We’re days away from the mid-summer classic, but as far as I’m concerned it was played on Saturday because Byron Buxton put on an All-Star show, collecting five hits in five trips to the plate, including his first career cycle and the first at Target Field, which opened in 2010.
To recap: Buck homered, tripled, doubled and singled twice, scored three runs and drove in two more to power the Twins to an easy 12-4 win over the Pirates.
He also accomplished the feat on his own bobblehead day at the ballpark.
“It’s special,” Buxton told MLB.com. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous before the game started, just knowing it was bobblehead day. Obviously, you want to come out and do something good. So to be able to come out on bobblehead day and have a day like this is something I won’t forget.”
The Twins go for the sweep on Sunday. Simeon Woods Richardson gets the ball.
Extra innings…
–The pitching victory went to rookie Travis Adams, who again followed an opener, and then tossed four innings with two runs allowed (one earned) on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
–Say what you will about Kody Clemens, but he continues to hit home runs and now has the third most on the team after he connected for No. 12 on Saturday. He doesn’t hit for average, but it’s clear he has some power.
–Buck’s dinger was his 21st and Matt Wallner connected for his 10th home run. And it’s remiss of me to forget Willi Castro, but he chipped in with No. 9 on the season.
–Buck’s cycle was the 12th in Twins history. Jorge Polanco last hit for the cycle in 2019, but the last one at home was produced by Michael Cuddyer on May 22, 2009, in an 11-3 win over the Brewers.
“Let’s say it was in the cards for me,” Cuddyer told the Star Tribune. “A broken bat down the left-field line to get the cycle is not something you see every day.”
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire thought it was fitting that Cuddyer clinched the cycle with a triple.
“He busts his tail every play,” he said. “When he swings the bat, he always runs the ball out.”
“I don’t think, even in Little League, I hit for the cycle before,” Cuddyer said. “It’s fun. You can’t really describe it. It doesn’t happen every day, and it’s a day I’ll always remember.”
–In that same game, Justin Morneau had three hits and Joe Mauer was still hitting better than .400 at .405.
–One disappointing note: A day after 40,000 fans filled Target Field for Joe Ryan vs. Paul Skenes, attendance fell to around 26,500 to see Buck in action on his bobblehead day.
Source: Newspapers.com