Minneapolis – Somehow, the Minnesota Twins came back.
No, this will not be explained by one abstract sentence like Palpatine’s return was in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was a hard-fought battle by a team whose season will be over in two weeks and a postseason contender still fighting for its best position.
What looked to be another 10-1 blowout loss to baseball’s most hated franchise became easier for Twins fans to swallow after they rallied for seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings and got one more home run swing from Trevor Larnach in the ninth to make it a 10-9 loss.
Trevor Larnach sends a solo shot to right field to make this a one-run game! 😱 pic.twitter.com/IkF8n8lIQf
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 17, 2025
“We almost won the game, this close to winning the game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said while pinching his fingers together. “Now I wanted to slap everybody on the backside on the way in after the game for the work they put in. It was serious work.”
The Twins created an early deficit when Zebby Matthews gave up nine runs in three innings, as many as he had in his past three starts. New York’s hitters immediately hit everything off him. Matthews was executing pitches in the zone, but almost every pitch landed in every hitter’s swing path, save Jazz Chisholm Jr., whom he struck out twice.
“I mean, it’s honestly going to be tough to pinpoint here with how the outing went,” Matthews said. “They put really good swings on some pitches that I thought I executed well enough to get outs on. That’s baseball at the same time. You still have to go out there, pitch and get outs, and I wasn’t able to do that today.”
“I think a big part of what happened today, I think he threw a lot of middle, middle pitches,” said Baldelli. “There wasn’t very much going his way today in any form.”
Matthews felt he located his pitches well, but as Baldelli said, they caught too much of the plate. It ultimately led to the Yankees going 11-for-20 with two walks and a 2-run home run from Trent Grisham that ended his night early.
However, 31-year-old rookie Ryan Fitzgerald ignited Minnesota’s comeback with a one-out double in the fifth that handed things over to his doppelganger James Outman, who blasted a 2-run homer to make it a 10-3 game.
MIN – James Outman 2-run HR (5)
📏 443 ft | 💨 110.5 mph | 📐 28°
⚾️ 97.5 mph four-seam fastball (NYY – RHP Cam Schlittler)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 MLB parks
NYY (10) @ MIN (3)
🔻 5th#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/bNYisIw4Nv
— MLB Home Runs🚀 (@MLBHRs_) September 17, 2025
It was Outman’s third home run in 75 plate appearances since joining the Twins on Aug. 16, surpassing the two he hit with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 20 games before the trade this year. Outman is still hitting below the Mendoza line, but he’s still hitting better than he was with the Dodgers earlier this season.
“I think just getting used to [a] new team and everything,” said Outman. “I’ve always felt like I was a good player. But just getting consistent at-bats, and finding a routine that I believe in and just taking it into the games has been huge.”
The Twins would get one more run in the fifth courtesy of Byron Buxton, who created chaos on the base paths after reaching on a walk after Outman’s at-bat. Buxton easily stole second base. After Larnach drew a walk two batters later, he went on the first pitch to Kody Clemens and led a double steal to third.
Austin Wells’ throw to Ryan McMahon at third went a little off line, and as Buxton slid over third, McMahon accidentally stepped on Buck’s right hand, causing immediate concern. Fortunately for Buxton, the sting went away quickly, and he manufactured a run by scoring on a wild pitch.
Byron Buxton refuses to be stopped. Two more steals tonight, his hand stomped on, and he still stayed in the game & scored. Pure grit.#MNTwins | #MLB pic.twitter.com/xA2ieAfH1M
— Talkin’ Twins (@TalkinTwins) September 17, 2025
“It’s fun to be able to create chaos,” Buxton said. “I know just going through our hitters’ meetings, going through our meetings, that’s something we’re harping on quite a bit, stealing bases, taking that extra 90 feet, just putting pressure on them. It’s baseball. Anything can happen. It’s just about keep playing hard and playing the game the right way.”
Fitzgerald joined in on the fun the next inning, hitting his third home run of the year an inning later, and bringing the score to 10-7. For a player who isn’t in the lineup every day, Fitzgerald has provided a lot of spark whenever he is in the starting lineup, something Baldelli has appreciated from the long-time pro.
“We were watching him play, and Jayce [Tingler] and I were on the bench. We were both in agreement that he’s been preparing for this for his entire life,” said Baldelli. “Everything he’s done and gone through was in preparation for today’s game, and he’ll do it again tomorrow, and it’ll all be in preparation for tomorrow’s game, too. And I think that’s how he treats it.”
Minnesota’s bullpen held New York’s lineup to just one run in five innings of work, with Cody Laweryson, Thomas Hatch, Génesis Cabrera, and Michael Tonkin pitching. Larnach’s homer in the ninth made it a one-run game. However, they couldn’t overcome a nine-run deficit, and what could have been the best Twins comeback victory all year fell short.
The outcome of this game will not sit well with the Twins clubhouse. Still, Baldelli liked the fight his team gave and what it does for them going forward.
“We’ve got some guys that refuse to stop playing hard and want to win at all costs,” said Baldelli. “You want the win at the back end of this for sure, but I fully enjoyed watching our guys compete out there and do what they did. That was fantastic.”