Minnesota ends skid with first playoff win since 2004
MINNEAPOLIS — Royce Lewis felt a jolt of confidence from his inclusion on Minnesota’s roster for the AL Wild Card Series, ending the uncertainty around his hamstring strain.
Pablo López found inspiration in his closet, wearing a throwback jersey of his boyhood hero Johan Santana who just happened to be the last Twins pitcher to win a game in the playoffs.
The Twins and their fans fed off the energy, finally stopping that record 18-game postseason skid.
Lewis smashed the streak into the seats, homering in each of his first two at-bats to carry the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of their AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.
“It was a blessing to play today. That atmosphere was electric,” said Lewis, whose two-run shot off Kevin Gausman in the first inning and leadoff drive in the third sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy.
The bigger celebration occurred a few hours later when Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth to close the first victory for the Twins in the playoffs since Oct. 5, 2004, and vanquish the longest postseason skid in major North American professional sports.
“This was my team growing up. It’s still my team,” said Caleb Thielbar, a Minnesota native who pitched a perfect seventh. “I know how people feel, and I know what weight was lifted off everyone’s backs today.”
It was the first home win for the Twins in the playoffs since Game 1 of the ALCS in 2002 at the Metrodome.
Lewis was a 3-yearold 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.
“I thought the place was going to split open and melt, honestly,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It was out of this universe out there on the field. The fans took over the game. They helped us win today.”
López also had a strong playoff debut for Minnesota, permitting one run and five hits in 5 2⁄3 innings. After wearing his Santana jersey to the ballpark, he delivered a performance that was reminiscent of his fellow Venezuelan.
“Sometimes things line up too perfectly to pass up on those opportunities,” López said.
Game 2 is Wednesday afternoon. The entire series is at Target Field.
“You don’t want to say like an over sense of urgency, but these guys know it’s going to take everybody to get to Game 3,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
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 were dealt two-game sweeps as wild cards in 2020 and 2022, and Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have not yet won a postseason game.