Minneapolis \u2013 The Minnesota Twins haven\u2019t won a series since the start of June, when they won three of four against the Athletics. However, they had lost nine straight and tied a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners during their last homestand.<\/p>\n
The Twins started their homestand right on Friday with a walk-off victory over the Tampa Bay Rays to win 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Harrison Bader<\/a> hit a home run off the first pitch he saw to lead off the inning. In Saturday\u2019s 6-5 walk-off win, they\u2019d need to change course and win on what the Twins called \u2018Big West baseball at its finest.\u2019<\/p>\n Byron Buxton<\/a> led off the ninth with a walk against Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger<\/a>, and Willi Castro<\/a> followed up with a single to right field to advance Buxton from first to third with nobody out. That set the stage for Brooks Lee<\/a>, who came into the game as a pinch hitter for Trevor Larnach<\/a> in the 7th, to show Twins Territory what Big West baseball at its finest looked like.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I was like, \u2018Are we bunting?\u2019 and I had to go make sure,\u201d said Lee postgame. \u201cI was comfortable with it. I thought I was going to get it down, and I saw it happen in my mind, and I did.\u201d<\/p>\n The first pitch Lee saw from Cleavinger was a fastball down the middle, which he bunted perfectly down the first base line to score Buxton for the game-winning run. Lee, who has only bunted twice in a game since his college days and got yelled at both times for doing so, was happy to have the results play out differently this time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great just being in the moment in that opportunity, no matter what happens,\u201d said Lee. \u201cThat just means that we\u2019re getting guys up consistently, we\u2019re passing the baton to be in that situation, it\u2019s not like we\u2019re going down. Buck gets on with a walk, that\u2019s huge. That\u2019s why he\u2019s the catalyst of our lineup, but yeah, it was crazy, and it\u2019s a good feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had some good at-bats today, but let\u2019s not wait around too long,\u201d said Rocco Baldelli<\/a> after the game. \u201cIf Brooks can get the bunt down \u2014 and it\u2019s not an easy bunt \u2014 but if he can get the bunt down, Buck\u2019s going to be safe. I just simplified it in my mind like that\u2026. It was really well executed and, honestly, a perfect way to end the game.\u201d<\/p>\n As fun as it was for the Twins to get back-to-back walk-off wins, they wouldn\u2019t get the opportunity to do so without Jhoan Dur\u00e1n<\/a> throwing two scoreless innings to cap off the bullpen game, and a game-tying three-run home run from Kody Clemens<\/a> in the bottom of the sixth.<\/p>\n Dur\u00e1n was on the mound for back-to-back innings for the first time since September 26, 2024. He knew the Twins might ask him to go more than one on a bullpen day, especially with Brock Stewart<\/a> throwing 23 pitches and Louie Varland going two full innings in Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to throw two innings,\u201d Dur\u00e1n said. \u201cBut if I need to throw it to help the team, I\u2019ll do it. I feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n Dur\u00e1n\u2019s biggest challenge of the afternoon came in the top of the ninth. Rays catcher Danny Jansen<\/a> (3-for-3 Saturday) reached on a one-out single, and they used Jos\u00e9 Caballero<\/a>, the MLB leader in stolen bases with 31, as a pinch runner. Caballero was able to go from first to third with a successful steal of second base, with Dur\u00e1n throwing a wild pitch on the mound.<\/p>\n With Yandy D\u00edaz<\/a> at the plate, who is 4-for-12 with six RBI when there\u2019s a runner on third this season, it became one of the most critical outs for Dur\u00e1n to get in 2025. He battled back against D\u00edaz, striking him out on a high fastball gunned at 101.1 MPH.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t put a strikeout in my mentality,\u201d said Dur\u00e1n. \u201cI know he\u2019s a good hitter. I tried to the best I can and get the out. If he hits a fly ball on the infield, a ground ball on the infield, I\u2019d take it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Dur\u00e1n walked the next man, Brandon Lowe<\/a>, on five pitches and set up a precarious situation with runners on the corners for Junior Caminero<\/a>, Tampa\u2019s home run leader with 21. Dur\u00e1n got Caminero to fly out on a splinker to center field, and that kept the Twins in the game to secure their first series victory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge effort,\u201d said Baldelli. \u201cWe needed it, and we had guys to come in if the game was extended, but getting that out of him and him being willing to do it and him kind of taking on that responsibility means a lot and helps us a lot, so it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n The walk-off victory brought Baldelli\u2019s career wins mark to 500-459. He became the fourth Twins manager ever to reach 500 wins behind Tomy Kelly (1,140), Ron Gardenhire<\/a> (1,068), and Sam Mele<\/a> (524). As impressive of a benchmark as it is for Baldelli\u2019s managerial career, the accolades are not the most important stuff for him.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a manager and a staff member and a guy that\u2019s there to support the players and get them wherever they need to be, I don\u2019t normally think about it like that,\u201d said Baldelli. \u201cI do appreciate it and the very kind words from a lot of people, but watching the guys play like that, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. That\u2019s why people come to the ballpark. You\u2019ve got to give the people what they want, and that is small ball apparently sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was cool,\u201d said Saturday\u2019s starter Cole Sands<\/a>, who pitched a perfect first inning for the Twins. \u201cI actually didn\u2019t realize it until they said it, but that\u2019s pretty amazing. Nothing you can take for granted there. That\u2019s pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n