Twins cap emotional day with walk-off after 90-minute delay before bottom 9th

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins players greeted their team’s first official day as Trade Deadline sellers exactly the way manager Rocco Baldelli would have wanted: resiliently.

Minnesota came from behind twice and waited out a 90-minute ninth-inning rain delay to scratch out a hard-fought 5-4 win Monday night against the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series. The win came just a few hours after right-hander Chris Paddack was dealt in the first of what could be several Deadline moves.

On top of the trade, the Twins were also without Byron Buxton, who is sidelined with a rib injury, and Ryan Jeffers, who is on the paternity list. And while all those absences were felt, and while more trades of veterans are likely to follow in the coming days, there was no doubt that the Twins are still engaged.

“It’s a challenging day saying goodbye to a guy that you care about that’s done good work for us in Paddy,” Baldelli said, “but watching guys step up on a day that’s kind of an emotional day is great. It’s really great.”

Brooks Lee’s one-out, bases-loaded single scored two runs to give the Twins the win. DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who hit a two-run homer in the third inning, singled to open the frame before Jordan Hicks hit the next two batters. Carlos Correa hit into a forceout at home before Lee delivered the game-ender.

“It takes all of us,” said starter Simeon Woods Richardson, who pitched 4 2/3 innings of three-run ball. “We all pull together, we all lean on each other. We can't pay attention to outside noise. We lost a great teammate. He was a great guy, a great teammate. But we've still got to focus on today, we've still got to focus on getting that team win for the series against Boston.”

The rally followed a 90-minute rain delay that began after the teams had already taken the field for the bottom of the ninth. The Red Sox had grabbed a lead in the top half of the inning against closer Jhoan Duran.

Rather than getting down, though, the Twins got to work. Because Hicks had already warmed up, and actually taken the mound to pitch, Minnesota hitters prepared to face him when the game restarted.

“We didn’t know exactly if he was going to come in,” said Keirsey, “but obviously he was warming up before that, the bottom of the ninth. So just preparing for him mentally and physically. Just trying to see that shape.”

The work paid off immediately when Keirsey worked an eight-pitch at-bat that he capped off by turning on a 98.4 mph fastball for a single into right field. Keirsey was getting a rare start in place of the injured Buxton, and he made the most of it.

Mickey Gasper, on the roster in place of Jeffers, followed by reaching on a hit-by-pitch, as did Willi Castro. That brought up Lee, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. The switch-hitting infielder reached up and out of the zone to stay alive on an 0-2 pitch, and deposited the ball perfectly into left for the win.

It was a win that felt more special than most, thanks to the circumstances and also to contributions from role players like Keirsey and Gasper.

“It's the best,” said Lee. “Because, I mean, we're always side by side, and they're working really hard. I say it every time, like DK deserves to get a hit and so does Mickey because they both grind their butts off. I was happy they put me in a position to do something good and the reason why is it's because of that.”