Every team likes to put incentive clauses into their player’s contracts. For Minnesota Twins pitcher Phil Hughes, that incentive was to pitch 210 innings this season to earn an additional $500,000. Hughes had his final start on Wednesday looking to reach the number. However, rain stopped the game in the eighth game with Hughes at 209 2/3 innings or just one out shy of the trigger. [lead image via GettyImages]
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has already said that he won’t use Hughes out of the bullpen this weekend to get the one out he needs. That’s just a shame to be so close to that much money and then the heavens open up and it slips away in a downpour. There is likely going to be a lot of Twins fans who want to see Hughes just get the one out he needs.
Minnesota is 68-90 on the season and Gardenhire probably doesn’t want to hurt Hughes for the future but would it really hurt to give him one out on Sunday to get to 210 innings? Hughes has already earned two bonuses this season for reaching 180 and 195 innings. It’s just the bad luck that Hughes had in New York that he didn’t want to see again. Here’s hoping Gardenhire changes his mind.