Twins blow three-run lead, but beat Mets 4-3 in 10 innings

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 16, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Byron Buxton saw Ty France hit a line drive to center and didn’t hesitate, sprinting around third base to score the game-winning run in a 4-3 victory in 10 innings Wednesday.

It didn’t matter that New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor came close to catching the ball. Not with the way the Twins ran the bases aggressively all game. Taylor missed the ball by a couple of feet, France delivered a walk-off single with no outs and the Twins matched their longest winning streak of the season, taking two of three games from the first-place team in the National League East.

Twins reliever Griffin Jax blew a three-run lead in the eighth inning, surrendering four hits when he faced the top of the Mets lineup. Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker hit back-to-back RBI doubles before Luisangel Acuña drove in the game-tying run with a single in the shortstop hole that Willi Castro mishandled.

Harrison Bader preserved the tie with a diving catch to end the eighth inning. Tyrone Taylor, who hit the ball, pretended to throw his batting gloves at Bader and gave his former teammate a hug as Bader ran off the field.

Jax, one of the best relievers in baseball last year, has allowed 12 hits and six earned runs in 7 2/3 innings this year.

The Twins built their three-run lead straddling the line between aggressiveness and recklessness on the basepaths. Castro opened the fifth inning with a hustle double, sliding headfirst into second base after lining a ball to center field that was fielded after two bounces.

Two batters later, Bader hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield. As soon as Bader saw the ball shoot through the left side of the infield, he pumped his right fist and did a “hang loose” gesture, glancing at his teammates in the dugout as he ran up the first-base line.

Buxton followed later in the fifth inning with an RBI single to center, sprinting to second base when the throw went toward a cutoff man at the pitcher’s mound instead of directly to the base. When Buxton stood up after his headfirst slide, he yelled and waved his arms for the announced crowd of 19,721 to grow louder.

With two outs in the sixth inning, Castro drove in a run with a ground ball to first base. It was a missed call by first-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt — Mets reliever José Buttó clearly touched first base before Castro after receiving a flip from the first baseman — but the Mets burned their challenge earlier when they asked to review Castro’s fifth inning double. Ryan Jeffers never stopped running and scored from second.

The top of the fifth inning gave the Twins some energy. Starting pitcher David Festa was knocked out of the game after giving up two singles and plunking Francisco Lindor with a first-pitch fastball, exiting with the bases loaded and one out for Juan Soto.

Twins lefty reliever Danny Coulombe, facing the hitter who garnered the richest contract in baseball history, induced a ground ball to second base with a sinker on his first pitch. Edouard Julien fielded it cleanly, tagged out Lindor who tried to spin away and ran to first base to beat a sprinting Soto for an inning-ending, unassisted double play.

It was one of those plays that left every player with a different reaction. Julien immediately ran to the dugout and high-fived teammates. Coulombe clapped into his glove. France, who was waiting at first base for a throw before jumping out of the way of a foot race, stood motionless with his right arm in the air after a version of a pirouette.

After Julien took a peek at a replay on the dugout bench, he stood up smiling.

Bader saved a run with his arm in the second inning. After a leadoff double from Winker, Brandon Nimmo dropped a fly ball in shallow left field. Winker read the ball well, attempting to score from second, but Bader was charging forward, his cap flying off his head, as he threw a laser to the plate for an out.

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