Twins rally in late innings for 5-4 victory over Red Sox to take series

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 4, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON – After the Minnesota Twins piled up low-scoring, close losses throughout the past week, they finally figured out a way to change the formula.

The Twins scored four runs against the Boston Red Sox bullpen Sunday, which included a go-ahead RBI double from Harrison Bader off the Green Monster in the eighth inning, and they earned a 5-4 comeback victory at Fenway Park.

Without much offensive support all week, the Twins erased their two-run deficit in the seventh inning after Bader drew a leadoff walk against reliever Garrett Whitlock, and Christian Vázquez dropped a one-out single into center. Both runners moved a base on a Byron Buxton groundout, and Ryan Jeffers delivered a two-out, two-run single over the head of left fielder Jarren Duran. Jeffers clapped his hands and pumped his fist as he returned to first base.

Carlos Correa hit a leadoff single in the eighth inning, a line drive that deflected off shortstop David Hamilton’s glove, and he scored from first base on Bader’s double. Trevor Larnach followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield. Bader, sliding across home plate ahead of a throw from right field, immediately hopped up with joy and high-fived Vázquez behind the plate.

Griffin Jax gave up a solo homer to Wilyer Abreu in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Jhoan Duran secured the save in front of 33,539 fans, striking out Jarren Duran on three pitches with a runner on to end it. The Twins completed their seven-game road trip through Cleveland and Boston with a 3-4 record.

The Twins nearly imploded in the second inning. It started when Abreu hit a fly-ball into shallow left field, and third baseman Jonah Bride initially waved for the ball. As the ball carried a little deeper into left field, Bride pulled away and the ball dropped between Bride and Larnach to give the Red Sox a free baserunner.

Romy Gonzalez followed Abreu with a single, and they both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. With a one-run lead in the second inning, the Twins opted to play with their infield drawn in. It backfired when Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez hit a high chopper over the drawn-in infield for a two-run single.

The Red Sox, again, had runners on second and third with one out when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a double. Twins starter Chris Paddack induced a shallow fly-ball to center against Jarren Duran, and Correa raced from his drawn-in position to make a majestic over-the-shoulder catch while reaching out with his glove. Correa’s catch, which saved a run, had the look of Willie Mays’ iconic over-the-shoulder grab, except, of course, he’s an infielder.

Paddack surrendered another run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly, but he retired his final eight batters. He gave up three runs in five innings while giving up five hits and two walks.

The Twins had an immediate 1-0 lead. Buxton lifted Garrett Crochet’s first pitch over the Green Monster for his seventh home run of the season. It was the second time in the past week a Twins batter homered on the game’s first pitch, joining Edouard Julien who did it last Monday in Cleveland.

Buxton’s homer was not a harbinger for the rest of the Twins offense against Crochet. They didn’t have another baserunner reach second base until the left-hander issued back-to-back walks to Trevor Larnach and Christian Vázquez to begin the fifth inning. Crochet, facing the top of the Twins lineup with a two-run lead, didn’t give up a hit.

Crochet lowered his ERA to 2.02, the seventh-lowest mark among major league starters, after yielding one run in five innings.

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