Errors abound in Twins' win at Vannie

In an error-filled game, it was Kelvin Santos’ heads-up base running play that helped the Twins win.

After singling to center to lead off the top of the eighth inning, Santos moved to second on a wild pitch. Jacovie Rodriguez followed with a single off the second baseman’s glove, and when the center fielder’s throw came home, Rodriguez took off for second base. When the catcher threw to second, Santos bolted for home and scored before the relay came back home.

The Twins scored three more runs in the inning and held on to beat the Orioles, 9-6, in a scheduled seven-inning game in the 16-and-under division of the Van Cortlandt League on Aug. 6. The Twins moved into first place in their division at 17-6-3, while the Orioles are 16-6-1.

“Once I saw that the catcher threw to second, I knew I had to go,” Santos said. “I had to score no matter what.”

On a hot, humid afternoon, the diminutive Santos also pitched a complete game. The 16-year-old rising junior at Roosevelt High allowed seven hits and walked eight, but three of the six runs he allowed were unearned due to five first-inning errors. 

“At first, after all the errors, I had my head down, but you always have got to look at the positive side of things,” Santos said. “Once I saw that my defense was helping me out, I also settled down and everything else went smoothly. Thankfully, we came through today.”

Rodriguez scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch, and Christian De La Rosa and Jesus Figueroa later scored to give the Twins a 9-5 lead. De La Rosa and Figueroa both reached base four times — De La Rosa had a single, three walks and scored two runs, while Figueroa walked twice, was hit by a pitch twice and scored three runs. 

Santos had three of the Twins’ seven hits, and was indefatigable on the mound, getting three pop outs after an error in the seventh, and working out of a jam in the eighth.