There was no postgame fireworks show scheduled for the Fourth of July at Target Field. It was, after all, a day game under a bright blue sky and puffy clouds. So Harrison Bader provided some fireworks of his own.
Bader hit a home run in the fifth inning to get the Twins on the board and then hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to send the Twins to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Knotted at three, Bader unleashed on the first pitch he saw, a 91.8 mile per hour sinker, from Kevin Kelly, sending it out to left field and the Twins to a much-needed win.
Bader’s first home run also opened up a tied game — 0-0 at the time — to open up the scoring in the game. But the Twins’ lead wouldn’t last long.
Chris Paddack, who started his day by retiring the first 11 batters he faced, ran into some trouble in the sixth inning, eventually leading to the end of his day. The Rays scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh — two runs were charged to Paddack, another to Brock Stewart — putting the Twins into a hole.
After not scoring more than two runs in each of their past four days, it seemed as if the Twins might be on track for more of the same on Friday, unable to convert on some of their earlier opportunities.
But in the seventh inning, they clawed back, using a Byron Buxton single to left to grab a run and a Brooks Lee hit by pitch to force in another. Carlos Correa then struck out with the bases loaded. But though they missed out on cashing out on earlier opportunities, Bader ensured none of that mattered with one swing.
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