The Minnesota Twins extended their winning streak to nine games on Tuesday night, defeating the Chicago White Sox 6-5 in a thrilling ninth-inning comeback. Max Kepler drove in the tiebreaking run with a sacrifice fly, mirroring his game-winning hit in Monday’s victory.
The Twins’ resilience was on full display as they overcame an early deficit and a late home run by Andrew Benintendi to tie the game in the eighth inning. Minnesota’s offense came alive in the fifth inning, scoring twice to chase White Sox starter Michael Soroka. Danny Mendick gave Chicago a 4-2 lead with a two-run homer in the bottom half, but the Twins responded with a double steal in the sixth inning, with Ryan Jeffers swiping home.
In the eighth inning, Carlos Correa hit an RBI single and scored on Trevor Larnach’s base hit to put Minnesota on top 5-4. However, the White Sox tied it up again when Benintendi homered off Cole Sands.
Undeterred, the Twins rallied in the ninth inning. Byron Buxton drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Manuel Margot’s single. Kepler then delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly to center field. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to secure the save.
The Twins’ victory was a testament to their depth and versatility. “I don’t feel like we’re one dimensional or two dimensional,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “I feel like we can win games in all the ways.”
The White Sox, on the other hand, continue to struggle, falling to a league-worst 6-24 overall. Despite their recent struggles, manager Pedro Grifol remains optimistic. “I like what we are doing,” he said. “I like the way we are playing. I like the energy.”