MINNEAPOLIS _ Three new Twins combined to deliver the team's rookie manager his first victory on Opening Day.
But the novelty of unfamiliar players, untested management and a new season was only a footnote to the performance of a veteran _ albeit a 24-year-old player who is the youngest Twin on the roster. Jose Berrios, an All-Star for the first time last July, turned in one of the most dominating Opening Day performances by a Twin in decades, shutting out the Indians for 7 2/3 innings and leading his older teammates to a 2-0 victory at sold-out Target Field. It was the fourth shutout by the Twins on Opening Day, and their first since 1970.
The story line for the first-ever outdoor game ever played in March in Minnesota was supposed to involve snowdrifts and subzero temperatures, but on a sunny and springlike 49-degree day, the only thing frozen was the bats. Berrios didn't allow an Indians player to reach base until the fourth inning, and didn't deal with a runner on third base all day.
And the Twins' ace was arguably being outpitched. Corey Kluber, making his fifth consecutive Opening Day start for Cleveland, retired the first 14 batters he faced, and didn't give up a hit until Byron Buxton lined a one-out double over left fielder Jake Bauers' head.
Kluber, a two-time Cy Young winner, extinguished that threat, but the Twins' new blood finally sicced themselves on the right-hander in the seventh. Nelson Cruz led off with a single to the wall in left field, and after Eddie Rosario struck out, C.J. Cron singled him to second. Marwin Gonzalez, held to a single RBI in all of spring training, then smacked a high-and-outside changeup into the left-center gap, and when it reached the warning track, both runners ahead of him scored.
That was all the offense that Berrios would need. The right-hander held Cleveland to two hits and a walk before departing with two outs in the eighth inning. His 10 strikeouts were a franchise record for Opening Day, surpassing Brad Radke, Bert Blyleven (twice) and Dean Chance, who all had eight whiffs in past openers.
When Berrios' pitch count reached 96, manager Rocco Baldelli summoned Taylor Rogers to retire Greg Allen on strikes to end the eighth, and he pitched a perfect ninth to record his first save. With his predecessor, Paul Molitor, watching from the front row behind home plate, Baldelli managed something that Molitor didn't: He won his first game.
The teams have Friday off _ a built in day off in case the opener was postponed because of weather _ before resuming the three-game series on Saturday at 1:10 p.m.
