Let's rank the Twins' record 7 homers in each of the first 7 innings of their game against the Padres
The Twins sure brought their bats to Target Field for Tuesday night's game against the Padres. They won in a rout, 16-0, and reached unprecedented slugging heights in Major League history by homering in each of the first seven innings.
Manager Paul Molitor was grateful for the long ball frenzy. "It's fun. It's loud. There weren't too many cheapies," he said to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "We've had a nice season with power and the balance is pretty spread out."
Lucky 7! #WereGonna homer! #TwinsWin #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/MqVstFRLYQ
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 13, 2017
So, what better way to honor this feat than ranking the best of the blasts? Six Twins hit these seven home runs, but only one can be the leader in the clubhouse.
7.
The Twins were already up by a 7-0 margin in the third when their catcher connected. He hit it in just the right spot, an opposite-field shot almost straight down the left-field line and into the shrubs above the wall. The homer didn't travel particularly far, but bonus points for effort go to the fan in the
6.
Dozier provided the thesis to Tuesday night, setting the tone from the get-go with a leadoff home run to the right-field grandstand, his 30th of the season. The slugging second baseman led the team in long balls last year with 42, and he's doing it once again.
The reason for all the homers on Tuesday was simple to Dozier. "Hitting is contagious," he said. "I know it's a boring answer, but it is. Tonight with such a big lead, everyone got more comfortable in the box and you feed off each other."
As for the picture the Twins posted on Twitter afterward? "We were flexing in it. It's all about having fun and that's what we're doing right now."
5.
... all the way out.
4.
Dozier's leadoff blast set the tone, but Polanco's second-inning shot was the one that pretty much ensured that it would not be a good night for the Padres. It was only 1-0 entering the second, but by the time Polanco batted, the Twins had a 5-0 lead. Thanks to a Polanco laser straight down the left-field line a few pitches later, it was 7-0, and there was really no turning back -- a slugfest was in progress.
Polanco was just happy to be part of the party. "When you see those balls going out every inning, you get happy and excited," he said. "There was a lot of excitement in the dugout today and a cool thing to be a part of."
3. Jason Castro, 5th inning, 406 feet
Castro was the only hitter with two entries on the Twins' Tuesday night home run hit parade, and it was truly an excellent offensive night for him. His second roundtripper gave him a team-high four RBIs and nine total bases on the day. At the time, the 406-foot homer was their longest of the game, but remarkably, two of his teammates usurped him.
2.
Escobar hit perhaps the most majestic drive of the game, as the 35-degree launch angle of this clout off
1.
The Home Run King of the night didn't even start the game. Vargas entered in the top of the seventh inning at first base to give
Molitor called Vargas' monster shot "kind of an exclamation point," and it looked like it, too:
Vargas probably knew it, too, as he celebrated with a devious smile:
