MINNEAPOLIS -- The first homer that Max Kepler hit at Target Field came exactly eight years and two days ago, a walk-off blast against then-Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes, and the then-23-year-old had even been surprised that day that he¡¯d actually been strong enough to get the ball over the fence.

The 81st homer that Kepler hit in this building wasn¡¯t another walk-off, but it was almost as significant -- a game-tying three-run blast in the sixth inning of Friday¡¯s game that made him Target Field¡¯s all-time home run leader.

And it turns out, there was still a walk-off in store, anyway.

Kepler cracked an RBI single off the glove of A¡¯s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom with two runners on base in the bottom of the 10th inning to push the Twins to a 6-5 victory, capping his historic night by bringing the performance full-circle with another game-ending blow.

¡°I was thinking about bunting, then [assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon] said, ¡®Screw that, swing the bat. You rake,¡¯¡± Kepler said.

It¡¯s hard to debate that now that Kepler has raked more than anyone else in this building.

That skinny rookie version of Kepler who hit that first walk-off in 2016 never thought of himself as a home run hitter -- and he still doesn¡¯t. He still thinks of himself as a ¡°quality at-bat¡± guy looking to hit the ball hard somewhere, and only once in his 10-year career has he actually led the Twins in homers -- having done so last season, with 24.

But after having also celebrated his 1,000th career game with the Twins earlier this season, Kepler has been around long enough -- and has been in enough of these situations -- to push himself to the top of a list that also features Brian Dozier (80 homers), Miguel San¨® (76), Eddie Rosario (68) and longtime teammate Byron Buxton (62).

¡°I ain't going to lie -- yeah, I knew,¡± said Buxton, who has been Kepler¡¯s teammate for all 10 of those seasons. ¡°When it comes to Kep, that's my boy. I keep up with just about everything he does. I don't care what it is. It's just cool to see him stick with one team and stay by my side. It's just something that keeps me going.¡±

¡°It hasn't really sunk in yet,¡± Kepler said. ¡°Maybe the more you say it, it will. Living the dream.¡±

But because the record-breaking homer only erased a deficit, Kepler got another chance to step foot in the batter¡¯s box to actually give his team the lead and finish the job -- though he almost didn¡¯t have the chance to get there.

As part of the Twins¡¯ game-tying rally in the eighth inning, Kepler took a 99.1 mph pitch from reliever Lucas Erceg square off his right elbow, leaving him doubled over in pain at home plate after his bursa sac in his elbow ¡°blew up,¡± he later said. He underwent a lengthy examination from manager Rocco Baldelli and athletic trainer Masa Abe before walking gingerly to first base.

¡°We gave him a little time,¡± Baldelli said. ¡°He wanted to stay in. And then he comes up against the lefty.¡±

After Jhoan Duran pitched two scoreless innings to send the game to the bottom of the 10th inning in a 5-5 tie, A¡¯s left-hander Scott Alexander intentionally walked Carlos Correa to set up the left-on-left matchup against Kepler, who lined a first-pitch sinker in on his hands off the glove of Soderstrom and into right field.

It marked Kepler¡¯s 10th career walk-off plate appearance, moving him into a tie with Kent Hrbek for third-most in Twins history. Only Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew have had more, with 11 -- and in a season full of Twins milestones for the longtime right fielder, it seems only fitting that Kepler is on the cusp of seizing another.

Kepler¡¯s presence has been one of the stabilizing forces behind this recent era of Twins baseball in Target Field.

And even after Rosario, San¨®, Jorge Polanco and others have come and gone, Kepler is still here, perhaps in his final season with the organization -- and he¡¯s spent a long time earning this place in the club¡¯s record books, alongside some of the biggest names in team history.

¡°It's an honor to be part of that list,¡± Kepler said. ¡°We've got a lot of work to do. Yeah, I'll soak it all in once we're done with the season and playoffs and what's next.¡±