MINNEAPOLIS _ Andrew Romine played all nine positions on Saturday, and Miguel Sano didn't play any. One was a gimmick, one was a gamble.
Romine, the Tigers' utility man, was rewarded for his value and versatility by manager Brad Ausmus by manning all nine defensive positions, the fifth major leaguer ever to do so. Sano, limited to being the Twins' designated hitter by a lingering stress reaction in his left shin, was in the starting lineup for the first time in six weeks, in hopes of proving that he's worth having on the roster in Tuesday's wild-card game.
It's safe to say the Twins were intrigued, if not necessarily impressed, by both efforts in Detroit's 3-2 victory at Target Field.
Sano is the more immediate concern of the Twins, since except for a two-pitch at-bat on Friday, he hasn't seen live pitching since Aug. 19. He offered reasons for hope and reasons for worry in his first full game back. Sano rocketed a first-inning fastball to left field, proving his swing is as powerful as ever. But he also struck out twice on breaking balls and, batting against Romine in the eighth inning, hit a routine grounder to third base. On both balls he put in play, Sano jogged slowly to first base, careful not to put any strain on his leg.
Aaron Slegers, the starting pitcher on a night when the Twins were avoiding using pitchers expected to take part in Tuesday's wild-card game, allowed three runs, just two of them earned, over 41/3 innings in his first start since Sept. 6. But the Twins failed numerous times to capitalize on threats, scoring only single runs in the first inning _ when Detroit starter Buck Farmer walked Max Kepler with the bases loaded _ and the eighth, when Zack Granite drove him Ehire Adrianza.
Romine spent the first three innings checking off the outfield positions an inning at a time, covered three of the four infield spots over innings 4-6, caught for four batters during a Twins' rally in the seventh, and took the mound to start the eighth inning. He retired Sano on five pitches, the last an 86-mph fastball that Sano grounded to third. Then he moved to first base, to the applause of a crowd of 35,515.
He joins an exclusive club to have achieved the feat, including Minnesota's Cesar Tovar in 1968. Others to do it: Bert Campaneris of the A's in 1965, Scott Sheldon of the Rangers in 2000, and the Tigers' Shane Halter in 2000.
"It's kind of a cute little thing for someone who's versatile to get an opportunity to do that. I'm not a huge fan of it," Twins manager Paul Molitor said before the game. "It's not a big deal. I like Romine, he's kind of been a Twin-killer. For him to get a chance to do that, maybe it's been on his bucket list for awhile. It's fine. We'll applaud and see how he does."
