Twins beat – Royce Lewis delivered an RBI walk-off single in the 10th as the Minnesota Twins rallied past the Colorado Rockies after squandering a seven-run lead in a 9-8, extra-inning finish.
MINNEAPOLIS — With Minnesota trying to turn a massive lead into a routine win, the night unraveled into something else entirely.
Royce Lewis ended it in the 10th, slipping an RBI single up the middle to give the Minnesota Twins a 9-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. The hit was Lewis’ first career walk-off, and it was Minnesota’s first walk-off win of the season.
The final swing came after a sequence that started as a clean opportunity and turned into chaos. Pinch-running for Josh Bell at second. Kyler Fedko advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Jimmy Herget (0-2) before Lewis grounded a ball past a diving Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop. When it dropped, the Twins had won for the seventh time in 11 games.
But the path to that moment looked nothing like what the Twins had to do early. Colorado had been down 7-0 after seven innings. Then the Rockies exploded in the ninth.
Hunter Goodman hit a two-run home run to cap a five-run ninth inning, turning a 7-0 deficit into an 8-7 lead. Two batters earlier, Jake McCarthy had delivered a three-run shot off Eric Orze, flipping the game in quick, unforgiving bursts.
Goodman’s 451-foot shot to left field came off Anthony Banda, who had not allowed a run in his past 18 appearances. Banda still got the ball back out of the bullpen with a lead—then watched it disappear, with the save he held onto for much of the night becoming something he couldn’t protect.
Minnesota didn’t go quietly in the ninth. Pinch-hitters Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler singled with one out, and Byron Buxton tied the game when a high chopper went over the head of third baseman Willi Castro.
By the time the game reached the 10th, Minnesota’s chance became narrower—then cleaner. Andrew Morris (3-2) pitched a scoreless 10th for the Twins, and he received defensive help from his shortstop.
With one out, Tristan Gray fielded a grounder on the infield grass and threw out Tyler Freeman trying to score from third base. That stop preserved the opening the Twins would eventually turn into the walk-off.
Minnesota had jumped ahead early, starting the kind of game it didn’t expect to lose. Kody Clemens hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and Brooks Lee lofted a fly ball just inside the right-field foul pole for a two-run home run in the second.
The Twins made it 7-0 in the fifth with a rally that included Trevor Larnach doubling and scoring on a Buxton double. Clemens walked, and Bell doubled to plate Buxton and Clemens.
The Rockies, meanwhile, kept fighting until the final innings—turning a seven-run collapse into a late lead of their own before falling short.
Up next, Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-9, 7.11 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Saturday night against RHP Mike Paredes (0-0, 4.05).
Minnesota Twins Colorado Rockies Royce Lewis Andrew Morris Anthony Banda Jimmy Herget Hunter Goodman Jake McCarthy baseball
Seven-run lead?? That’s baseball pain right there.
Wait so they were up 7-0 and somehow lost it in the 9th? I don’t even get how one inning can flip like that. Royce Lewis walk-off single tho, at least somebody showed up.
Wild pitch, grounder drops, then win… seems like the Rockies just forgot how to field. Also that 451-foot thing, I swear those are always the ones that happen after the pitcher has no control. But then it says Anthony Banda gave up the bomb? I’m confused who actually blew it, Herget or Banda or Orze.
The Twins “squandered” a lead like every time I watch them. I mean, why are they letting it get to extra innings if they’re up 7? Sounds like pitching changes were chaos, and then boom walk-off. But also 9-8?? so nobody even cared about defense until the end lol.