Kyle Gibson threw his first nine-inning complete game of his career as the Minnesota Twins blew out the Braves 10-3 in Atlanta.
“I guess it’s a pretty good milestone,” Gibson told the Star Tribune. Gibson finished the night with 115 pitches, 73 for strikes, and gave up eight hits and three earned runs.
Max Kepler scored Brian Dozier with a single to put the Twins on the board in the first, and then Trevor Plouffe knocked him in to take an early 2-0 lead.
Minnesota broke things open by scoring three in the seventh, then added four in the ninth to virtually seal it — allowing Gibson to go for the complete game. The first four Twins batters in the lineup — Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Kepler and Plouffe, as well as Eddie Rosario — all finished with multi-hit games. Minnesota had 14 in all.
Gibson himself ended up with four at-bats, striking out three times as he tried to bunt unsuccessfully and taking a walk.
“He avoided the golden sombrero there in the last at-bat,” Molitor told the Star Tribune. “We’ve had trouble bunting with our position players, much less our pitchers.”
All can be forgiven, however, on a night when he throws a complete game.
“I think, for me, I’m trying to keep developing into the guy I want to be,” Gibson said. “You have to go deep into the game on days when the team gives you the lead like that. And it’s the first time I’ve really been able to do that in a long time.’’
[Star Tribune, Associated Press]
