'He was born for this': Royce homers in first two postseason ABs
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkMINNEAPOLIS -- October, meet Royce Lewis.
The rookie with a flair for the biggest moments continued building his already expansive Twins legacy by homering in the first two postseason plate appearances of his career -- and leaving his teammates and coaches struggling to find the words to describe it all.
Lewis¡¯ two-run blast in the first inning and a solo shot in the third off Toronto ace Kevin Gausman accounted for all of Minnesota¡¯s scoring in a streak-busting 3-1 victory in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series at Target Field, putting the Twins on the cusp of their first playoff series victory since 2002.
¡°I've tried to stretch my vocabulary and drop all the great adjectives,¡± manager Rocco Baldelli said. ¡°I can't believe, sometimes, the things that he's doing. They're that impressive.¡±
¡°Thank God he¡¯s on our team,¡± Ryan Jeffers said. ¡°He just keeps doing more and more things that you just can¡¯t really find words to describe it. We¡¯ve got a lot more games to win this October, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be a big part of all those.¡±
If it seems like Lewis¡¯ inspired run through 2023 somehow feels tinged by magic, here¡¯s some more for you:
Lewis is the second Twins player to hit multiple homers in a postseason game, joining Gary Gaetti in Game 1 of the 1987 ALCS. He¡¯s also the second rookie in club history to go deep in the playoffs, joining Scott Leius, who homered in Game 2 of the 1991 World Series. Lewis also joined Gaetti and Evan Longoria (2008) as the only players in AL/NL history to homer in their first two postseason plate appearances.
Twins fans know all too well the significance of those two years: 1987 and ¡®91 -- those are the only two years in club history in which Minnesota has won the World Series.
¡°That's a God thing,¡± Lewis said. ¡°I'm just blessed to be a part of it. I mean, it felt like I was blacked out in the whole game, but especially in those moments when I was on the field. My heart was racing. It was just the human nature of it.¡±
Every time the electric rookie gets knocked down, Lewis seemingly comes back stronger than ever -- and this was no different. Even 24 hours before first pitch, Lewis and the Twins had expressed uncertainty about his availability for this series at all as he recovered from a left hamstring injury, but Lewis ultimately made the roster in a DH-only role.
Lewis doesn¡¯t need to run hard if he just hits the ball over the fence, anyway.
He didn¡¯t take the opportunity for granted. Before that homer in his first plate appearance, he stepped back from the batter¡¯s box and just looked around at the sea of roaring fans, crimson Homer Hankies waving in the air.
¡°Just take it all in,¡± Lewis said. ¡°You never know when you're going to be in this situation. We had a heck of a season, and I just wanted to take it all in. These fans showed up for us. I got that advice from Joe Mauer through a text today.¡±
At 24 years, 120 days old, Lewis is the youngest player to homer for the Twins in the postseason since the franchise relocated to Minnesota in 1961. He¡¯s the 10th rookie with a multihomer game in the playoffs, and also the 10th to go deep multiple times in his first career postseason game, finishing his game 2-for-3 with two homers, a walk and a groundout.
And Lewis is, of course, no stranger to historic blasts.
He most notably set a record with four grand slams in a 20-game span this season, most in club history -- which, in hindsight, might well have served as a preview of the postseason heroics to come. Lewis lives for these big moments, having posted a 1.232 OPS in his career with runners in scoring position entering these playoffs.
¡°He was born for this, I think,¡± Jorge Polanco said. ¡°He¡¯s very special to see in those moments. He doesn¡¯t shy away from those moments. He loves it and we love to see him in those moments.¡±
Lewis was so hot at the plate in September -- slashing .313/.410/.612 with six homers and 23 RBIs -- that he was named the AL Rookie of the Month despite having appeared in only 18 games in the season¡¯s final month.
¡°Royce is the spark plug of this team,¡± Kyle Farmer said before Game 1. ¡°AL Rookie of the Month in September with six home runs. That shows how well our September went with him in the lineup. He kind of carried the offense.¡±
Lewis, a one-time No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, lost his 2020 Minor League season to the COVID-19 pandemic, then lost the majority of his ¡®21 and ¡®22 campaigns to consecutive torn ACLs. The Twins had no expectations of his ability to be an immediate MLB contributor -- but Lewis made it worth the wait with a .309/.372/.548 regular season.
Twins fans have waited since 2004 for their postseason hero. Could Lewis finally be the one?
¡°He¡¯s a special player, and he¡¯s showing it,¡± Caleb Thielbar said. ¡°He¡¯s out there on one leg hitting two homers in a game. What else can you say about the guy?¡±