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New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
After ‘surprise' DFA, Kody Clemens quickly made Twins' clubhouse feel like home
TAMPA, Fla. — Whether it's dominating Brooks Lee with aces in ping-pong, telling the team's relief pitchers he's one of them or providing critical hit after critical hit, Kody Clemens has made an impact since joining the Twins. Though he arrived via trade on April 26, his Twins teammates talk as if the utilityman has long been a fixture in the clubhouse. Advertisement Carlos Correa recently described Clemens, who's batting .304/.391/.696 with five home runs in 65 plate appearances with the Twins, as the club's most valuable player. Lee called him a role model and an instigator. Ryan Jeffers praised the veteran's ability to successfully find a niche in a new clubhouse. Outstanding performances by Clemens, whose clutch hits put the Twins ahead late in three victories — including a May 19 walk-off against the Cleveland Guardians — and tied another contest, make it easier to fit into a new environment. But Clemens also believes some of it stems from his choice to leave behind the pressure he'd placed on himself when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, who designated him for assignment on April 23 before trading him to the Twins for cash. Recognizing his demanding role as a pinch hitter for the Phillies made it more difficult to enjoy playing, Clemens decided during three-plus days in career limbo that whichever team acquired him would receive a player focused on hard work on the field who also kept it light in the clubhouse. 'It's hard to not put pressure on those at-bats because it might be the only at-bat I get for five days,' Clemens said. 'I don't know if it was the unknown when I was DFA'd and didn't know what was about to happen, or what it would look like, but I came in and was like, 'I'm going to try and have fun and whatever happens happens.'' Clemens said being DFA'd surprised him. The 29-year-old felt his grasp of the Phillies' big picture was good. Right-handed pinch hitter Weston Wilson was coming off the injured list, but Clemens thought several younger players with minor-league options, who required everyday at-bats, would be sent down. Instead, it was him. 'It was out of the blue,' Clemens said. Knowing he'd either be outrighted to Triple A or acquired via a waiver claim or a trade, Clemens and his wife, Jessica, returned to Philadelphia the next day to pack up their apartment. Advertisement When his agent let him know the Phillies hoped to trade him, Clemens headed home to Houston. If he needed to wait, Clemens wanted to relax with family at his parents' lake house. Though he spent much of that day on the water, Clemens found time to take batting practice off his father, legendary pitcher Roger Clemens. The pair also looked at teams who might want him, the Twins among the five they thought to be a fit. Roger Clemens thought the time off benefited his son. 'You're doing the hardest thing you can do in baseball,' he said. 'You sit and then pinch hit with the game on the line, or you get a start against a guy like me or Pedro (Martinez). You've just got to go up and have good at-bats. You can't worry about results. … Those three days, he was able to clear his mind.' Kody Clemens didn't have much time to overthink. At 7:10 p.m. that night, Twins prospect Luke Keaschall suffered a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch. By 9:30 p.m., Clemens learned the Twins had traded for him and he'd be needed in Minneapolis by 1 p.m. the next day. At 2:30 a.m., Clemens headed to the airport to catch the first of two flights to ensure he'd arrive for first pitch. A sleep-deprived Clemens spent his first few days reading personalities in the clubhouse to determine which Twins players liked to talk and who was reserved. Three days later, a 200-minute rain delay in Cleveland gave Clemens a prime opportunity to spend quality time with his new teammates. They played ping-pong in the visiting clubhouse. Thus began a lively rivalry with Lee, who quickly learned Clemens possesses a killer serve. 'It's pretty good,' Lee said begrudgingly. '(I've returned it) a few times. … From the first day, it felt like he was at home. He was comfortable. He's a good personality and person. Easy to have around. I didn't think he had to mesh at all. He was immediately one of our guys.' Advertisement Clemens, too, liked the vibe. Two more lengthy rain delays in the May 1 series finale led to more ping-pong matches. Seeing how much everyone seemed to enjoy the competitive atmosphere, pitcher Chris Paddack, who played youth travel ball with Clemens, purchased a table for the team's clubhouse at Target Field. Noticing the Twins didn't already have one like the Phillies did, Clemens bought a putting mat and a two-way putter for golf contests. He also added a pitcher's glove to his equipment bag, courtesy of his father, to trash-talk the relievers who surround his stall in the home clubhouse. Clemens, who has a 4.22 career ERA in 10 2/3 innings pitched, insists he's one of them. 'It looks like it's straight out of Walmart,' Clemens said. 'I like to shoot the s—. I like to talk, and I've been messing around with Brooks. Him and I kind of give it back to each other. But we love it. … I'm not going to say I'm creating vibes, but I like to make it light and fun.' In April, the Twins needed all the joy they could find. When Clemens arrived, the team was 10-16 and playing clunky baseball. Already missing Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner and Willi Castro due to injuries, the Twins were suddenly without Keaschall, who had provided energy and outstanding play following his debut. Manager Rocco Baldelli was on the hot seat. At first, Clemens' good glove at second base got him a few starts over Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper. Then his bat started to make a difference. One week after the trade, Clemens provided a much-needed jolt when he belted a two-run, go-ahead homer to beat Boston at Fenway Park with his father in attendance. What a moment 😮 Kody Clemens homers in his first game at Fenway Park … of course Roger Clemens was there to go crazy for it! — MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2025 The one-run victory was the first of 13 wins in a row for the Twins. Eleven days later, Clemens provided another boost with a three-run home run in the eighth inning of a comeback win at Baltimore, another game in which Roger Clemens and his wife, Debbie, attended. From there, playing time increased. Advertisement 'It's crazy when you give a guy a fresh breath of air, a new team, a new environment, and he comes in and learns how the dynamic works and then steps up and performs as well as he has,' Jeffers said. On May 19, Clemens tripled in a run and later helped the Twins escape with a one-run win over Cleveland with a walk-off RBI double moments after the Guardians rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning. Kody Clemens since being traded to the Minnesota Twins: 44 AB | 14 H | 5 2B | 3 HR | 10 RBI | 3 BB | 15 K | .318/.388/.682 — Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 22, 2025 On Saturday, Clemens blasted a game-tying homer in the sixth inning of an eventual one-run win over Kansas City. 'All he's done since he came in is hit and hit for power, which is exactly what we needed,' Correa said in describing Clemens as the team's MVP. 'He's been a breakthrough player for us. I'm happy he's on our side.' 5 straight games with an extra-base hit for Kody Clemens! Tie game! #MNTwins This crowd is rocking. — Dustin Morse (@morsecode) May 24, 2025 His former manager, Rob Thomson, isn't surprised by Clemens' success. A longtime friend of Roger Clemens from their New York Yankees days, the Phillies manager has always been a fan of the younger Clemens. He knew Kody Clemens would enjoy playing for Baldelli and thought he'd benefit from the opportunity to play more regularly. 'I'm extremely happy for him,' Thomson said. 'We knew what type of player he can be. We just didn't have a fit for him, and that's really what it came down to. He's great in the clubhouse. He can really hit. He can play multiple positions. He works his tail off every single day. You can't say enough good things about him.' Since joining the Twins, Clemens has increased his bat speed by 2 mph, according to Baseball Savant. While he thinks he's simply reached his physical peak, his father believes it's another benefit of additional playing time. Advertisement 'It's like a pitcher in spring training (building strength) to the end of spring training and breaking camp,' Roger Clemens said. 'It's nothing we haven't seen. But what I think people forget, and Rocco is seeing: (Kody) loves these guys and said it's a great clubhouse. … He wants to play ball and wants to win, and he's been like that since he was 5 years old. He has intangibles. His baseball IQ is off the charts. He makes players around him better, he's always done that.' Kody Clemens is thrilled about the opportunity he's received with the Twins, who are 20-9 since he arrived. He likes how he's played and handled himself in the clubhouse. 'I can't ask for anything more,' he said. As he thought back to his brief period in career limbo, Clemens laughed because he realized he learned more about the 'business of baseball' in three days than his father ever did in 24 seasons as a player. 'He's never experienced the business of baseball,' Clemens said. 'I try to tell my mom. At least from the scenarios where I wasn't playing, she wants me to be more vocal about the decision-making, and, 'Go stand up for yourself.' I'm like, 'Mom, you understand your husband could walk off the field, and he had all the leverage in the world? I've gotta show that I can play and gain leverage.'' If he keeps this up, Clemens might gain that leverage. — The Athletic's Matt Gelb contributed to this story
New York Times
28-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Brooks Lee is starting to earn key Twins at-bats and manager Rocco Baldelli's trust
Brooks Lee's offensive numbers in his sophomore season are modest, including a mediocre .235 batting average entering Tuesday and a .638 OPS that sat 70 points below the league-wide mark, but it's apparent the Minnesota Twins' switch-hitting infielder has already gained manager Rocco Baldelli's trust. Advertisement Baldelli speaks about Lee as if he were a 10-year MLB veteran rather than a 24-year-old in his first full season with the Twins, praising his baseball IQ, work ethic and calm demeanor. Part of that is due to Lee looking competent defensively at three positions, a sure way to any manager's heart. 'No matter what we ask him to do,' Baldelli said, 'Brooks will be ready.' Lee has bounced seamlessly between second base and third base, and has also filled in capably for Carlos Correa at shortstop when needed, allowing Baldelli to mix and match infield alignments for a banged-up lineup that's often been forced to improvise because of injuries. 'You can throw things at him and he can handle them,' Baldelli said. 'I'm into challenging players. I think they respond and grow and turn into even better versions of themselves. And he's got really good ability. He doesn't have a ton of major-league experience, but you see him getting better.' But it's the relatively subtle strides Lee has recently made at the plate that have earned Baldelli's most effusive praise. After failing to generate much hard contact as a rookie, Lee has raised his average exit velocity from 85.8 mph to 89.6 mph and upped his hard-hit rate from 25 percent to 39 percent. 'I think the way he's approaching his at-bats really stands out right now,' Baldelli said. 'He's seeing the ball deeper and he's fouling tough pitches off. And when he gets a mistake, and something he wants to offer at and take a good pass at, he's in position to do so. He's really developing as a hitter.' Brooks got all of that one! — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 11, 2025 Lee has four homers in 39 games this season after totaling three homers in 50 games as a rookie. His expected slugging percentage has risen from .340 to .406 and he's elevating the ball much more, giving himself a larger opportunity for extra bases. Doing that without a sizable jump in strikeouts shows progress toward becoming a more reliably dangerous hitter. But there's still plenty of room for improvement. Lee chases too many pitches outside the strike zone and specifically struggles to lay off low changeups. Advertisement Last year, opponents tested the rookie by throwing 51.8 percent of pitches in the zone, well above the 48.7 percent league-wide rate. But because Lee chased non-strikes so often, they've adjusted their game plan against him this year, throwing just 46.5 percent of pitches in the zone. That's a big change. After seeing 55 percent fastballs as a rookie, Lee has faced just 45.3 percent fastballs this season. That's the lowest rate in the Twins' lineup, by far, and the third-lowest rate among 113 qualified American League hitters, one spot behind the world's scariest slugger, Aaron Judge. Teams identified plate discipline as a weakness for Lee and are making him prove he can lay off borderline pitches. He's responded by cutting his chase rate from an ugly 35.8 percent to a merely run-of-the-mill poor 30.8 percent, but it's still something teams exploit for whiffs or weak contact. 'It's a roller coaster,' Lee said. 'I'm trying to do a good job (bouncing back from slumps). Personally, it feels like I struggle with it. I put a lot of stock in every at-bat. I've always been that way. That's why I thank my teammates all the time, because they care about me. They want to make sure that I'm not going down in the deep end.' But that's also generally to be expected for a 24-year-old, and Lee's contact skills are still a sturdy foundation on which to build. However, he'll need to make adjustments of his own or risk letting smart pitchers turn a strength (strikeout avoidance) into a weakness (popups and other easy outs). Of late, Baldelli has often had Lee in the middle of the lineup, which speaks to the manager's belief in his ability to put together competitive at-bats and come through in big spots. Lee did both in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals, going 3-for-5 with a walk-off single — on an in-zone fastball. 'I was happy I got a guy who threw lots of fastballs, to be honest,' Lee said. 'Just trying to make sure that I got my pitch. Runners on second and third doesn't mean anything. I just tried to get something out over the plate, stick with my approach and hopefully good things happen. And it did.' Brooks Lee and the @Twins walk it off for the SECOND consecutive day! — MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2025 He's batting .288 with runners on base overall, .345 with runners in scoring position and .360 in high-leverage situations, making an impact beyond his middling overall stats. Lee has a positive Win Probability Added despite a below-average OPS, justifying his prime lineup spot with clutch moments. Advertisement 'There is a reason why we're willing to hit (Lee) up towards the top of the order on certain days,' Baldelli said. 'I like the way he responds to different situations. And he's putting himself in a position to succeed by the way he's approaching the game.' That responsibility isn't lost on Lee, who spent most of his injury-filled and unproductive rookie campaign batting at the bottom of the order. Now he's a key contributor for a team that's won 23 of its last 32 games to climb into prime playoff position following a brutal 7-15 start. 'I'm thankful for that, where (Baldelli) puts me in the lineup,' Lee said. 'It just means they have faith in me, and it puts faith in myself. Not be so hard on myself. That's a special thing for me, to go out there and play every day. Get at-bats right-handed and left-handed. Play second, short and third.' Bigger picture, the skills that made Lee a college star playing for his father Larry Lee at Cal Poly, and later the No. 8 pick in the 2022 draft and a top-50 prospect, have been on display. He's a versatile, sure-handed fielder. He has a smooth swing and very good contact skills. And he acts like a coach's kid. The next step for Lee is more consistency, specifically tightening up his plate discipline to force pitchers to attack him in the zone, where he can take better advantage of his natural bat-to-ball ability to fully unlock every ounce of power. He's on the right track, and has his manager's faith. 'He's a player who can help you win in a lot of different ways,' Baldelli said. 'You're talking about a switch-hitting infielder who has adaptability, a good baseball head and IQ, and who's also making adjustments at the plate from both sides. It's something new every day that he's bringing to the table.'
Reuters
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
MLB roundup: Twins get second straight walk-off win over Royals
May 25 - Brooks Lee gave Minnesota its second walk-off win in as many days as his ninth-inning RBI single lifted the Twins to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday in Minneapolis. Lee's second three-hit game of the season ended with a two-out, slow-roller up the middle off Steven Cruz and allowed Carlos Correa to score from third. Harrison Bader hit his fifth home run of the season and Kody Clemens got his fourth to lead Minnesota's comeback. The Twins had lost their previous 39 games when trailing by four or more runs. Vinnie Pasquantino had his third three-hit game of the season for the Royals, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 and drove in a run while Maikel Garcia extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single and two RBIs. Braves 7, Padres 1 Ronald Acuna Jr. smashed his second 400-foot-plus homer in as many days to lead host Atlanta to the win over San Diego. Grant Holmes (3-3) allowed one run and six hits over seven innings. Danny Baldwin posted three hits while Alex Verdugo contributed two hits and two runs and Ozzie Albies (2-for-4) stretched his hitting streak to 10 games. Scheduled starter Michael King was scratched due to shoulder soreness, so reliever Sean Reynolds (0-1) made his first MLB start and allowed six hits and three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill notched two hits apiece and Machado drove in the lone run to make it 1-1 in the third. Pirates 2, Brewers 1 Oneil Cruz recorded two hits, including a go-ahead RBI triple, to propel Pittsburgh to a one-run victory over visiting Milwaukee. One day after hitting two home runs to help the Pirates defeat the Brewers, Cruz roped a line drive off reliever Tyler Alexander (2-5) in the seventh that reached the right-center wall to drive in Isiah Kiner-Falefa with the eventual winning run. Mitch Keller allowed one run over six innings. The Brewers mounted a rally in the ninth, but Pirates reliever David Bednar induced a game-ending 6-3 double play from Brice Turang to pick up his fifth save of the season. Milwaukee's Quinn Priester, who made his first career start against the team that drafted him in the first round in 2019, gave up one run on six hits over six innings. Nationals 3, Giants 0 Jake Irvin pitched eight scoreless innings and James Wood hit a two-run home run to lead Washington to a victory over visiting San Francisco. Irvin (4-1) allowed three hits while striking out seven and walking two on 96 pitches. Keibert Ruiz added two hits for Washington, which has won six of seven. Kyle Harrison (0-1), making his first start this season in place of the injured Justin Verlander, gave up two runs on five hits over four innings. Tyler Fitzgerald had two of the three hits for the Giants. Reds 6, Cubs 4 Elly De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a home run, a stolen base and four RBIs to lead Cincinnati to a victory over visiting Chicago. TJ Friedl also had two hits and Santiago Espinal scored twice for Cincinnati, which snapped a three-game skid. Andrew Abbott (4-0) allowed one run on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Despite allowing a homer to Carson Kelly to begin the ninth, Emilio Pagan bounced back to notch his 13th save. Justin Turner added a solo homer and Matt Shaw had three hits for Chicago, which had its three-game winning streak ended. Cubs starter Colin Rea (3-1) surrendered six runs on seven hits over five innings. White Sox 10, Rangers 5 Lenyn Sosa delivered a bases-clearing double and Joshua Palacios cracked a two-run homer as Chicago rallied for the victory over visiting Texas. Andrew Benintendi slashed a go-ahead two-run double as part of a six-run sixth, Luis Robert Jr. recorded his first three-hit game of the season and Mike Tauchman hit his first homer for the White Sox, who can pull off their first series sweep of the year on Sunday. Starter Bryse Wilson went four innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits. Jack Leiter threw five innings of six-hit, two-run ball for the Rangers before giving way to four relievers who combined to allow eight runs across three innings. Adolis Garcia poked a solo homer in the eighth. Yankees 13, Rockies 1 Austin Wells had two hits in a 10-run fifth inning, Aaron Judge homered for the second straight game and New York routed Colorado in Denver. Paul Goldschmidt, DJ LeMahieu, Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe had three hits and Jasson Dominguez contributed two hits for New York to back another strong outing by Max Fried. Fried (7-0) allowed a run on six hits and struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings. Michael Toglia had an RBI triple for Colorado, which missed a chance for two straight wins. Kyle Freeland (0-7) allowed eight runs -- four earned -- on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Astros 2, Mariners 1 Framber Valdez recorded his fourth consecutive quality start to claim a riveting pitchers' duel and lead Houston Astros to a victory over visiting Seattle. Valdez (4-4) allowed one run on four hits and four walks over six innings. He has surrendered six total runs over his last four starts and 28 innings. Houston won all four contests. Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo (5-2) allowed a season-high nine hits over six innings. He surrendered two unearned runs. Guardians 7, Tigers 5 (10 innings) Kyle Manzardo and Angel Martinez each hit RBI doubles in the top of the 10th inning to lift visiting Cleveland to a win over Detroit. Bo Naylor had a sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter Nolan Jones added an RBI single in the four-run 10th for Cleveland. Ramirez and Manzardo each had two hits for the Guardians, and starter Luis Ortiz allowed three earned runs on four hits in his five innings of work. Detroit responded in its half of the 10th, cutting the Cleveland lead to 7-5 on a two-run double to left-center field by Gleyber Torres off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase. But Clase stifled the Detroit rally by inducing a foulout from Colt Keith and a groundout by Riley Greene to end the game. Red Sox 6, Orioles 5 (Game 1, 10 innings) Rafael Devers hit a game-ending single with one out in the 10th inning and host Boston outlasted the Baltimore Orioles for a victory in the first game of a doubleheader. Devers gave the Red Sox their fifth win in seven games. After Gregory Soto (0-2) retired Jarren Duran, Devers chopped a fastball to center field to easily score automatic runner Cedanne Rafaela. The Red Sox used six relievers, including Greg Weissert (2-1), who pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 10th. Baltimore starter Zach Eflin allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits in five-plus innings. The Orioles scored three in the fifth off Hunter Dobbins and Sean Newcomb. Heston Kjerstad scored on a groundout by Jackson Holiday before Gunnar Henderson blasted a double. Adley Rutschman then scored on a wild pitch. Orioles 2, Red Sox 1 (Game 2) Ryan O'Hearn and Dylan Carlson recorded RBI hits in the final two innings to lift visiting Baltimore to a win over Boston in the back end of a split doubleheader. A duel between Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers and Boston counterpart Lucas Giolito remained scoreless after both bullpens took over, with the visitors -- who recorded eight of the 13 total hits in the game -- taking advantage of multiple walks in both of their run-scoring innings. Abraham Toro had the lone Red Sox RBI on a ninth-inning home run, while Kristian Campbell was 2-for-4. Brennan Bernardino (2-2) took the loss. Cardinals 6, Diamondbacks 5 Jordan Walker went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs as St. Louis edged visiting Arizona with a wild back-and-forth finish. Walker snapped a 5-5 tie in the eighth with a two-out single off reliever Justin Martinez (1-2) that drove in Alec Burleson with what proved to be the winning run. Ryan Helsley (2-0) stranded two runners in scoring position in the ninth to close out the victory. Josh Naylor and Randal Grichuk drove in two runs each for the Diamondbacks, who lost their fourth straight game. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly allowed four runs on six hits in six-plus innings. Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 Junior Caminero belted a three-run homer and Shane Baz tossed 5 2/3 solid innings to fuel host Tampa Bay to a victory over Toronto. Caminero's homer in the first inning was his ninth of the season, pulling him into a tie with Brandon Lowe for the team lead. The early power surge proved to be enough for Baz (4-3), who allowed one run on four hits. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to lead off the sixth for the Blue Jays. Jose Berrios (1-2) saw his winless stretch extended to eight starts despite permitting just three runs on three hits in six innings. Mets 5, Dodgers 2 Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the fourth inning as host New York beat Los Angeles in the middle game of a three-game series. David Peterson (3-2) earned the victory while tossing a career-high-tying 7 2/3 innings for the Mets, who won for just the third time in nine games. The Dodgers had their three-game winning streak halted. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the second on an RBI single by Enrique Hernandez and a run-scoring groundout by Dalton Rushing. But the Mets mounted two-out rallies in the second and fourth innings against Los Angeles starter Tony Gonsolin (2-1). Brett Baty went 3-for-3 and drove in a pair. Marlins 6, Angels 2 Connor Norby hit a three-run homer and visiting Miami snapped Los Angeles' eight-game winning streak with a victory. The Angels' Taylor Ward doubled in the ninth to secure his franchise-record 10th consecutive game with an extra-base hit. Ward has nine home runs and 27 RBIs in his last 18 games. The Marlins had lost three consecutive games. Ronny Henriquez (2-1) got the win with two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief. Los Angeles starter Jose Soriano (3-5) gave up three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Phillies 9, Athletics 6 (11 innings) Kyle Schwarber hit his 18th homer of the season and later lined a two-run tiebreaking double in the 11th inning to lead Philadelphia to a victory over the Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif. Nick Castellanos drove in two runs, one on a sacrifice fly to score Schwarber in the 11th as the Phillies extended their season-best winning streak to nine games. Max Lazar worked out of an 11th-inning jam by striking out Davidson to record his first career save for the Phillies, who have won 13 of their past 14 road games. The Athletics saw their season-worst losing streak reach 11 games. They were two outs away from a victory before Max Kepler delivered a ninth-inning homer to right off closer Mason Miller to tie the score at 6. Brent Rooker hit a homer in the eighth inning to give the Athletics a 6-5 lead. Jacob Wilson and Miguel Andujar each had three hits and an RBI for the A's. --Field Level Media
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Lee's single gives Twins second straight walk-off win over Kansas City, 5-4
Brooks Lee hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Minnesota Twins their second straight walk off against the Kansas City Royals, this time overcoming a four-run deficit for a 5-4 win on Saturday. Harrison Bader and Kody Clemens homered for Minnesota, which won for the 16th time in 18 games. Pinch-hitter Carlos Correa walked against Daniel Lynch IV (3-1) to open the Minnesota ninth and advanced to second two batters later when pinch-hitter Ryan Jeffers also walked. With Steven Cruz pitching, Lee grounded a ball up the middle for his first career walk-off hit. Ty France hit a two-run home run in the ninth in the Twins 3-1 win on Friday. Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran (3-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Vinnie Pasquantino had three hits for Kansas City, which struck out a season-high 18 times. Bobby Witt Jr. tied a career high with four of those. Pasquantino had an RBI double and Salvador Perez an RBI single in the fifth for a 4-0 Kansas City lead, but Bader homered and France had a two-out, two-run single in the inning to get the Twins within 4-3. Clemens tied the game with a home run leading off the sixth against Royals' starter Michael Wacha, who allowed seven hits and four earned runs in five-plus innings. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, Kansas City's Drew Waters bounced back to Duran to end the threat. In his second start since being recalled from Triple-A last Sunday, Minnesota's Zebby Matthews needed 81 pitches to get through four innings. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits but struck out a career-high nine. Royals LHP Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47) will face Twins RHP Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.68) on Sunday.
Reuters
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Royals walk off Royals for 2nd straight day
May 24 - Brooks Lee gave Minnesota its second walk-off win in as many days as his ninth-inning RBI single lifted the Twins to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday in Minneapolis. Lee's second three-hit game of the season ended with a two-out, slow-roller up the middle off Steven Cruz and allowed Carlos Correa to score from third. Harrison Bader hit his fifth home run of the season and Kody Clemens got his fourth to lead Minnesota's comeback. The Twins had lost their previous 39 games when trailing by four or more runs. Vinnie Pasquantino had his third three-hit game of the season for the Royals, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 and drove in a run while Maikel Garcia extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single and two RBIs. However, the Royals also struck out a season-high 18 times. Zebby Matthews struck out a career-high nine batters for the Twins. However, the 25-year-old righty making his second start of the season lasted only four innings as he needed 58 pitches to labor through the second and third innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk. Pasquantino and Perez teamed up to double the Royals lead in the fifth off Justin Topa, giving Kansas City a 4-0 advantage. Michael Wacha needed just 37 pitches to get through his first four innings for the Royals, but Bader took his first pitch of the fifth to the left-field seats to make it a three-run game. That started a three-run fifth to get the Twins back in the game, capped by Ty France's two-out, two-run single to right. The Royals' starter left after Clemens led off the sixth with a home run. Waching gave up seven hits and a walk with a strikeout in five-plus innings. It stayed that way until the ninth, when Correa drew a leadoff pinch-hit walk off Daniel Lynch IV (3-1). Pinch-hitter Ryan Jeffers got a one-out walk off Lynch, who was replaced by Cruz. while Cruz induced a groundout on a comebacker, his brief bobble of the ball prevented the Royals from getting a double play. That set the stage for Lee's heroics, which earned Johan Duran (3-0) the victory after recording a scoreless ninth. --Field Level Media
