Hot Hot Hot

Is there a better way to start a home game than watching Johan Santana strike out the side? Is there? Because if there is, I'd like to hear it.

That knee-buckling changeup of his buckes my knees, too. Is it warm in here, or is it just Johan?

Oh, and look--his 1,000th ML career strikeout, at the ripe old age of 27, in the 4th inning. It also happens to be his 8th strikeout of the game. And, could it be? Oh, yes, it could! That milestone strikeout nudges him into the ML lead in strikeouts (he already had the AL lead), over Pedro Martinez and Carlos Zambrano.

And then late in the game, when Johan makes one teensy little mistake to Jason Varitek, Michael "All Is Forgiven" Cuddyer--who is now batting cleanup in a rare show of lineup sanity--comes up in the bottom of the same inning and fixes it.

And then, oh... Inning after inning, scoreless on both sides. Eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh. No "W" for Johan, alas. In the bottom of the twelfth, further tragedy! Jesse "Inexplicable" Crain gave up a run, and it seemed nigh impossible that the Twins could come back in this lowest of low-scoring games.

Joe "Godlike" Mauer struck out looking. Truly, we were doomed, for if Mauer strikes out all is lost. Yes? Yes. And to add injury to insult, Cuddyer was then hit by a pitch. Justin "BOOM!" Morneau hit a ground-rule double, which only confirmed our bad luck, for Cuddy could have scored on a standard double.

But then the tide turned. For Boston chose to walk Torii "Let's Make Two Outs" Hunter, which has got to go down as Bonehead Move of the Week.

Which brings us to Jason "But I LIKE It Here" Kubel. On a 3-2 count, Kubel hit a game-tying sac fly to right field, and there was much rejoicing. And then that sac fly slipped over the baggie with a millimeter to spare, and ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Four runs for the Twins!

That was, of course, the Twins billionth grand slam in the last week. And yet each one is still special and precious. Oh, and Kubel, sweetie? We like it when you're here, too.