Maybe a masterful pitching performance should be called a “Silva”?
First Pitch: 12:35 PM CT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN
Know Thine Enemy: Battery Power
In baseball parlance, a “Maddux” is defined as a complete-game shutout where the starting pitcher uses less than 100 heaves to call ballgame. Since we are in Greg Maddux territory this weekend, it’s a good time to look at the astounding day in 2005 when Minnesota Twins SP Carlos Silva nearly eclipsed that threshold by a considerable margin.
On the Friday night of 5/20/25, the Milwaukee Brewers poured into the Metrodome in front of a solid 30,073 crowd. Silva took the bump for the home team and set the Brew Crew down on 6 pitches in the first inning.
Then 7 pitches in the 2nd.
Then a “whopping” 10 pitches in the 3rd.
And 8 pitches in the 4th.
Hmm…something special might be brewing (pardon the pun).
Photo by DAVID BREWSTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Carlos wobbled a bit in the 5th—an excruciating 13 deliveries to home plate—and allowed a solo home run to Damian Miller. Fortunately, Twins’ bats had long put the outcome of this contest to bed. When Nick Punto raps out four safeties and Juan Castro goes yard, the scoreboard is going to light up like a pinball machine counter.
Photo by BRUCE BISPING/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Back to Silva…
- 6th: 3 pitches (single, double play, fly out)
- 7th: 7 pitches
- 8th: 10 pitches (two strikeouts were so inefficient!)
With his team coasting to a 7-1 victory, Silva continued to conserve in the 9th—Brady Clark, Jeff Cirillo, & Geoff Jenkins went down on 10 pitches.
Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
The final line for Silva: 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 74 pitches, 54 strikes, 20 balls, 13 ground balls & 14 fly balls. Perhaps most amazing of all: just 3 swinging strikes!
I have a very specific memory of not being able to watch Silva’s masterpiece because I was traveling—the where escapes me—after completing my freshman year of college (the May 20 date checks out for this). But I do recall hearing about it after-the-fact and being amazed at the efficiency.
Due to family being in town this afternoon, Ben will be taking you home with the recap. Happy Easter whether you celebrate in church, hunting hidden eggs, or both! Perhaps Joe Ryan can show Silva-like efficiency leading this lineup and allow the rest of the day to be enjoyed basking in a (rare) Twins victory:
