Royce Lewis shines in '23 debut, Ryan Jeffers hits winning homer in 10th for Twins
Royce Lewis hit a three-run homer and came through with the game-tying, two-out RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Minnesota Twins life and they went on to beat the Astros 7-5 in 10 innings Monday in Houston.
Lewis's blast gave the Twins a 3-0 lead in the third inning. The 23-year-old, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, slugged four homers in eight games at Triple-A St. Paul during his rehab assignment before being recalled by the Twins earlier Monday.
Jose Altuve's grand slam in the seventh inning gave the Astros a 5-4 lead. Hit hit it off of Brock Stewart, who entered the game for Twins right-hander Sonny Gray, who had allowed one run through six innings before giving up a double and a walk to start the seventh.
Stewart replaced Gray and got a strikeout before a single loaded the bases. After another strikeout, Stewart was on the verge of escaping the jam when Altuve unloaded.
Lewis came to the plate in the ninth inning with two outs and runners at first and second and he laced an RBI single to center field.
Then, leading off the 10th inning, Ryan Jeffers hit one of the hardest balls in the majors this season – and he ripped over the wall in left for the game-winning two-run shot.
According to Statcast, the ball left Jeffers' bat at 117.4 mph. That ranks as the fourth hardest hit ball of the season The only players with a higher exit velocity this season are Aaron Judge (118.5 mph), Jake Burger (118.2 mph) and Willson Contreras (117.5 mph).
The Twins and Astros meet again Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.
Source: Sports Illustrated
