Neal: Might Byron Buxton be seeking Twins’ first 30-30 season?

The Twins’ 7-2 victory over San Diego on Sunday provided reasons why it is still worth visiting Target Field as they near the end of a lost season.

There are two reasons in particular.

One is to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts, as this game was played under a cloudless sky and the field was splashed with sun. As the calendar turns to September, any day you can wear shorts and a T-shirt outside is a gift. We’ll be wearing coats by the end of the month.

The other is to watch Byron Buxton as he’s about to accomplish something no Twins player has ever done before.

On Sunday, Buxton drove a changeup from Kyle Hart over the left-field fence for his 29th home run, setting a career high and tying him with Max Kepler for the all-time Target Field lead with 84. With one more, he will become the first Twins player with a 30-homer season since Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sanó did it in 2021.

It not just about watching Buxton hit home runs, though. On Friday, Buxton stole third base without a throw, his 20th steal of the season and, amazingly, his first career theft of third. The only other time he tried to steal third was July 26, 2016, against Atlanta when he was thrown out in the third inning on the front end of a double-steal attempt by A.J. Pierzynski.

Buxton remembers the game, vaguely.

Buxton also had his 21st steal Friday night, his 113th career steal of second. With 26 games remaining, Buxton is one home run and nine stolen bases away from becoming the first Twins player to have a 30-30 season.

And I’m not betting against him.

I was at a wedding reception Friday night and did not watch the game but received a text that read, “How about Buck?” followed by a fist. When I responded with a question mark, the reply: “He stole 3B.”

My two immediate reactions: One, he doesn’t steal third base. The other, he’s going for 30-30.

Buxton didn’t want to address any aspect of attaining a 30-30 season, but he pointed out that he doesn’t have to steal third base. From second, the chances are high that Buxton — who is tied for fourth in the majors in sprint speed — is going to score on a single.

But something was different Friday, as Buxton told third base coach Tommy Watkins during a break in the action that he was stealing third base. And he did.

Will there be more to come?

“Who knows?” Buxton said. “Why would I give up that information while I’m still playing, man? Can’t give you that.”

Buxton could tell opposing pitchers he’s going to steal bases and still steal bases. He has been successful on 27 consecutive stolen base attempts, closing in on his personal high of 33. For his career, he has been successful on 90.5% of his attempts, the highest success rate in major league history for anyone with at least 100 stolen bases.

Why doesn’t Buxton have more than 21 steals this season? He doesn’t get to first base enough. When he touches the ball, it is an extra-base hit. Buxton’s .550 slugging percentage is second only to Aaron Judge among American League outfielders. (Yes, Buxton should be up for a Silver Slugger award this year, too.) And Buxton has only 35 walks on the season, although that total is three short of his career high.

“He’s got the green light,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He can do whatever he wants. He makes good decisions.”

Buxton will have to increase his base thievery over the final month of the season to get to 30. He stole seven bases over his first 28 games of the season, his best rate so far. He has never stolen more than eight bases in a month.

The weekend series against the Padres seemed to signal those intentions.

“Oh easy,” third baseman Royce Lewis said of Buxton’s chances. “As long as he’s healthy for the next [26] games we have, he can do it. I think he should. He’s not a selfish guy. But when he’s at his best, it makes the team better. So he should definitely be going after that type of stuff.”