Announcers lose their minds after Jorge Polanco, Royce Lewis home runs in ALDS Game 1
Minnesota needed two batters to create four runs in Game 1 of the ALDS in Houston.
If anyone needs proof that this version of the Minnesota Twins is built different, look no further than the seventh inning of Game 1 on Saturday afternoon.
Minnesota had dug itself into a 5-0 hole against the defending World Series champions, and it appeared the day had been lost. After a rough start, Justin Verlander settled into a groove we've seen him find so many times in his Hall of Fame career and the Astros started to run away with things.
Then the seventh inning happened, and the Twins stretched their offense more than we'd seen all game.
Houston pulled Verlander after the sixth inning, turning to the bullpen to close things out. The move wasn't controversial at the moment, but it took a half-inning for it to age like moldy cheese.
Hector Neris started the seventh inning by hitting Matt Wallner and then giving up a single to Ryan Jeffers. With two outs, he gave up a three-run home run to Jorge Polanco that cut the Astros lead down to only two runs.
As if that wasn't enough wake Twins fans up, ttwo pitches later Neris hung a fastball high that Royce Lewis tattooed to leftfield to make it a 5-4 game. It was a stunning urn of events, as Minnesota roughly five pitches from Neris to almost completely erase the work that Verlander had done.
Announcers lose their minds when Jorge Polanco and Royce Lewis hit back-to-back home runs
On the call for Twins Radio Network was Cory Provus, who somehow managed to make Polanco's three-run shot even more exciting than it already was.
The @Twins trailing 5-0 into the 7th...2 on, 2 outs for Jorge Polanco who suddenly changes this entire ball game!! A 3-run homer made it 5-3...
— TwinsRadio (@TwinsRadio) October 7, 2023
Lewis followed it up with a solo homer and now it's a 1-run game, Astros 5-4. pic.twitter.com/GQDCQRoNhm
Twins fans are used to Provus sprinkling some magic onto moments like this, but it was somehow even sweeter to hear in the postseason and in that sort of spot.
It wasn't just the home broadcast that was amped up by the fury of home runs Minnesota hit. FS1's play-by-play announcer Adam Amin could barely contain himself while watching Lewis go opposite field two pitches later.
Royce Lewis goes back-to-back and pulls the @Twins within one run! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/sOIeHFRZfj
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2023
Lewis was already getting gassed up on the national broadcast for his performance in the AL Wild Card round. Watching him deliever in another massive spot for the Twins is the sort of thing that not only gives the rest of the clubhouse excitement -- in addition to wowing the general viewing public -- but it fills fans in Minnesota with a sort of hope we're not used to.
So many times in the past we've seen games like the on Saturday in Houston, where the Twins fall into a hole against a really good team. Nothing like what happened in the seventh inning usually happens for the Twins, and it's further proof that this team is built different than the ones we've seen before.
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