What better way for a home opener to end than a walk-off win?
That’s exactly what happened for the Minnesota Twins on Friday, as the team began its home schedule with an extra innings win over the Houston Astros.
After dragging the Astros to extras, the Twins came back from 2-1 down to tie and eventually win the game.
Jose Miranda batted in the tying run, and Kyle Farmer was the hero who sent Twins fans home happy after the first home game of the year.
KYLE FARMER WALKS IT OFF FOR THE TWINS! pic.twitter.com/l2KrGIlko6
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 7, 2023
There were a few new things at Target Field that weren’t there last year. There’s the new video board in left field, a light-up celebration medallion, and a ton of new food options. But the new thing fans really cared about was in the field, more specially on the mound.
Pitching is what kept the Twins in the game, something that wasn’t the case last year but is a trend that seems like it’s here to stay after the first run through the rotation.
Sonny Gray went seven innings and threw a career-high seven strikeouts while allowing only one run. Houston was only able to tag the Twins bullpen for a run in extra innings, but it’s hard to see Minnesota being in a position to win this game had the pitching not shown up like it did.
Offense was the source of frustration, as it has been the last few games. Despite the brilliance on the mound from starters, the Twins offense failed to provide proper support which resulted in back-to-back losses to Miami and almost cost them a magnificent start from Gray.
This was still a quality win for the Twins, and there’s plenty of baseball left in the season for Minnesota to figure things out. When that happens, this team will be dangerous in ways it never was before.