CHICAGO -- Carlos Correa watched a grounder roll to the right side as he approached first base, and after he saw it sneak through to the outfield grass, he put his hands in the air in celebration.
There was no career first or milestone attached to the shortstop¡¯s third-inning single in the Twins' eventual 6-1 win against the White Sox on Wednesday at Rate Field. However, it was his first hit of the 2025 season, ending an 0-for-19 stretch to begin bthe year. Now in his 11th season, Correa has seen enough to know everyone goes through poor stretches at the plate, but getting that first hit of the season out of the way still gave him a sense of relief anyway.
¡°You don't want to wait too long in this game, but it felt good to get on the board,¡± Correa said. ¡°It felt good to help the team today. It's time to start rolling.¡±
Minnesota¡¯s offense did manage to get rolling Tuesday night to pick up their first win of the season, but their top two hitters still hadn¡¯t found their groove.
Correa went 0-for-5 in that one, extending his hitless run to start the season. Center fielder Byron Buxton did record a hit, a walk and two runs, but hitters further down Minnesota¡¯s lineup did most of the damage. Combined, the duo had hit .057 with a .165 OPS through the first five contests.
But in the midst of the series-clinching win on the road against the White Sox, Correa and Buxton put together performances more like what Minnesota has come to expect.
Buxton got right after it in the top of the first inning, smoking a dead-center slider (111.7 mph off the bat) 446 feet to the left-center bleachers for his first home run of the season. The homer gave starter Pablo L¨®pez a quick lead before he¡¯d even thrown a pitch, providing L¨®pez with a feeling that he was ¡°playing with house money, in a way¡± as he proceeded to throw seven innings of one-run ball.
In the third, Correa finally got the monkey off his back with a single that snuck through the right side.
¡°I know Carlos put his arms up to the skies and was pretty excited for the first knock,¡± manager Rocco Baldelli said. ¡°Truth is, Carlos has had about as quality of at-bats as anyone on our team to this point. I was amazed that he hadn¡¯t had a hit yet. It actually didn¡¯t make any sense because of how good he actually has looked.¡±
Both players then got after it again in the fifth. Correa started things off with a one-out double to left, and Buxton immediately drove him in with an RBI double to right before coming around to score on first baseman Ty France¡¯s own RBI two-bagger. Both finished with their first multihit games of the year.
There was uncertainty on if they¡¯d even get to play the game, as a storm in Chicago caused a 3-hour, 20-minute delay. Though the storm passed and the teams were able to play, the wind still played a factor -- and even forced both Correa and Buxton to make highlight-reel grabs early in the contest.
Like other members of the team, Correa and Buxton passed the time just hanging out in the clubhouse. Buxton even took a nap before a game for the first time, and he said it might¡¯ve given him ¡°a little extra juice¡± heading into the game.
Correa quipped that there was a point during the long delay where he didn¡¯t even want to play, ¡°but after getting two hits I sure regret not wanting to play.¡± Regardless of the long wait to play, though, the two were able to get ready and help lead the Twins to their first series win of the season.
Some bad batted-ball luck played a role in the Twins¡¯ offense getting off to a slower-than-expected start to 2025. The offense seems to have gotten into a rhythm, though, and if Correa and Buxton can also keep it rolling, Minnesota could feel more like a team with a chance to reach the top of the American League Central again.
¡°When they start sparking things and they start having those really good at-bats, we play well,¡± Baldelli said of Correa and Buxton. ¡°Good things start happening and they compound, and the rest of the group gets going, too, because they take a lot of attention from the other side of the field. They¡¯re very good at what they do.
"Very good day all the way around."