CSI: Duryea, PA [2022 Topps series 1]

Topps continues to disappoint when it comes to action photos on their baseball cards in the past several years (I’m ignoring you for now, Stadium Club), but every now and then some good ones come along where we’re even able to nail down the specific play that the picture captures.

This year’s series one set of Topps had one action photo with a potential play to be identified by the Citizens of WGOM:

2022 Topps #12 Andrelton Simmons

Unsurprisingly, it was MagUidhir that took the challenge.

As always, first the visible clues:
1) It’s a day game.
2) Twins are wearing their home whites, and the opposing team is the Royals.
3) The sliding baserunner’s uniform (through process of elimination) says “SANTANA”.
4) Based on the background, this is at Target Field, and the play is at second base.

Andrelton Simmons appears to be leaping after touching second, and is ready to fire to first for the DP, so there are less than three outs at the time of this play. There were six games in Minnesota that Carlos Santana played in, and only one of them where he was out at second — May 2^nd.

Santana was out twice at second in that Sunday game, but in the first inning his force out was the third out. In the fourth inning, however, he singled, and after one out Jorge Soler grounds to Luis Arraez, who flipped to Simmons for the force out; Soler made it safely to first to avoid the double play.

The Twins went on to win the game 13-4, and Simmons hit one of Minnesota’s three HRs (as well as making a throwing error).

Good job, everyone!

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CSI: Duryea, PA [2019 Topps Stadium Club]

Time to take another dive into the ongoing baseball card detective work that I’ve posted on this site. Topps has been sticking the Twins with the standard garden-variety card photos for a while now, but this year’s Stadium Club changes that. Here are two Twins cards where the exact play can be identified.

Card number one has Willians Astudillo making a tag at home against a sliding opponent:

2019 Topps Stadium Club #108 Willians Astudillo

Turns out, it wasn’t even a challenge for MagUidhir at WGOM.

First off, the visible clues:
1) Twins are in away uniforms.
2) Player sliding into home has a name starting with “O” and a uniform number starting with “6”
2) Opponents are wearing blue helmets.

The player is the Royals first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, #66. Willians Astudillo caught a limited number of games in 2018, and only two of them were in KC. This game last year at Kansas City on September 14^th featured O’Hearn trying to score in the bottom of the 8^th on a double by Jorge Bonifacio to Kevin Grossman, with Jorge Polanco cutting off and throwing home, and he was…out! Here’s the video.

It was a pretty sad ballgame, with the Twins taking a 4-3 lead into the 9^th, only to have Trevor Hildenberger give up the one-out tying run and then a grand slam to Salvador Perez.

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The second card features Jake Cave reaching over the outfield wall:

2019 Topps Stadium Club Red Autograph #SCA-JCA Jake Cave

This time around Beau nailed the play, and I don’t even know what clues he worked off of.

Visible clues:
1) It’s at Target Field.

On the very first pitch of this game against the Orioles on July 6^th last year, Tim Beckham lifted a drive to centerfield of Lance Lynn. Video (spoiler alert: he caught it)

The Twins won the game 6-2 on a well-pitched game in which the Twins scored three in the first, Kepler went deep in the fourth, and they never looked back.

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Well done, Topps, you really nailed it with Stadium Club this time around. Here are a couple other really fine photos from this year’s set:

2019 Topps Stadium Club #128 Jose Berrios

2019 Topps Stadium Club Red #179 Max Kepler

CSI: Duryea, PA [2018 Topps series 1]

Topps has been a disappointment regarding quality in-game action photos of Twins players in which the exact play captured by the photo can actually be identified. We’ve had lots of great baseball card photos in the past to work with (we’ve been doing this for over seven years!), but not recently.

On a whim, I chose a card of Brian Dozier from 2018 Topps series 1; while it does I nice job of capturing a play in the field, I didn’t harbor hope that the gang at WGOM could uniquely identify it:

2018 Topps #130 Brian Dozier

Remarkably, they did it again.

First off, the visible clues:
1) It’s a day game.
2) With this being Series 1, the photo is most certainly from a 2017 game.
2) A play at third, quite possibly a triple given the arm covering and helmet.
3) Most likely Target Field, given the home white uniform and the location of the distance marker on the outfield wall.

A lot of the discussion centered around the visiting team’s uniform, particularly the dark top and the single stripe on the gray pants:
– there are several teams who have a uniform variant that at least somewhat resembles that of the baseball card: Indians, Mariners, Padres, Brewers, etc.
– Dozier runs the bases with helmet and arm protection, at least some of the time, so he isn’t necessarily advancing to third base on his own at bat.

Given the above and some digging through Baseball Reference website, it was determined that this play was the sixth pitch in the bottom of the first of this game against the Mariners on June 15^th. Dozier opened the home half of the first inning with a double to right, and the play captured here was his advance to third on a wild pitch to Eduardo Escobar, Kyle Seager being the third baseman in the photo. Escobar subsequently homered, so he could have taken it easy on second base and avoided the faceplant (see photos below).

The Twins won the game 6-2 on a well-pitched outing from Jose Berrios, and Dozier went 1-for-3 with a BB and HBP, scoring once. Chris Gimenez homered twice in this game, which is much rarer than games in which he ended up pitching.

Well done, everyone! And two bonus screencaptures of the play:

NCIS: Carlsbad, CA [2003 Upper Deck]

It’s been a while for one of these mystery plays; here’s one from a while back in honor of David Ortiz’s retirement:

2003 Upper Deck #114 David Ortiz

Is he out? Safe?? Well, hopefully we can find out by nailing down exactly when this play occurred — what can we tell from the photo?

1) Day game with away uniform — it’s not the Metrodome
2) they’re wearing their long sleeves, so cool weather
3) being it’s a 2003 card, it should be a 2002 ballgame

I originally put this together for the good Citizens at WGOM for pledge week, and (like always) they were very up to the task:
– there was some debate about the visiting team uniform. Initial thoughts were Milwaukee and then Seattle, but with the very short (non-existent?) sleeves, it was suggested it was Cleveland’s pixie vests
– the backdrop (what little is showing, out of focus) is not a bad match for Jacob’s Field
– The first inning of the April 8^th game ended with Ortiz trying (and failing) to score from second on a line drive to center of the bat of Dustan Mohr. Einar Diaz applied the tag.

Despite the Twins scoring two in the first, the Indians respond with three in the bottom of the inning, and went on to win 9-5 putting the Twins a game back in the AL Central race. The game was played in front of a full stadium in less than three hours, which was good as the 55° temperature at game time was no doubt falling.

The best part? We even found an image of the play from a different angle. You can see part of Cristian Guzman in the background, who scored just ahead of Ortiz.

Case solved!

NCIS Doubleheader: Duryea, PA [2014 Topps Update]

The new Topps 2014 Update set just came out, and of the dozen Twins cards in the set two are nice NCIS-worthy horizontal action shots. Let’s see if we can use the clues in the photos to nail down the exact plays they captured…

2014 Topps Update #US-230 Kurt Suzuki

So, what do we have here? Well:

• Looks like a day game
• Runner looks safe
• That’s obviously not Tom Nieto scoring; looks like Adrián Nieto of the White Sox

The usual gang at WGOM made the observation that all the players pictured are wearing long sleeves, indicating a good chance that the game was played early in the season; this also makes sense given Topps’ timeframe for the set release. Knowing that, there really is only one game he has a sniff of home plate against the Twins before the end of July.

On April 2^nd in the second game of the season, in the 9^th inning while Glen Perkins is in the process of blowing a save, Nieto comes in as a PR for pinch hitter Paul Konerko. He takes second on a single, and then scores on a single to left fielder Jason Kubel. Sox go on to win 7-6 on a 11^th inning walkoff BB/WP. Easy peasy.

2014 Topps Update #US-125 Jason Bartlett

What can we tell about this photo?

• Another day game
• Bartlett scores on the play

I’m afraid this one’s going to also be an easy one — Jason Bartlett played in three games during the 2014 season (why Topps has to include him in the set, I don’t know). Based on the catcher’s uniform, it’s got to be Yan Gomes of the Indians waiting on the ball. Well, Bartlett only played in one game against the Indians this season.

On April 6^th, in the top of the 6^th in his third AB in the game, he is HBP to load the bases. Chris Colabello, the next batter, hits a deep fly to the LF gap to clear the bases, Bartlett scoring all the way from first. The Twins would go on to win the game 10-7, and that at bat would be the last of Jason Bartlett’s career.

NCIS: Carlsbad, CA [1995 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice]

Don your detective hats — it’s time to track down the play. Once again Chuck Knoblauch is at the heart of it:

1995 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice #490 Chuck Knoblauch

This game tends to favor the middle infielders, and Chuck is an acrobatic favorite of the card companies. So, we need to know if we can tell which play this was — what do we know from the photo?

1) Day game, so it’s not at the Metrodome
2) Chad Curtis sliding into second; looks to be Pat Meares in the background
3) it’s a 1995 card, so this play was most likely from the 1994 season

WGOM Citizens continue to tackle these puzzles with gusto:
– Curtis was an Angel in ’94, and the Twins played three games in the Big A, in the beginning of June. First two are night games, and neither are good prospects.
– The third of the three games was a getaway day game. Curtis reached second twice: once on a SB, and once on a inning ending force out. Okay, I guess on a 6-4 force play he didn’t technically reach second.
– based on the position of Meares (backing up second instead of backing up the third baseman fielding the ball) and Knoblauch’s positioning, it sure looks more like a high throw on a stealing attempt than a toss from the shortstop.

With one out and a one run lead already in the bottom of the first, Chad Curtis successfully steals second on a high throw from Matt Walbeck. The Twins would mount a futile rally in the 9^th but come up short, 5-4, with Jim Deshaies taking the loss.

Case solved!

CSI: Duryea, PA [2009 Topps Update & Highlights]

More detective work! Topps in 2009 sets the scene for us:

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH126 Matt Tolbert

Matt Tolbert’s card showed up as an afterthought in the Updates & Highlights set; can we identify exactly when this play took place?

Well, here are some clues:
1) Gabe Kapler is barrelling into second
2) appears to be an indoor ballgame, in 2008 or maybe early 2009 since this is from an update set
3) Matt’s probably the shortstop, and it looks like a DP attempt

The guys at WGOM took it and ran. They discovered:
– In 2008, Gabe Kapler was a Brewer and played in uniform #33, so this is definitely an early season 2009 game against the Rays at The Trop.
– Gabe Kapler played in three home games versus the Twins. On May 29, Kapler’s only AB is a walk followed by a caught stealing.
– May 31, Tolbert isn’t in the lineup. That leaves…
– …May 30^th, when Tolbert comes in as a replacement at short in the 4^th inning. Kapler immediately walks, then is forced out in a 4-5-3. Kapler doesn’t reach base the rest of the game.

The Twins lose 5-2, Francisco Liriano picks up his seventh loss against two wins, and Joe Mauer’s only hit is a double, lowering his BA to a miserable .414 — booooo!

CSI: Philadelphia [2002 Fleer Ultra]

Time for another investigative baseball card post. This card arrived in a recent trade, and the presence of an action shot with a throwback uniform made me think that we could probably nail down the actual play in the photo:

2002 Fleer Ultra #197 Corey Koskie

What do we see initially? Well,
1) Corey Koskie has made a headfirst slide into second base
2) It’s a day game, and it’s not in the Metrodome
3) That’s a White Sox player in a throwback uniform

What did the Citizens of WGOM determine this time?
– the uniform is the 1917 Throwback, which the White Sox wore at home on Sundays that season
– the Twins only played one Sunday game (3PM) at New Comisky, on April 22^nd
– Koskie only reached second twice; the first was when he walked, and then Ortiz walked right after him, but in the 8^th inning he hit a line drive double to deep right field. He then scored on the next at bat when David Ortiz hit his 5^th HR of the year. The White Sox player looks to be shortstop Royce Clayton, who would correctly be covering the bag on that play.

The Twins went on to win the game 4-2, and the two runs scoring on the HR turned out to be the difference in the game. As was pointed out in the discussion at WGOM, Koskie had only one game in the 19 that year against the White Sox in which he didn’t reach base: July 4^th. He was a likable and under appreciated ballplayer — in his 2001 season, he was a 20/20 man that was 25^th in the MVP voting.