SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Yastrzemski tripled and scored in the bottom of the ninth when the relay throw skipped past Minnesota third baseman Diego Castillo, giving the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 win over the Twins on Sunday.
After San Francisco closer Camilo Doval blew a save in the top of the ninth, Yastrzemski laced a 2-1 splitter from Jhoan Duran (5-4) into the gap in right-center. Twins center fielder Manuel Margot fell while chasing the ball, allowing Yastrzemski to take third.
Minnesota second baseman Brooks Lee got the relay throw and fired the ball to third, but Castillo failed to make the play as the Oracle Park crowd roared.
''Not the way you expect it to end but it doesn't matter how you get it done, just as long as you're on the winning side,'' said Yastrzemski following the Giants' ninth walk-off victory of the season. ''We can grind. We're a group of very unselfish players. (Doesn't) matter how it happens, we just want to win. Today shows it.''
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli faulted his team's lack of fundamentals in the ninth inning for the loss.
''It can happen kind of bam, bam real quick in this game and that's exactly what we saw today,'' Baldelli said. ''A fairly well-struck ball to right-center field and then we don't play the simple cut the way we need to and we didn't have anyone backing up, which was also not right.''
Ryan Walker (6-3) retired two batters to win.
San Francisco's walkoff victory came on a day when reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell had his best showing of the season.