AP - The Detroit manager questioned whether the Twins tampered with the Metrodome's ventilation system in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory over the Tigers on Sunday.
Minnesota took a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth on rookie Joe Mauer's three-run homer. In the ninth, the Tigers rallied for two runs and had the tying run on first with one out when Rondell White hit a deep drive to left.
But Lew Ford made the catch on the warning track for the second out, and Joe Nathan struck out Bobby Higginson to end it.
After the game, Trammell went public with what other teams have grumbled about in the past, saying the Metrodome's ventilation system was blowing air through its outfield vents in the ninth inning to help prevent Detroit home runs.
"We almost made a comeback then and had the issue of whether or not those blowers were on," Trammell said. "It seemed like those air conditioners were blowing straight in our face in the top of the ninth. There was definitely a difference in the air conditioner in the ninth inning. There was no question that there was some air blowing in the ninth inning."
As the article indicates, other teams around the league have been upset about this particular home-filed advantage for some time now. Honestly, I think the Twins would be happy to rid themselves of it if it meant they'd get a new stadium. The Metrodome is perhaps the ugliest park in the Majors.
Its a football stadium, plain and simple. It was never meant for baseball. While I don't doubt that a little A/C tampering may be going on the fact remains that baseball hit in the Metrodome is going to act differently than a ball hit in any other park in the Majors.