Kody Clemens hits three home runs as Twins survive wild ninth inning for walk-off win

Kody Clemens walked down a hallway toward the Twins’ postgame interview room, and he turned to a staffer to remark what a crazy sport he plays.

For the last week, Clemens explained, he felt like he didn’t see pitches well at all. On Friday night, all those 9-inch, 5-ounce baseballs looked like beach balls.

He delivered the Twins’ first three-homer game in four years, drove in five runs and scored three times. He even was the first player out of the dugout to greet Luke Keaschall after the rookie’s walk-off sacrifice fly completed a zany, 9-8 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Target Field.

Truly, Clemens was at the center of everything. Throw in his RBI double and Clemens recorded 14 total bases Friday, matching a team record set by Kirby Puckett’s 6-for-6 game at Milwaukee on Aug. 30, 1987.

“It’s hard not to look up and be like, yeah, it’s the Kody Clemens Night,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I mean, it really is. Game of a lifetime.”

The Twins entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and their most reliable remaining reliever, Cole Sands, on the mound. Sands recorded only one out before it vanished. Arizona’s Corbin Carroll hit an RBI single, and Gabriel Moreno lifted an elevated fastball over the left-field wall for a go-ahead, three-run homer.

Clemens, as he did all night, stole the show.

“It’s wild,” said Clemens, who was the first Twins player to hit three homers in a game since Miguel Sanó on May 18, 2021. “You kind of just black out. I mean, I’m trying to sit here and process it at this point.”

Woodford never recorded an out, exiting with the bases loaded after a single, a hit batter and a walk. Trevor Larnach drew a bases-loaded walk against lefthander Andrew Saalfrank to tie the score before Keaschall lofted a fly ball to center for the game winner. Byron Buxton, who scored the winning run, raced third-base coach Tommy Watkins when he tagged up for the final run.

The victory was Baldelli’s 522nd in seven seasons, matching Sam Mele for the third-most managerial wins in team history. Baldelli, who has guided the Twins to a 522-495 record during his tenure, trails only Tom Kelly (1,140) and Ron Gardenhire (1,068) on the club’s all-time wins list.

“Once you get punched like that in the top of the ninth, you punch ’em right back with the first guy up to bat, and I think we got them right there,” said Austin Martin, who drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth inning to load the bases.

The Twins scored runs in five separate innings, and it almost all centered around Clemens. He clubbed a leadoff, 422-foot home run in the third inning, crushing a down-the-middle cutter from D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt over the wall in right-center field.

Clemens — who else? — rescued the rally when he drilled a down-the-middle sinker into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. It was his first multihomer game in the big leagues, and he carried his bat halfway up the first-base line as he watched the ball sail into the second row of seats.

“We were talking on the plane ride from L.A. how it would be cool for him to make it to the 20-home run mark,” said starting pitcher Pablo López, referring to the return flight Wednesday from a road series against the Angels. “He started at 16 and gets three right away.”

After Martin hit a leadoff double in the fifth inning, scoring after two subsequent groundouts, it was Clemens’ turn to hit again in the sixth. Lee drew a walk against Arizona reliever Kyle Backhus, and Clemens bashed the next pitch — a down-the-middle sinker — to the left field wall for an RBI double.

“I keep telling everybody I’m very grateful that the Twins brought me over here and gave me an opportunity to play,” said Clemens, who had a three-homer game in Class AAA Lehigh Valley in 2023. “I haven’t had that in the big leagues, and it’s been a roller coaster of a year for me. I’m just very thankful that they’ve given me this leash and given me the opportunity to try and show what I’ve got. It’s definitely changed my career.”

BOXSCORE: Twins 9, Arizona 8

López, making his first home start since May 23 after a three-month stint on the injured list, yielded four hits and two runs (zero earned) in five innings. He has posted a 2.64 ERA through 13 starts this season and the Twins have a 5-0 record when he’s pitching at home.

It helps, of course, when Clemens kept providing more run support. His dad, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger, wrote on social media afterward: “You gotta be kidding me. What a night, kid.”

“Those balls are smoked all over the place,” Baldelli said. “He’s done good work for us all year long. He stepped into a role and succeeded. He’s done everything that a team, a manager, a coaching staff and teammates could ask you to do. It’s nice to see a guy go and have a night like that.”

The Twins have hit three home runs in a game 14 times, coming from 11 players. Kody Clemens made it 10 times in the past 10 seasons but the first since 2021.

May 17, 1963: Bob Allison, at Cleveland, W 11-4

July 3, 1973: Tony Oliva, at Kansas City, L 7-6

July 6, 2007: Justin Morneau, at Chicago White Sox (2nd) W 12-0

Aug. 1, 2016: Max Kepler, at Cleveland, W 12-5

Sept. 5, 2016: Brian Dozier, vs. Kansas City, L 11-5

June 13, 2017: Eddie Rosario, vs. Seattle, W 20-7

June 3, 2018: Eddie Rosario, vs. Cleveland, W 7-5

June 6, 2019: Max Kepler, at Cleveland, W 5-4

July 25, 2019: Nelson Cruz, at Chicago White Sox, W 10-3

Aug. 3, 2019: Nelson Cruz, vs. Kansas City, W 11-3

May 18, 2021: Miguel Sanó, at Chicago White Sox, W 5-4