Reusse: Current Twins give us flashbacks to Jamie Quirk, Ron Davis and the collapse of 1984

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Reusse: Current Twins give us flashbacks to Jamie Quirk, Ron Davis and the collapse of 1984 What looked like a playoff berth this season has turned into an agonizing ordeal.

The Minnesota Star Tribune September 20, 2024 at 12:27AMReliever Ron Davis was one of the scapegoats during the Twins collapse down the stretch in 1984. (John Croft) Jamie Quirk had arrived that week when Cleveland was down to one healthy catcher. Manager Pat Corrales sent up Quirk as a pinch-hitter, in what would be his only Cleveland at-bat in the ninth inning. The message was went to Davis: "No fastballs."

There was a reason for that. Quirk later admitted, "I can't hit a curveball, so why swing at it?"

Davis started him with two curveballs, both called strikes. Then, he threw a fastball, and Quirk hit it down the right-field line. It stayed fair. Home run.

Cleveland 4, Twins 3. Now two games behind K.C. with three to play.

Twins manager Billy "Slick" Gardner, holding a beer in the musty clubhouse, said: "Now I know how Custer felt. Good thing my wife is here or I might jump out the hotel room window."

The next night Frankie Viola was pitching and the Twins built a 10-0 lead. Then they gave up seven in the sixth, aided by an unusual throwing error from the tremendous Gary Gaetti.

about the writer Patrick Reusse Patrick Reusse is a sports columnist who writes three columns per week.

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