4 October 2023
The boogeyman came for the Twins as soon as the game started on Tuesday afternoon at Target Field.
After the leadoff hitter put the ball in play, the nightmares from the past couple of decades came flooding back when Jorge Polanco’s throw across the diamond pulled Alex Kirilloff off the bag. The mistake turned a routine grounder into the slightest crack in the foundation. That would’ve been enough for the house to come crashing down in the past.
Not this time. This version of the Twins is built different.
Because they have a legitimate superstar in Royce Lewis. Not a star. He’s a superstar in every sense of the word.
In his playoff debut, Lewis hit a pair of home runs, providing all the offense for the Twins in a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Why wouldn’t he? The moment has never proven to be too big for the 24-year-old wunderkind. The historic 18-game playoff losing streak wasn’t going to be either.
“It was a blessing to play today,” Lewis said. “That atmosphere was electric.”
He was the biggest reason. That strained hamstring be damned.
After working his way back over the past couple of weeks, Lewis wasn’t a guarantee to play in the 24 hours leading up to the Twins hosting the Blue Jays.
Even if he did play, he was going to be limited to being the designated hitter, so that his strained hamstring could continue to heal up.
You know the best way to make sure it doesn’t get reaggravated while running? You launch the ball into outer space and trot gingerly around the bases.
That’s exactly what Lewis did. And he did it twice. What else is there to say at this point?
“I’m not sure,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I’ve tried to stretch my vocabulary.”
Truthfully, there aren’t enough superlatives in the world to sum up what Lewis does every time he gets penciled into the lineup.
“It’s unbelievable,” Byron Buxton said. “He’s on another level.”
Indeed. As impressive as his teammates were throughout the game — whether it was Pablo Lopez on the mound, Michael A. Taylor in the outfield or Carlos Correa in the infield — Lewis completely stole the show for the Twins each time he stepped up to home plate. You started wonder why the Blue Jays even pitched to him at all.
As soon as his first home reached the bleachers in left field, Lewis casually flipped his bat, then shouted toward to the Twins’ dugout while everybody tried their best to match his intensity. As soon as his second home run touched down in right field, Lewis might a well have been the reincarnation of Prince with how the 38,450 fans erupted in his honor.
“It felt like I was blacked out the whole game,” Lewis said. “Especially in those moments when I was on the field.”
It culminated with Jhoan Duran recording the final out with home crowd rightfully exploding in downtown Minneapolis. It was the manifestation of nearly 20 years of frustration pouring out of the collective fan base all at once and might as well have been audible all across the state.
Now the job isn’t finished. It’s on the Twins to make sure there isn’t a hangover with a spot in the American League Division Series waiting for them.
There’s a reason to believe this was only the beginning. No matter how powerful the curse has been whenever the Twins have crossed the threshold of the playoffs, Lewis is even stronger, and he seems ready and willing to put this franchise on his back for so many years to come.
It’s been a very long time since they’ve had somebody as special as Lewis leading the charge.
The last time they did they won the World Series.
As long as Lewis is on the Twins, anything feels possible.
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