The innings were a blur on Friday. Are we in the 15th or 16th? The bullpens were emptied. The scorecards were a mess.
The Twins were resilient, fighting back from a 7-1 deficit.
They were also unfulfilled, as Detroit pushed home three runs in the 16th inning to win 11-9 and send the remaining Twins fans home in silence in a game that lasted 5 hours, 7 minutes and ended after midnight.
"We're putting cots in the hallway," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said after the game.
Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco singled home Ramon Santiago with the lead run. Then fans scurried for the exits when Ryan Raburn and Magglio Ordonez -- neither of whom started the game -- added RBI singles of their own off R.A. Dickey, the seventh Twins pitcher of the game.
But Polanco deserves the award for being the grittiest player on the field Friday.
Polanco disagreed with plate umpire Eric Cooper all night, striking out three times -- twice looking. It looked like Cooper was on the verge of tossing him from the game in the 12th but didn't.
Polanco, batting in the 14th inning, fouled off a 0-1 pitch from Dickey that bounced up and tagged him right on his protective cup.