al notebook
Twins' Gómez Hits for the Cycle vs. White Sox
Tim Wakefield, 41, above, and Mike Timlin, 42, combined for a shutout Tuesday.
(By Paul Sancya -- Associated Press)
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Carlos Gómez became the first Twins player to hit for the cycle in nearly 22 years when he accomplished the feat against the White Sox last night.
One night after Gavin Floyd nearly no-hit Minnesota, Gómez homered off Mark Buehrle on the game's third pitch. He added an RBI triple in the fifth, doubled in a run in the sixth and completed the cycle with an infield single in the ninth. The ball deflected off reliever Ehren Wasserman, forcing a rushed throw by SS Alexei Ramírez that sailed wide.
That made Gómez the eighth Minnesota player to hit for the cycle and the first since Kirby Puckett on Aug. 1, 1986, against the Athletics. Gómez was the first player to hit for the cycle against the White Sox since Oakland's Mike Blowers on May 18, 1998.
· 40-40 CLUB: Tim Wakefield and Mike Timlin had no idea they were making history Tuesday night.
For the first time in baseball's modern era, the Red Sox had two pitchers older than 40 combine on a shutout. Wakefield gave up just two hits in eight innings and Timlin got the final three outs of a 5-0 win over the Tigers.
That was the only time that's happened since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"It's pretty cool," Wakefield said yesterday. "I didn't know it until they told me, but it's nice to know you're the first."
The 41-year-old knuckleballer retired 17 straight batters and allowed just three men to reach base.
Timlin, 42, tied José Mesa and Lee Smith for eighth place on the all-time appearances list with 1,022.
· HURTING YANKEES: Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Phil Hughes are expected to travel to the Yankees' spring training facility in Florida today to continue rehabbing their injuries.
Rodriguez (strained right quadriceps) ran in the outfield before New York's game against the Indians last night. The third baseman also played catch, fielded grounders and took batting practice.
"He said it feels great right now," Manager Joe Girardi said before Rodriguez did his pregame drills. "But it's a different beast when you have to run so we're going to have to see how it feels when he runs."
Girardi also said Posada (right rotator cuff tendinitis) could take batting practice on Friday. Hughes (stress fracture in one of his ribs) isn't expected back before July.
-- From News Services
