Griffin Jax is no longer a Minnesota Twin, but fans will always root for him. A lovable and reliable right-handed pitcher, Jax once again showed that he is the man for the job in big moments, making Twins fans proud yet again.
On Sunday night, Jax — now with the Rays — was pitching in arguably the biggest game of his life. In the semifinal round of the World Baseball Classic, Jax pitched the sixth inning for Team USA against the Dominican Republic. In a game that was expected to score many runs, Jax and the rest of his USA staff held the DR to one run.
Jax pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 frame, setting down some of the best hitters in baseball. That's all Twins fans needed to see to feel a sense of pride for their former pitcher.
New Jax reax unlocked 🔓 pic.twitter.com/zpOTZ8ge6p
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 16, 2026
Griffin Jax pitches seamless sixth inning for Team USA in World Baseball Classic semifinal
Jax, who is no stranger to giving up hard contact, faced Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Machado, and Junior Caminero in the sixth inning. He set them down in order on seven pitches, but those three star hitters hit the ball pretty hard.
Guerrero flicked a two-strike changeup 100.1 MPH into center field for Pete Crow-Armstrong to run down. Then Machado laced a 109.6 MPH grounder to Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop for the second out. Then, to cap the sixth inning, Jax threw one pitch to Caminero, who homered earlier in the game and was responsible for the DR's only run. Jax got him to line out to center on a 96.7 MPH screamer.
Jax picked up a hold on Sunday. He's been terrific at the WBC in more ways than one, striking out two batters in 2.2 perfect innings. But his appearance against the DR will go down as one of his best, doing so alongside a strong bullpen performance from Tyler Rogers, David Bednar, Garrett Whitlock, and Mason Miller.
For a guy who has struggled to consistently find his way in the big leagues, Twins fans are happy to see him flourish at the World Baseball Classic. Hopefully he has one more outing in him at the championship game on March 17.