Twins' rookie phenom Royce Lewis reflects on team's long-awaited playoff victory: "It was the most nervous game"
The Minnesota Twins and infielder Royce Lewis came up big time as they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in Game 1 of the ongoing Wild Card series at Target Field on Tuesday. The franchise snapped their dismal 18-game playoff losing streak and can finally look beyond it.
Rookie Royce Lewis had a great outing as he hit two home runs, scored three RBIs, and walked once in his three at-bats. The Twins got off to a great start as they scored two runs in the first innings and set the tone for the rest of the game.
In a post-game interaction, Lewis expressed his feelings and shared what it felt like to deliver for the fans.
“This atmosphere, truly, like when I tell you it was electric, it brought that electricity into my body,” Lewis said (via MLB.com). “I felt different. My heart was beating -- it was the most nervous game, exciting game I've ever played in my life. It was so much fun.”
Apart from Lewis, Twins' ace Pablo Lopez pitched 5.2 innings, gave up a run, walked two, and struck out three. He was excellent on the mound as on multiple occasions, he was able to strangulate the runners in scoring position and kept a tight hold on their hitters.
“The fans have been believing in us for so long,” starter Pablo López said in a post game interaction. “It was just a matter of believing in ourselves and coming to the game, playing loose, understanding that we didn't need to change who we were or our approach, and just go out and have fun. And it was electric, and we embraced it. We were just having fun out there.” (via MLB.com)
Pitcher Louie Verland was able to dig out the Twins from the jam in the sixth and the rest of their bullpen came up strong against the Blue Jays hitters, resulting in a Game 1 victory.
Royce Lewis 2023 season so far
The Minnesota Twins picked infielder Royce Lewis as the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft. He has featured in 58 games so far in the season and was also selected 'Rookie of the Month' in September, slashing .313/.410/.612 with six homers and 23 RBIs.
Overall, in his 217 at-bats, he hit .309, blasted 15 home runs, drove in 52 runners, and stole 6 bases. His performance in the first playoff game certainly gives an indication that he can power the Twins to scale new heights in October baseball.