Minnesota Twins End 18-Game Postseason Losing Streak with Victory Over Blue Jays

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MLB: Wildcard-Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins are no longer 0 for their last 18 tries at winning an MLB Playoff game. On Tuesday afternoon, they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 to take game 1 of the best of three 1st round AL Wildcard series.

Minnesota Twins end 18-game postseason losing streak

All three runs came off of Royce Lewis homers. He hit a two run bomb in the 1st inning and followed it with a solo shot in the 3rd. His two-home run game tied an MLB record for most home runs in a playoff debut.

But Lewis wasn’t the only hero of the day. The others did it with their glove. The leather was first flashed by Byron Buxton’s permanent 2023 centerfield replacement, Michael A. Taylor, who laid out superman style to rob Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk of a base hit in the top of the 2nd inning.

Twins defense up and down in win

The Twins’ defensive brilliance didn’t end with Taylor, but it didn’t spread to the entire defense. Eddie Julien missed an easy double play attempt in the 1st inning and Jorge Polanco had two errors of his own, at 3rd base.

Related: Twins Need Postseason GOAT Carlos Correa to Show Up vs Blue Jays

Luckily, Carlos Correa was ready on Jorge’s second defensive mishap, when he made one of the better defensive plays I’ve ever seen in the postseason. Polanco charged a slow grounder that slipped right underneath his glove. Correa chased it down on the backhand and fired home, on the run, as Bo Bichette tried to go from 2nd to home on the error. Correa had other ideas, though.

Pablo Lopez turned out to be the right choice as the Minnesota Twins’ starter for game 1. He was dominant all afternoon, surrendering just 1 run, 5 hits, 2 walks and striking out 3, in 5.2 innings pitched. Jays starter, Kevin Gausman, had yet another rough outing against his MLB nemesis Twins.

He gave up 2 runs in the 1st inning and was chased from the game after just 4 innings. On Wednesday, the Twins will go for the series win and a birth in the American League Division Series. Sonny Gray will take the mound for Minnesota, former Twin Jose Berrios will be on the bump for Toronto.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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