Latest news with #cycle
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins' Byron Buxton hits for the cycle, the first at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton admitted to feeling a little added pressure before Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was his bobblehead day, meaning the first 10,000 fans to walk through the gates at Target Field would receive a replica of Buxton doing his 'Buck Truck' home run celebration. 'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous before the game started, just knowing it was bobblehead day,' Buxton said. 'Obviously you want to come out and do something good.' Advertisement Buxton did more than something good. He became the first player to hit for the cycle at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010, helping ignite the Twins to a 12-4 win over the Pirates. It was the 12th cycle in Twins history and the first since Jorge Polanco had one in 2019. Buxton had three hits through three innings — a single in the first, a triple in the six-run second and a double in the third. After singling again in the fifth, he had one more opportunity in the bottom of the seventh. Buxton, who will participate in next week's Home Run Derby in Atlanta, crushed a 427-foot solo homer off Pirates reliever Andrew Heaney with two outs in the seventh to make it an 11-3 game and complete the cycle. That brought the Target Field crowd to its feet, many of which celebrated with Buxton bobbleheads. Advertisement With his team holding a comfortable lead, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli almost took Buxton out of the game before his final at-bat, he admitted afterward. Thankfully for Baldelli — and Buxton — a few coaches reminded the skipper what was at stake. 'He was 4 for 4 at the time. But with everything going on during a game, sometimes I'll be the one that might miss on a hitting streak or something that's going on with a particular player," Baldelli said. 'But once they reminded me of that, he was going to stay in the game. He was going to get another at-bat, regardless of the score, and give him a chance to do something great.' The homer was Buxton's 21st of the season, tied for fifth most in the American League. With two runs driven in Saturday, Buxton now has 55 RBIs on the season — just one shy of his single-season high. He boasts an OPS of .921 and is 17 for 17 in stolen bases. 'It's one of the greatest first halves I've ever witnessed," Baldelli said. Advertisement Buxton was replaced in center field after the seventh inning, but not before getting a standing ovation curtain call from Twins fans. He also received a Gatorade bath courtesy of teammate Ty France, who was headed to the clubhouse before realizing that nobody had doused Buxton yet after the game. 'It's special," Buxton said. 'To be able to come out on bobblehead day like this and have a day like this is something I won't forget.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins' Byron Buxton celebrates bobblehead night by hitting for the cycle in win over Pirates
Byron Buxton had his bobblehead day on Saturday — and decided to celebrate by putting on a show. The Minnesota Twins center fielder hit for the cycle in the Twins' 12-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, putting up a dominant performance in front of an appreciative home crowd. Buxton achieve the feat in the seventh inning, after hitting a solo homer that went 447 feet into deep center. It's the first time that Buxton has hit for the cycle in his career. Buxton opened the game with a leadoff single in the top of the first inning. Then, in the second, he hit a deep triple, and scored on the next play to give Minnesota a 4-0 lead. An RBI double from Buxton in the third inning sent Ty France home and brought the Twins' lead to 7-0. Advertisement Buxton had another single in the fifth inning, but it was his seventh-inning homer that put him into the history books. In all, the center fielder ended the night with five hits in five at-bats, with two RBIs and three runs. Buxton's cycle marks the second time this season that someone has hit for the cycle this season: Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly achieved the feat in March against the Athletics. It's a somewhat rare achievement in baseball, with less than 30 active players who have hit for the cycle in their careers. Buxton's huge day anchored a strong performance from the Twins, who dominated the Pirates from the start. In addition to Buxton, second baseman Kody Clemens, designated hitter Matt Wallner and left fielder Willi Castro all hit home runs; Castro's homer came immeditately after Buxton's cycle-clinching one. Advertisement After a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh on Friday, Minnesota is now one game away from completing a home sweep against the Pirates, giving them some momentum heading into the All-Star break.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Buxton hits for the cycle on his bobblehead day as Twins beat Pirates, 12-4
MINNEAPOLIS — All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton hit for the cycle on his bobblehead day, completing it with a solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Minnesota Twins routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-4 on Saturday. Buxton hit a single in the first inning, a triple in the second and a double in the third. He singled again in the fifth before stepping to the plate in the seventh for one more chance at the first cycle ever at Target Field, which opened in 2010.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Byron Buxton hits for the cycle, Twins top Pirates
July 12 - Byron Buxton hit for the cycle for the first time in his career, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 12-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. Buxton finished 5-for-5 with two singles, a double, a triple, a home run and two RBIs for Minnesota. He became the first player to hit for the cycle in the history of Target Field and the 12th player to hit for the cycle in Twins history. Notably, he did it all on his own bobblehead promotional giveaway day. Willi Castro finished 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for the Twins, who improved to 6-2 on their homestand. Kody Clemens finished 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Jack Suwinski hit a solo homer for Pittsburgh, which will try to avoid a sweep on Sunday. Twins rookie right-hander Travis Adams (1-0) earned his first career win with four innings of relief. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits. Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows (1-3) gave up six runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings. The Twins erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second. Clemens started the scoring with a three-run shot to right. Buxton, who hit an infield single in the first inning, tripled to center in the at-bat after Clemens' homer and scored on a throwing error moments later. Trevor Larnach followed with a walk, and Ryan Jeffers and Brooks Lee capped the outburst with back-to-back, RBI hits. The Twins added three more runs in the third to increase their lead to 9-0. Buxton ripped a ground-rule double to drive in the first run of the inning. Castro followed with an RBI single to center, and Larnach hit a sacrifice fly to right. The Pirates got on the scoreboard with a run in the fourth. Andrew McCutchen drew a walk, advanced to second on a single by Bryan Reynolds and scored on a throwing error by Royce Lewis. Suwinski slammed a solo shot to cut the Pirates' deficit to 9-2 in the fifth. Wallner made it 10-2 for the Twins with a solo home run in the sixth. The back-and-forth scoring continued as Joey Bart hit an RBI single for the Pirates in the seventh. Buxton and Castro belted back-to-back, solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 12-3. Teammates jumped to the top step of the dugout to celebrate Buxton's blast over the wall in center, which finished off his milestone afternoon. Nick Gonzales hit an RBI single in the eighth to drive in the Pirates' fourth run. --Field Level Media
Fox News
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Twins' Byron Buxton mashes home run to complete cycle on his bobblehead day
Saturday afternoon at Target Field was Byron Buxton bobblehead day, but Minnesota Twins fans were treated to another Buxton gift. The All-Star outfielder hit for the cycle against the Pittsburgh Pirates and did it in grand fashion. Buxton started it off with a single in the bottom of the first as the Twins' leadoff hitter. During a six-run second inning for Minnesota, he tripled. Once you get a triple that early, you're on cycle watch. Buxton then hit a ground-rule double in the third inning, putting the pressure on for the rest of the game. In the fifth, Buxton got his fourth hit of the game, but it was a single. In the seventh, he went to the plate for the fifth, and possibly final, time. He quickly fell into an 0-2 hole, but it didn't matter. Buxton swung at an 80-mph breaking ball that clipped the lower part of the zone, and he got all of it. The ball traveled 427 feet into dead center, leaving his bat at 106 mph, and the crowd erupted. It was the first cycle ever hit at Target Field, which opened in 2010, and the first cycle by a Twin since 2019, when Jorge Polanco accomplished the feat. The last Twin to hit for the cycle at home was Michael Cuddyer in 2009, which was the final season of the Metrodome. Buxton is finally showing what he can do on the field becuase he's has been healthy for the majority of the season. He's played in over 100 games just twice since 2015, but he has played in 77 of a possible 85 games this season. He was named an All-Star for the second time in his career, also making it in 2022, when he mashed 28 homers in 92 games. But injuries derailed the rest of his season. In 2021, he played in just 61 games but accumulated a 4.9 WAR by slashing .306/.358/.647 with 19 homers and 32 RBIs. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
