Minnesota Twins Top Cleveland Guardians, Castro Wins On SF

MINNEAPOLIS -- — Byron Buxton heard the crowd roar as he approached the steps to the Minnesota dugout, giving him chills that had nothing to do with the ice that had just been strapped to his sore ribs.

Royce Lewis delivered for the Twins again, his highly anticipated career only beginning. Lewis hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning and Willi Castro had the game-ending sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the ninth, lifting the Twins to a 7-6 comeback victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night.

Castro was one of three Twins reserves to enter mid-game after Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Max Kepler were all pulled for health reasons, but Lewis came to the rescue.

Get our free mobile app

After Donovan Solano’s RBI double brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth, Lewis smacked a 95-mph fastball from Trevor Stephan into the grass berm behind center field to make it 6-6.

Emilio Pagán pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief for the Twins, and Griffin Jax (3-6) worked a perfect ninth for the victory for Minnesota.

Game-2 will see Guardians RHP Aaron Civale (1-1, 2.84 ERA) who will come off the injured list to start Friday night, his first appearance in nearly two months. Civale has been rehabilitating a strained left oblique muscle.

For the Twins, RHP Bailey Ober (3-2, 2.68 ERA) will pitch the second game of the series. His best start of the season came at Cleveland on May 5 with seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win.

The Twins Pregame Lineup begins at 6:30 PM on ESPN 102.3/AM 1000 KSOO.

LOOK: 50 images of winning moments from sports history

Sometimes images are the best way to honor the figures we've lost. When tragedy swiftly reminds us that sports are far from the most consequential thing in life, we can still look back on an athlete's winning moment that felt larger than life, remaining grateful for their sacrifice on the court and bringing joy to millions.

Read on to explore the full collection of 50 images Stacker compiled showcasing various iconic winning moments in sports history. Covering achievements from a multitude of sports, these images represent stunning personal achievements, team championships, and athletic perseverance.