When we last left the 2014 Minnesota Twins , they were losing the first two games of the season to the Chicago White Sox in fashions both depressing and comical. As it turned out, business picked up in April/May, producing some memorable moments:

April 3, 2014

The final game of that Twins/ChiSox series produced a knockout ending?almost literally!

After the bats bombarded Jose Quintana & Nate Jones to a 5-1 lead, Phil Hughes & Anthony Swarzak didn’t hold up their end of the bargain and the Sox roared to an 8-5 advantage.

In the 7th, Trevor Plouffe singled in a run?then Twins catcher Josmil Pinto muscled one out of The Cell to knot things at 8-8!

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

Undeterred, Marcus Semien homered off Caleb Thielbar in the 8th to put CHI up 9-8. Despite a Josh Willingham walk coaxed off Chicago closer Matt Lindstrom, a rare Joe Mauer whiff and a Chris Colabello groundout nearly bottomed-out put the Win Expectancy.

Nearly.

Plouffe pounded a single to tie it at 9-9, then Oswaldo Arcia (see header) barely missed a dinger and ended up on 3B?nearly decapitating Joe Vavra with an air-uppercut. 10-9 Twins!

Lest this game end in a civilized fashion, Glen Perkins surrendered a double to Dayan Viciedo?who went to third on a throwing error. But Perk persevered in the Windy City chill and retired Alexei Ramirez & Paul Konerko to get the Twins in the 2014 win column.

Photo by Brian Kersey/Getty Images

I recall this contest fondly because I watched it with my grandfather ?both of us cheering and clenching at the theatrics.

All of April, 2014

In the ultimate “fun small sample size” moment in perhaps the history of the Twins, I present to you Chris Colabello.

In the season’s first month, Colabello went ham : 9 2B, 3 HR, 27 RBI, .295 BA, .827 OPS. This from a player who would log 793 career PA with a .740 OPS and -0.7 WAR. Colabello Mania reached such a fever pitch that a special Cowbell (how else do you market that last name?!) promotion swept Target Field and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one...

The human tongue does not have the eloquence to describe the sound of thousands of cowbells clanging as Colabello was announced. Chris of course cooled off and was a bit player by season’s end?but those who lived through April 2014 will never forget him.

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

May 13, 2014

With most of MN watching the Wild get eliminated by the Blackhawks in the NHL playoffs, I was relegated to the “little TV in the other room” for some Twins vs. Boston Red Sox action. Don’t believe me? Well, I brought receipts...

At one point , the Twins were up 6-2 thanks to multi-hit days from Mauer, Plouffe, & Chris Parmelee. But neither Ricky Nolasco nor Brian Duensing could get Twin-who-got-away David Ortiz (1B, 2 HR) out.

In the 7th, a disastrous frame for the Twins was capped by Matt Guerrier walking Jonny Gomes with the bases loaded?allowing the Flyin’ Hawaiian (Shane Victorino) to stroll home and tie the score at 6-6.

Photo by Brian Ekart/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

When Plouffe and the quickly-cooling Colabello K’d to begin the 9th, the night looked bound for bonus baseball. But Kurt Suzuki punched a single and extended the frame for Parmelee?a lefty facing dominant southpaw closer Andrew Miller.

In today’s game , Parm almost certainly would have been pinch-hit for by a righty bat. But sometimes the magic of gut-feel, pre-analytics baseball prevails?Parmelee homered over the RF limestone and the Twins got to bounce!

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

Upon that victory over the BoSox, the Twins stood at a semi-respectable 18-19 on the young ‘14 season?at very least giving fans some moments to cheer for after the ‘12/’13 slogs.