Buxton, who will participate in next week’s Home Run Derby, 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 had received a Buxton bobblehead giveaway at the park.
The cycle was the first for any player in Target Field history since the ballpark opened in 2010. It was the first cycle by a Twins player since Jorge Polanco had one in 2019.
The cycle-completing homer for Buxton was his 21st of the season, tied for fifth-most in the American League.
Buxton was replaced in center field after the seventh inning, but not before receiving a standing ovation curtain call from the Twins fans in attendance.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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