Bailey Ober throws first career shutout

Bailey Ober gave the Minnesota Twins exactly the kind of game their bullpen and their standings position needed. The 30-year-old right-hander threw the first shutout of his major league career on May 12, allowing two hits over nine innings in a 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Target Field. Byron Buxton supplied the game’s most unusual play with a steal of home, and Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. The result gave Minnesota a third straight victory, according to the Associated Press and MLB’s game recap. ### How efficient was Ober’s night? Ober needed only 89 pitches to finish the shutout, a total that put the outing in rare company. MLB’s recap described it as a “Maddux,” the term used for a complete-game shutout in fewer than 100 pitches, and said it was the Twins’ first such game since Ervin Santana on June 9, 2017. (kfgo.com) The right-hander struck out seven, walked none and did not allow a hit after the fourth inning. The Associated Press said it was Ober’s third career complete game and his first career shutout. ### What changed the game in the fifth inning? Miami right-hander Eury Pérez carried a no-hitter into the fifth before Trevor Larnach singled and moved Buxton to third base. (mlb.com) With Jeffers at the plate, Minnesota pulled off a double steal, and Buxton broke for home to score the game’s first run. The Associated Press said it was Buxton’s first steal of home. (kfgo.com) Jeffers then hit a two-run homer later in the inning, turning a scoreless duel into a three-run lead. MLB’s recap said the homer was Jeffers’ sixth of the season. ### What did Ober and the Twins say about it? Ober said the finish carried a physical jolt as the final out settled the game. “So it was super exciting,” he said in MLB’s postgame coverage, adding that a complete-game shutout is something a pitcher hopes to achieve. (kfgo.com) Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers told MLB that Ober’s outing may have deserved its own label because it came in fewer than 90 pitches. “We were talking if under 100 is a Maddux, we’re going to have to name under 90 an Ober,” Jeffers said. (mlb.com) Manager Derek Shelton told MLB that Ober’s command stood out more than any one pitch. “The command was elite tonight,” Shelton said, citing his use of the changeup and early-count contact. (mlb.com) ### How good was Pérez despite the loss? Pérez allowed only three hits over six innings and struck out eight, but all three Minnesota runs were charged to him. (mlb.com) The Associated Press said the Marlins starter walked three and fell to 2-5. The matchup was notable for its size as much as its stuff. (mlb.com) MLB’s recap noted Ober at 6-foot-9 and Pérez at 6-foot-8, framing the game as a duel between two of the tallest pitchers in the league. ### How unusual was this around the league? The Associated Press said Ober’s outing was only the third complete game in the major leagues this season. (kfgo.com) AP listed the others as Sandy Alcantara’s shutout for Miami against the Chicago White Sox on April 1 and George Kirby’s eight-inning complete-game loss for Seattle at Texas on April 7. (mlb.com) That scarcity added to the significance of Ober finishing the game himself at a time when complete games have become uncommon across the sport. That characterization comes from the season context in AP’s comparison of league-wide complete games. ### What came next for the series? (kfgo.com) The Twins and Marlins were scheduled to meet again in Minneapolis on May 13. The Associated Press said Minnesota was set to start Simeon Woods Richardson, while Miami was set to start Max Meyer in the second game of the series. (kfgo.com)