20 August 2023
As he walked off the field Sunday, Dallas Keuchel lifted his navy cap off his head and tipped it, a show of recognition to the Target Field crowd, which was on its feet, showing its appreciation to the Twins pitcher.
The veteran starter had just had his bid for a perfect game broken up with one out in the seventh inning, marking the end of a fantastic start. Keuchel, who gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings his last time out, was fantastic on Sunday, helping guide the Twins to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale.
Keuchel’s quest for perfection was broken up by left fielder Bryan Reynolds, who sent a double off the wall in right-center field. The first Pirates hit of the game came after Keuchel had gone to a 3-0 count on Ji Hwan Bae, the previous hitter, before getting him to ground out.
Prior to that, Keuchel had gotten to multiple three-ball counts late in his start, but the Pirates hadn’t come particularly close to collecting a hit off the veteran.
As the Twins get ready to welcome Joe Ryan back to the rotation, which could imperil Keuchel’s roster status, the veteran turned in one of the most impressive starts of the year for a Twins pitcher.
It was by far his best, in just his third start in the majors this season after signing a minor-league deal with the Twins and beginning his season with the Triple-A Saints. Keuchel, a former Cy Young winner, was designated for assignment by three different teams last year before heading to baseball performance center Driveline to work out this offseason.
The Twins provided Keuchel limited run support, but it wound up being just enough for him on Sunday. Second baseman Edouard Julien drove in both of those runs, hitting a sacrifice fly to score Donovan Solano in the fourth inning and driving in Solano again with a double in the sixth.
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