The Minnesota Twins were able to snap their 18-game postseason losing streak after designated hitter Royce Lewis smashed two home runs in the 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lewis recorded homers in his first two at bats of the game during Minnesota’s American League Wild Card Series opener.
The first of his home runs was a two-run shot off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman in the first inning, followed by a leadoff drive in the third, that sent the home dugout and the sellout Target Field crowd into a frenzy.
The biggest celebration of the day occurred hours later when Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth to close the first victory in the playoffs for the Twins since October 5, 2004.
The Twins had the longest postseason losing streak in major North American professional sports. It was the first home win for the Twins in the playoffs since Game 1 of the ALCS in 2002 at the Metrodome.
The Minnesota Twins were able to snap their 18-game postseason losing streak on Tuesday
DH Royce Lewis smashed two home runs in the 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays
Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth to close Twins’ first victory in the playoffs since October 5
Lewis was a three-year-old then. He’s the type of big-time player – with five grand slams in 70 career games – that could lead the Twins on an actual postseason run instead of just hanging a division title banner and leaving the party after three or four days.
Pablo López also delivered a strong playoff debut for Minnesota, permitting one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
He wore a Johan Santana jersey to the ballpark, a nod to not only his Venezuelan boyhood hero but the last Twins pitcher to win a postseason game.
Gausman’s day for the Blue Jays was more bumpy, finishing four innings with three hits and three walks.
The right-hander frequently asked for a new ball early in his outing and had trouble at one point with the wireless PitchCom device that is used to prevent sign stealing. Gausman had only one start shorter than this in 2023, when he logged 3 1/3 innings on May 4.
Game 2 is Wednesday afternoon. Game 3 would be Thursday, with the entire series in Minnesota under MLB’s postseason format.
The Blue Jays finally got on the board when Kevin Kiermaier´s two-out single drove in Bo Bichette in the sixth, but they left nine runners on base.
The Blue Jays carried their own October angst into this series, having not won a postseason game since the 2016 ALCS. They took two-game sweeps as wild cards in 2020 and 2022, and Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – two franchise cornerstones and the celebrated sons of former major leaguers – have not yet won a postseason game.
