Emerging Twins star Royce Lewis cracks two quick-fire HRs, hands team 3-0 lead in first wild-card game vs. Blue Jays
The Minnesota Twins’ playoff run has started on the right note, thanks to Royce Lewis. The rising star, whose postseason involvement was in serious jeopardy until only a few days ago, has launched two quick-fire home runs to give the Twins a comfortable 3-0 cushion.
Facing Toronto Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman in the bottom of the first inning, Lewis demonstrated his heavy-hitting potential once again. He went deep towards left field as the Twins raced to a 2-0 lead.
"Royce Lewis - Minnesota Twins (1)*" - MLB HR Videos
In doing so, Lewis became only the second Twins rookie to homer in a postseason game since Scott Leuis in 1991, but he wasn’t done yet.
Facing Gausman again in the third, Lewis launched a solo shot to right field to make it three on the board for the Twins.
"ROYCE LEWIS IS SPECIAL" - MLB Deadline News
With his second home run, Lewis became only the second Twins player in history to record a multi-homer postseason game since Gary Gaetti in 1987.
He is also the youngest Twins player to homer in the postseason since the franchise relocated to Minnesota.
The Twins are currently on an 18-game postseason losing streak. Thanks to their sensational rookie, they might be on the verge of snapping that unfortunate run.
Royce Lewis may just turn out to be Twins’ ‘wild card’ this postseason
Royce Lewis was in a race against time to make the Twins’ postseason roster. He hadn’t played since September 19, owing to a left hamstring strain. Thankfully, he healed just enough in two weeks to make the cut. Now, the Twins would be extremely glad that he did.
Lewis’ importance to the Twins simply cannot be overstated. He has the third-most RBIs on the team despite having played in only 58 games. He also has a club-record four grand slams this year.
When fit, Lewis can cause serious damage. As the Twins aim to make a deep postseason run, he could prove to be a valuable ‘wild card’ - no pun intended.
At the time of writing, the Twins still lead 3-0 against the Blue Jays.