Not only did the Twins snap the 18 game postseason losing streak... they are now one win away from their first postseason series victory since 2002! Enjoy the final call from @CoryProvus... @Twins go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon! pic.twitter.com/p89XVjk63S
— TwinsRadio (@TwinsRadio) October 4, 2023
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I'm gonna say that this generation of Twins fans have their own version of Kirby Puckett in the person of Royce Lewis.
Welcome to the Land of 10,000 Rakes. 🎣🎣 #WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/S6yZF97skG
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 3, 2023
Royce is thriving. 😍#WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/46mVsLguHW
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 3, 2023
Just a little trivia: Lewis is the third player in MLB history to homer in his first two postseason plate appearances. The other two were the Twins' Gary Gaetti in 1987 and Tampa Bay Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria in 2008. FYI, both those players' respective teams made it to the World Series.
Given he missed the final two weeks of the regular season with a pulled hamstring, Lewis was far from a certainty to be ready for the playoffs. To give the Twins an early jolt seemed to help them settle in the rest of the way.
Having witnessed the entirety of this losing streak, I've learned to never be overconfident at any point. Heck, even cautious optimism can be a stretch. But I will say that I began to have a pretty good feeling about Game 1 when the Twins official Twitter "X" account posted this about four hours before first pitch:
🇻🇪🇻🇪🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/7K0YNJrN0D
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 3, 2023
That's Game 1 starting pitcher Pablo Lopez donning the jersey of his boyhood idol (and fellow Venezuelan) Johan Santana, who was the winning pitcher the last time the Twins won a playoff game prior to Tuesday. I can't explain the vibes that gave off, but it felt as though there was a wink from the proverbial baseball gods as if to say everything would be alright.
Now that talk of the longest playoff losing streak in the history of North American professional sports is over, how 'bout the boys get focused on winning their first postseason series since the 2002 ALDS? And who better for the Twins to have start Game 2 than Sonny Gray as he opposes former Twin Jose Berrios? If we remember anything about Berrios in his tenure with the Twins, he had a tendency to get a little too amped up in big games to the point where he got knocked around pretty good. It would go a long way if the Twins can put up a crooked number early, especially with Gray having sported the second best ERA in the American League this season.
Keep it rollin', boys!
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