0    1.30  -0.07
M Trombley, H (1)              1.1   0   0   0    0   2   0   0.00    4   16-10    4· 4· 2    1· 1· 0· 0          1-0    1.17   0.13
F Rodriguez                    1     0   0   0    0   1   0  20.25    4   11-9     5· 2· 2    0· 1· 1· 0          0-0    0.00   0.00
Totals                         9     7   1   1    3   5   1          38  128-87   55·13·19    9·14· 6· 0          1-0

M Whisenant faced 6 batters in the 8th inning.

Balks: None.

WP: None.

IBB: None.

HBP: J Pittsley (1; M Cordova); F Rodriguez (1; J Damon).

OTHER

Umpires: HP - Don Denkinger, 1B - Rick Reed, 2B - Tim Tschida, 3B - Brian O'Nora.

Time of Game: 3:05.

Attendance: 10,851.

Weather: 72° F, Wind 0mph, In Dome.

LINEUPS

   Kansas City Royals            Minnesota Twins                      
1. J Damon              CF    1. M Lawton             CF 
2. J Offerman           2B    2. A Ochoa              RF 
3. J King               1B    3. P Molitor            DH 
4. D Palmer             3B    4. M Cordova            LF 
5. J Vitiello           DH    5. O Merced             1B 
6. H Morris             LF    6. R Coomer             3B 
7. E Young              RF    7. T Walker             2B 
8. M Macfarlane         C     8. T Steinbach          C  
9. S Halter             SS    9. P Meares             SS 

   T Belcher            P        E Milton             P

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

   Inn Out Score RoB  Pt wWPA  wWE  Batter          Pitcher         Play Detail
  +---+---+-----+---+---+----+----++---------------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   b 4   0  0-0  12-  6   13%  79% O Merced        T Belcher       Single to CF (Line Drive to Short LF-CF); Molitor Scores; Cordova to 3B
   t 7   0  2-0  ---  3  -12%  68% S Halter        G Swindell      Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep LF)
   b 3   1  0-0  12-  8  -10%  50% A Ochoa         T Belcher       Ground Ball Double Play: SS-2B-1B
   t 6   2  1-0  12-  2    7%  73% M Macfarlane    E Milton        Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
   b 4   0  0-1  1-3  3   -7%  72% R Coomer        T Belcher       Merced Caught Stealing 2B (C-2B)

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Top of the 1st, Royals Batting, Tied 0-0, Eric Milton facing 1-2-3
  Scr/Out RoB  Pt  wWE  Batter          Play Detail
  +------+---+---+----++---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
          ---  5   47%  J Damon         Single to RF (Line Drive to Short RF)
   O      1--  4   48%  J Offerman      Groundout: 3B-1B (Weak 3B); Damon to 2B
   O      -2-  4   52%  J King          Flyball: CF (Deep LF-CF)
          -2-  9   51%  D Palmer        Walk
   O      12-  1   55%  J Vitiello      Foul Popfly: C (1B Foul)
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Bottom of the 1st, Twins Batting, Tied 0-0, Tim Belcher facing 1-2-3
          ---  2   61%  M Lawton        Double to CF (Fly Ball to Deep LF-CF)
   O      -2-  5   57%  A Ochoa         Flyball: CF
   O      -2-  2   54%  P Molitor       Groundout: SS-1B; Lawton to 3B
   O      --3  6   50%  M Cordova       Flyball: RF
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Top of the 2nd, Royals Batting, Tied 0-0, Eric Milton facing 6-7-8
   O      ---  4   52%  H Morris        Lineout: LF
   O      ---  5   54%  E Young         Groundout: SS-1B (SS-3B Hole)
   O      ---  6   55%  M Macfarlane    Groundout: 3B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Bottom of the 2nd, Twins Batting, Tied 0-0, Tim Belcher facing 5-6-7
          ---  5   59%  O Merced        Walk
   O      1--  7   56%  R Coomer        Strikeout Looking
   OO     1--  5   50%  T Walker        Ground Ball Double Play: 1B-SS-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Top of the 3rd, Royals Batting, Tied 0-0, Eric Milton facing 9-1-2
   O      ---  2   53%  S Halter        Flyball: CF
   O      ---  4   55%  J Damon         Foul Popfly: C (Behind Home)
          ---  2   53%  J Offerman      Single to LF (Line Drive to Short LF)
          1--  5   51%  J King          Single to RF (Line Drive to Deep 2B-1B); Offerman to 2B
   O      12-  1   56%  D Palmer        Groundout: 3B-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Bottom of the 3rd, Twins Batting, Tied 0-0, Tim Belcher facing 8-9-1
   O      ---  2   53%  T Steinbach     Flyball: CF
          ---  3   56%  P Meares        Single to LF (Line Drive to Short LF)
          1--  6   60%  M Lawton        Walk; Meares to 2B
   OO     12-  8   50%  A Ochoa         Ground Ball Double Play: SS-2B-1B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Top of the 4th, Royals Batting, Tied 0-0, Eric Milton facing 5-6-7
   O      ---  1   53%  J Vitiello      Flyball: CF
   O      ---  4   55%  H Morris        Groundout: 1B-P (2B-1B)
          ---  5   53%  E Young         Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B)
   O      1--  1   56%  M Macfarlane    Popfly: 1B (Short 1B Line)
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 0.

Bottom of the 4th, Twins Batting, Tied 0-0, Tim Belcher facing 3-4-5
          ---  3   60%  P Molitor       Single to CF (Line Drive to Short LF-CF)
          1--  5   67%  M Cordova       Walk; Molitor to 2B
   R      12-  6   79%  O Merced        Single to CF (Line Drive to Short LF-CF); Molitor Scores; Cordova to 3B
   O      1-3      72%  R Coomer        Merced Caught Stealing 2B (C-2B)
   O      --3  6   67%  " "             Groundout: P-1B (P's Left)
   O      --3  3   63%  T Walker        Flyball: CF
                  1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 1.

Top of the 5th, Royals Batting, Behind 0-1, Eric Milton facing 9-1-2
          ---  3   58%  S Halter        Single to LF (Line Drive to SS-3B Hole)
   O      1--  4   63%  J Damon         Strikeout Swinging
   O      1--  3   67%  J Offerman      Flyball: LF (Deep LF)
   O      1--  1   70%  J King          Flyball: LF (Deep LF Line)
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 1.

Bottom of the 5th, Twins Batting, Ahead 1-0, Tim Belcher facing 8-9-1
          ---  2   73%  T Steinbach     Single to 3B (Ground Ball to SS-3B Hole)
          1--  3   78%  P Meares        Single to LF (Line Drive to Short LF-CF); Steinbach to 2B
   O      12-  5   74%  M Lawton        Flyball: LF
   O      12-  6   69%  A Ochoa         Strikeout Swinging
   O      12-  1   65%  P Molitor       Flyball: RF (Short RF Line)
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 1.

Top of the 6th, Royals Batting, Behind 0-1, Eric Milton facing 4-5-6
   O      ---  1   69%  D Palmer        Popfly: 2B
          ---  4   65%  J Vitiello      Walk
   O      1--  2   69%  H Morris        Flyball: LF (Deep LF Line)
          1--  5   66%  E Young         Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B); Vitiello to 2B
   O      12-  2   73%  M Macfarlane    Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 1.

Bottom of the 6th, Twins Batting, Ahead 1-0, Tim Belcher facing 4-5-6
          ---  2   77%  M Cordova       Reached on E5 (throw) (Ground Ball to SS-3B Hole)
   O      1--  2   73%  O Merced        Popfly: SS
          1--  5   79%  R Coomer        Single to RF (Ground Ball thru 2B-1B); Cordova to 3B
   RO     1-3      82%  T Walker        Flyball: LF/Sacrifice Fly; Cordova Scores/unER
   O      1--  4   80%  T Steinbach     Strikeout Swinging
                  1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB. Royals 0, Twins 2.

Top of the 7th, Royals Batting, Behind 0-2, Greg Swindell facing 9-1-2
                  Greg Swindell replaces Eric Milton pitching
   R      ---  3   68%  S Halter        Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep LF)
   O      ---  2   73%  J Damon         Flyball: LF
   O      ---  3   76%  J Offerman      Strikeout Looking
          ---  5   73%  J King          Walk
                  Mike Trombley replaces Greg Swindell pitching
   O      1--  6   78%  D Palmer        Strikeout Swinging
                  1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 1, Twins 2.

Bottom of the 7th, Twins Batting, Ahead 2-1, Scott Service facing 9-1-2
                  Scott Service replaces Tim Belcher pitching
   O      ---  7   76%  P Meares        Strikeout Looking
          ---  4   78%  M Lawton        Walk
   O      1--  3   75%  A Ochoa         Popfly: SS (Weak SS-2B)
          1--  1   77%  P Molitor       Single to LF (Ground Ball thru SS-3B Hole); Lawton to 2B
          12-  7   79%  M Cordova       Walk; Lawton to 3B; Molitor to 2B
                  Matt Whisenant replaces Scott Service pitching
   RO     123  2   85%  O Merced        Single to SS (Ground Ball to Weak SS); Lawton Scores; Molitor out at Hm/SS-1B-C; Cordova to 2B
                  1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Royals 1, Twins 3.

Top of the 8th, Royals Batting, Behind 1-3, Mike Trombley facing 5-6-7
                  Dennis Hocking replaces Todd Walker playing 2B batting 7th; Terry Pendleton pinch hits for Joe Vitiello batting 5th
   O      ---  6   89%  T Pendleton     Strikeout Swinging
   O      ---  3   92%  H Morris        Groundout: 1B unassisted
   O      ---  1   93%  E Young         Flyball: LF (Deep LF Line)
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Royals 1, Twins 3.

Bottom of the 8th, Twins Batting, Ahead 3-1, Matt Whisenant facing 6-7-8
          ---  7   94%  R Coomer        Single to CF (Ground Ball)
          1--  4   96%  D Hocking       Walk; Coomer to 2B
   R      12-  3   99%  T Steinbach     Single to RF (Line Drive to Short CF-RF); Coomer Scores/Adv on E4/No RBI; Hocking to 3B; Steinbach to 2B
   RR     -23  2  100%  P Meares        Single to LF (Line Drive); Hocking Scores; Steinbach Scores
          1--  5  100%  M Lawton        Walk; Meares to 2B
   R      12-  4  100%  A Ochoa         Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B); Meares Scores; Lawton to 2B
                  Jim Pittsley replaces Matt Whisenant pitching
          12-  4  100%  P Molitor       Single to 3B (Ground Ball to Weak 3B); Lawton to 3B; Ochoa to 2B
   R      123  1  100%  M Cordova       Hit By Pitch; Lawton Scores; Ochoa to 3B; Molitor to 2B
   RO     123  3  100%  O Merced        Groundout: 1B unassisted (Weak 1B); Ochoa Scores; Molitor to 3B; Cordova to 2B
   RO     -23  2  100%  R Coomer        Groundout: SS-1B (SS-3B Hole); Molitor Scores; Cordova to 3B
   O      --3  2  100%  D Hocking       Flyball: LF
                  7 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Royals 1, Twins 10.

Top of the 9th, Royals Batting, Behind 1-10, Frank Rodriguez facing 8-9-1
                  Frank Rodriguez replaces Mike Trombley pitching
   O      ---  1  100%  M Macfarlane    Flyball: CF
   O      ---  5  100%  S Halter        Lineout: 1B (2B-1B)
          ---  1  100%  J Damon         Hit By Pitch
                  Jed Hansen pinch hits for Jose Offerman batting 2nd
   O      1--  4  100%  J Hansen        Strikeout Swinging
        0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Royals 1, Twins 10.

Retrosheet.org Boxscore:MIN199804050

Play-by-Play Explanation

Scr/Out- This has a "O" for every out on the play and an "R" for every run that scored on the play. Some plays will have both in no particular order.
RoB- This gives the baserunner (Runners on Base) configuration at the start of the play. "1-3" would mean runners on first and third. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Pt- When available, the number of pitches in this plate appearance. Clicking on this number will show the sequence of pitches thrown including, when available, things like runner going, ball blocked, attempted pickoffs and the like. We believe this data to be as accurate as humanly possible, but there are going to be some errors in the data, so please take it with a grain of salt. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Batter- The batter at the plate when this play occurred. If the play is a baserunning event, then the batter's name will be repeated as indicated by quotes.
Play Detail- This is an explanation of the play that occurred. In some cases, batted ball location and type will be indicated within parentheses. Again, these are best efforts to the record the game as it happened. Also, plays made on the baserunners (including the batter as a baserunner) will be indicated in parentheses after the baserunner's name. Advancement of baserunners is given in cases where the advancement is not easily deduced or obvious from the play. For example, advancement for a walk will not be given, but for a single or double it will be given.

Please report any issues or strangeness you see with the description of plays given above. We have tested several hundred different types of plays, but, in all likelihood, there are still some errors or misinterpretations of the play-by-play data.

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BATTING

PITCHING

OTHER

LINEUPS

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Play-by-Play Explanation