Hal McCoy
Brandon Williamson grew up 154 miles from Target Field in Fairmont, Minn., and spent his youth attending games and rooting for the Minnesota Twins.
And with close to 500 of his closest friends from close to his hometown, Williamson made the Twins wonder what kind of fan he was of their team.
With some major help from Eugenio Suarez, offensively and defensively, Williamson and the practically peerless Reds bullpen put down the Twins, 2-1, on an igloo-like Friday night.
And the Reds continue to pile up positive close game numbers as they remained tied for first place in the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates, both at 12-8.
The numbers?
The Reds are 5-0 in one-run games, baseball’s only undefeated team in one-run decisions.
The Reds are 11-0 in games when they lead after seven innings.
The Reds are 9-0 in games decided by two runs or less.
Cincinnati’s two runs came off the bat of Suarez, a two-run double in the fourth inning off Minnesota ace Joe Ryan.
With one out, Elly De La Cruz doubled off the center field wall with two strikes. Sal Stewart reached first with two strikes on a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Kreidler and De La Cruz took third.
Stewart stole second and with two strikes (it definitely was a pattern) Suarez smashed his two-run double.
It was the Reds only hit with runners in scoring position (1 for 6), but the Twins were 0 for 4, this from a team that leads MLB in hits with runners in scoring position at .321.
Williamson pitched six innings and gave up one run on three hits, walked four and struck out two. His two strikeouts were big.
And the frigid night air helped him immensely. Hitting a baseball on this night was like hitting a rock. The Twins hit several balls hard that died on the warning track and near the wall.
“I thought he handled himself really good,” Reds manager Tito Francona told reporters after the game. “He was having fun pitching. He looked like he was enjoying himself. I like that. When guys are enjoying themselves they are competing and then we’re OK.”
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Williamson throws to the Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 17, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Ellen Schmidt – FR171854 AP
The Twins filled the bases in the third on a hit batsman, a single by Byron Buxton and a walk, but Williamson caught Luke Keaschall gaping at strike three.
Williamson walked the first three hitters in the fifth with the Reds in front, 2-0.
Austin Martin lined one to right and Will Benson made a sliding catch on his knees that turned a bases-clearing double into a sacrifice fly.
Enter Suarez, usually the designated hitter but playing third base as Francona was searching for more offense and installed Nate Lowe as the designated hitter.
That meant defensive wizard Ke’Bryan Hayes was on the bench with his .064 batting average.
It looked as if Suarez was using Ke’Bryan’s glove.
After the sacrifice fly it was 2-1 and the Twins had runners on third and first with one out. Keaschall drove one to Suarez’s right. He made a backhanded stab and started a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
“I love playing third base,” said Suarez. “Those plays make me excited, makes me think I still have it and I’m not done playing third base yet.”
And he wasn’t done flashing leather.
Graham Ashcraft gave up a one-out walk and a two-out single in the seventh that put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.
Once again Suarez robbed Keaschall. This time he hit it between third and short. Suarez sprinted to his left, made a diving stop and threw him out.
“The first one was a better one for me,” said Suarez. “He hit it hard to me and I was able to make a double play. And that was my first thought.”
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Sal Stewart bats against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 17, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Ellen Schmidt – FR171854 AP
And the next one?
“I was just trying to save a run,” he told reporters. “I don’t want that ground ball to go to the outfield and I did it. It was good for me and good for our team to keep the game close.”
The bullpen — the bullpen with the lowest earned average in MLB — took it from there.
Tony Santillan gave up a leadoff single in the eighth, but retired the next three.
Emilio Pagan pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save and praised Williamson.
Cincinnati Reds right fielder Will Benson prepares to catch for an out on the Minnesota Twins during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, April 17, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Ellen Schmidt – FR171854 AP
“That was so cool,” he said. “I don’t have a team in my home state (South Carolina), so I don’t know what that feels like.
“To pitch against his favorite team in front of that many friends and family had to be a real surreal feeling. He handled it really great, threw the ball real well.”
When somebody said the Reds might have the game’s best bullpen, Pagan said, “Huh, we think so. The results are going to come and go with how often relievers throw.
“As long as we’re throwing the ball well, we don’t need to focus on results,” he added. “We’ve been executing pitches at a high level and it’s fun, fun to be a part of that group every day.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Minnesota
When: 2:10 p.m., Saturday, April 18
Streaming: Reds.TV
Radio: 700-AM, 1410-AM