Ober throws first career complete-game shutout

Bailey Ober gave Minnesota nine scoreless innings on May 12 and finished the first complete-game shutout of his major league career in a 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Target Field. The Twins right-hander allowed two hits, walked none and struck out seven, according to MLB and Baseball-Reference. Byron Buxton stole home in the fifth inning, and Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run homer that supplied all of Minnesota’s scoring. The outing also qualified as a “Maddux” — a complete-game shutout in fewer than 100 pitches — and Ober did it in 89. MLB said it was the Twins’ first Maddux since Ervin Santana on June 9, 2017, and the club’s first shutout on fewer than 90 pitches since Bill Krueger on April 17, 1992. ### How efficient was Ober’s night? (mlb.com) Ober threw 89 pitches over nine innings, a total that made the game stand out even beyond the shutout. MLB said his fastball averaged 88.8 mph, and he mixed speeds rather than overpowering hitters. Ryan Jeffers, who caught the game, summed up the efficiency in a postgame remark carried by MLB. “We were talking if under 100 is a Maddux, we’re going to have to name under 90 an Ober,” Jeffers said. (mlb.com) ### What did Ober say after the final out? Ober described a physical jolt after the game ended. “You kind of lose a little feeling in your limbs and kind of tingling a little bit,” he said, according to MLB. “So it was super exciting.” (mlb.com) The 30-year-old added that a complete-game shutout was something he had long wanted to reach. (mlb.com) MLB identified it as the first shutout of his career, while noting he had previously thrown a nine-inning complete game in 2023 against Oakland. ### Where did the Twins get their runs? Byron Buxton produced the game’s first run in the fifth inning when he stole home during a double-steal attempt, MLB said. (mlb.com) The play was the first steal of home of Buxton’s career. Ryan Jeffers followed in the same inning with a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, according to MLB’s game coverage. (mlb.com) That sequence turned a scoreless game into a three-run cushion and let Ober work with a lead the rest of the night. ### How did Minnesota’s manager describe it? Twins manager Derek Shelton called Ober’s command “elite” in comments published by MLB. (mlb.com) Shelton said Ober used his changeup against both right- and left-handed hitters and generated early-count soft contact and popups. MLB’s account said Ober allowed only singles by Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee. (mlb.com) Baseball-Reference listed the game time at 2 hours, 7 minutes and attendance at 13,471. ### What comes next for the Twins? Minnesota was scheduled to continue its homestand with a series against Milwaukee on May 15. (mlb.com) The Twins said the opener’s first pitch at Target Field was moved to 6:10 p.m. Central Time from 7:10 p.m. MLB’s schedule pages listed Brewers-Twins games on May 15, May 16 and May 17 at Target Field. (yournews.com) The Twins’ probable pitchers page showed the series on the schedule, though starters had not yet been listed on that page when it was crawled. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2)