Jose Miranda had a spectacular 23rd birthday and Class AAA debut Tuesday night, going 5-for-6 with three home runs as the St. Paul Saints beat the Omaha Storm Chasers 15-4 at CHS Field.
Jose Miranda homers three times in Saints debut on 23rd birthday
June 30, 2021 at 1:28PM
Miranda, who scored four runs, also doubled and singled to give him 15 total bases on the day the Twins promoted him from Class AA Wichita. By comparison, the Twins' major league record for total bases in a game is 14, set by Kirby Puckett on Aug. 30, 1987, at Milwaukee.
The third baseman led off the bottom of the first inning with a line-drive home run to left field off Jake Junis. He singled in the second inning, then hit a grand slam to left-center off Junis in the third to give the Saints an 8-2 lead.
He hit his third homer in the fifth inning off Grant Gavin and doubled down the right-field line in the sixth for his five-hit game. Miranda hit into a double play in the eighth inning.
Miranda batted .335 with 13 homers and 38 RBI in 47 games at Wichita. In promoting him, the Twins were encouraged with his contact skills, as he struck out just 25 times while drawing 17 walks.
The Saints hit seven home runs in all. Damek Tomscha homered twice and drove in four runs, and Brent Rooker and Mark Contreras also went deep to lead an 18-hit attack.
Robust competition is likely for righthander Roki Sasaki, whose agent suggests a “smaller, midmarket” team might be a good route to take, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are said to be the favorites to land him.
