For the first half of Tuesday night’s game, it looked destined to be a blowout, an uncompetitive ballgame between two teams that have historically played many of those. The New York Yankees had chased Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews early and built up a nine-run lead by the time the fifth inning came around.
But the Twins wouldn’t roll over.
Though their comeback attempt fell just short, the Twins managed to make a game out of it before falling 10-9 to the Yankees in the second game of the series at Target Field.
“We’ve got some guys that just, they refused to stop playing hard and want to win at all costs,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You want the win at the back end of this, for sure. But I fully enjoyed watching our guys compete out there and do what they did. That was fantastic.”
The Twins (66-85), who scored a run in the first inning, added three more in the fifth, two of which came from James Outman’s fifth home run of the season.
Right after that, Byron Buxton went to work with his legs, stealing second base after taking a walk. Buxton, who is attempting to become the first Twin with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, took off for third during Austin Martin’s at-bat.
He would have had it stolen, too, if not for Martin getting a piece of the ball, fouling it off.
He then tried again later in the inning, stealing third base successfully for the second time in his career. Prior to this season, Buxton had only attempted to swipe third one time in his career, in 2016. That brought Buxton, who already has accomplished the home run piece of the feat, up to 24 stolen bases.
“Try something different,” Buxton said. “A little more stuff on the line. Just trying to go for it a little bit.”
From there, he scored the team’s third run of the inning on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, the Twins added another four runs, using five hits to do so, including a Ryan Fitzgerald two-run home run. Trevor Larnach’s long fly ball to right later in the inning traveled 362 feet and excited the crowd before dying on the warning track, just a few feet short of tying the game. Buxton scored on the sacrifice fly.
Larnach would get his home run after all, but it was a solo shot in the ninth inning, and the Twins fell by one run to the Yankees (84-67).
Matthews allowed singles to the first two batters of the game, both of whom scored. In one of his shortest starts of the season, Matthews lasted just three innings, giving up a season-high nine runs on 11 hits.
“Hats off to the offense and the bullpen. They really picked up the team and me especially with the rough start,” Matthews said. “They kept fighting and kept swinging. You love to see that out of them.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 16: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field on September 16, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
New York Yankees’ Cody Bellinger (35) steals second base against Minnesota Twins third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald (53) in the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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