MINNEAPOLIS -- Kody Clemens wrote his name into the record book on Friday, becoming the 11th Twins player to hit three home runs in a single game in the team’s come-from-behind 9-8 victory over the Diamondbacks at Target Field.
Clemens finished the day 4-for-4 with 14 total bases, three runs scored and five RBIs. His third homer of the day sparked a ninth-inning rally that gave the Twins the victory after the bullpen had blown a 6-2 lead.
“Baseball’s a crazy game. Some days you don't see the baseball at all, and some days it looks like a beach ball,” Clemens said after his first career three-homer game at the Major League level. “Today, out of nowhere, I just saw the ball really well and finally got some pitches over the plate.”
Clemens led off the third inning with a solo shot to right off Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (106.1 mph exit velocity, 422 feet). In the fourth, he took Pfaadt deep again with a two-out, two-run homer also to right (101.9 EV, 374 feet). And in the ninth, he greeted reliever Jake Woodford with a blast to the bullpen in left-center (109.7 EV, 419 feet).
Oh, and in between, he had an RBI double in the sixth off lefty Kyle Backhus (106.4 EV, 365 feet). That’s four absolute missiles, all between 101.9 and 109.7 mph off the bat. That’s a good day.
“It’s hard not to look up and be like, yeah, it’s the Kody Clemens night,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Game of a lifetime. Hitting rockets all over the field. I’ll never forget that and I know he won't and I don’t think his teammates will either.”
Clemens set career bests with four hits and five RBIs on the day, as well as his three longballs. Since joining the Twins in late April after the Phillies designated him for assignment, Clemens has taken advantage of the most extensive playing time he’s seen in the Major Leagues. He now has 19 homers and 48 RBIs with a .740 OPS in 328 plate appearances.
“I keep telling everybody I'm very grateful that the Twins brought me over here and gave me an opportunity to play,” Clemens said. “I haven't had that in the big leagues, and it's been a roller coaster every year for me -- hot and not hot and whatnot. So I'm just very thankful that they've given me this leash and given me the opportunity to try and show what I've got. And it's definitely changed my career going forward.”
Clemens’ three-homer game was the 14th in Twins history and first since Miguel Sanó did it on May 18, 2021, against the White Sox. Three players -- Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario -- have pulled off the feat twice.