MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton hit his second homer of the game, a 469-foot, three-run drive that overcame a 10th-inning deficit and lifted the Minnesota Twins over Chicago 6-4 on Sunday and sent the White Sox to their seventh straight loss.
Buxton hit a two-run, opposite-field homer to right in the seventh against Aaron Bummer that tied the score 3-3.
After Yasmani Grandal’s RBI single in the 10th off Joe Smith (1-0), Liam Hendriks (0-2) walked José Godoy with one out in the bottom half after automatic runner Nick Gordon began the inning on second.
Hendriks fell behind 3-1 in the count, and Buxton drove a fastball into the leftfield second deck for the longest game-ending home run since MLB Statcast started tracking in 2015. It was Buxton’s third walk-off hit, his first since Sept. 5, 2020.
“Before that at-bat (my teammates) were like, ‘Buck, you’re going to win it. Buck, you’re going to win it,’” Buxton said. “Things like that you hear, you don’t know within yourself you’re about to do it, but once I got in the batter’s box, that confidence took over and got the job done.”
Buxton did not see the ball land.
“I was watching the dugout,” he said. “That’s how hyped I was. Once I hit it, I knew I had it. The excitement to enjoy it with your teammates took over.”
Buxton is batting .351 with six homers and 11 RBIs.
“I think he’s absolutely the best player in the world when he’s out there running around doing his thing,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You’re talking about a guy that’s just demolishing the baseball every day and is absolutely one of the top handful of defenders in the world, as well.”
Tim Anderson and Danny Mendick homered for Chicago, which led 3-1 in the seventh. The White Sox are on their longest losing streak since Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, 2019, and have scored just 15 runs in the seven defeats.
“Just got to keep grinding it out. Nothing’s really going our way and nobody’s going to really give us anything,” Anderson said. “It’s still early.”
Chicago had not homered in its previous six games, but Anderson hit Chris Archer’s first pitch of the game into the bullpen for his 14th career leadoff home run.
Andrew Vaughn added a two-out, RBI single with the bases loaded in the third for a 2-0 lead.
Activated from the injured list, White Sox starter Lucas Giolito struck out nine in four innings, including Buxton three times. The right-hander, who pitched four scoreless innings on opening day before straining his left abdomen, threw 48 of 76 pitches for strikes.
With two runners in scoring position, Giolito struck out Trevor Larnach and Gordon, both for the second time, to end the third inning. Larnach struck out with the bases loaded to end the first.
Archer labored through three innings, allowing two earned runs, three hits and walking three. Of his 61 pitches, 32 were strikes.