MINNEAPOLIS – It has been said for years that Byron Buxton – when healthy – is one of the best players in baseball. The “when healthy” part has been a bit tricky to manage, but he showed again on Wednesday night why his talent is so hard to ignore.
Buxton put all of his skills on display during the Twins’ 6-2 win over the Rangers at Target Field. Not only did he post his second straight three-hit game, he also made the third inning a personal showcase with a run-saving catch and a towering three-run homer.
“We saw some things from our center fielder that you probably won't forget,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Pat on the back to everyone who was at the ballpark tonight to be able to watch what he did out there. One of the more mesmerizing performances that you'll ever see on a field.”
In the top of the third, the Rangers led 2-0 and had runners on first and second with two outs when Marcus Semien lined a smash off David Festa into the left-center-field gap. Using his world-class speed, Buxton raced over and made a diving backhanded catch, likely saving two runs in the process.
“I don’t want to say I doubted him, but it looked like the ball was pretty well in the gap. Which it was,” Festa said. “The fact he made the play just shows how special of a player he is. And it helped me out big time.”
In the bottom half of the inning, the first two Twins reached base, and Buxton brought them home in style. The center fielder blasted a slider from Jack Leiter a Statcast-projected 479 feet to the deepest part of the ballpark in center field. The three-run homer was the second longest in MLB this year, behind only Mike Trout’s 484-footer on April 19.
Buxton’s team-high 11th home run, which gave the Twins a 3-2 lead, was the fourth longest by a Twin since Statcast began keeping track in 2015.
- 496 feet: Miguel Sano at Target Field off White Sox right-hander Ross Detwiler, Sept. 17, 2019
- 495 feet: Sano at Fenway Park off Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta, Aug. 25, 2021
- 483 feet: Kennys Vargas at Target Field off White Sox lefty Derek Holland, June 20, 2017
- 479 feet: Buxton on Wednesday
It’s also the fourth longest at Target Field since 2015. Pete Alonso of the Mets hit one a Statcast-projected 489 feet on July 17, 2019.
Asked which he liked better, his offensive or defensive highlight, Buxton was succinct.
“My catch. Everybody knows defense plays over my offense,” Buxton said. “My catch leads to my offense.”
Both of them led to a huge swing in momentum that the team desperately needed. The Twins had lost four of their past five, including a 16-4 drubbing by the Rangers on Tuesday. After they trailed early in Wednesday’s game, Buxton stepped up and showed how he can influence a game on the field and at the plate.
“Especially with saving the runs and immediately putting something on the board – that deflates you very quickly,” Buxton said.
In the 10 games since he returned from a concussion suffered in a collision with Carlos Correa in Baltimore, Buxton has been on a tear. He’s hitting .350 (14-for-40) with three doubles, one homer and 16 RBIs. He has also struck out just seven times and has drawn seven walks. And he’s 3-for-3 on stolen bases.
Leiter was as baffled as anyone about how a pitcher could get Buxton out right now.
“If you have the answer, let me know. I didn't have a lot of answers for him tonight,” he said. “He was seeing the ball well, and we kind of attacked him off the scouting report. He made us pay on whatever we threw."