Sonny Gray strikes out 13, Twins offense finally comes alive in 3-2 extra-inning victory in home opener

Fortunately for the Twins, baseball statistics reflect the past, not predict the future. Because what were the chances that Kyle Farmer, whose last walkoff hit came in his MLB debut six years ago, would deliver a winning, bases-loaded, 10th-inning single Friday?

The Twins were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the first nine innings, 0-for-8 with the bases loaded this season and 0-for-6 in beating the Astros over the past year. Yet Farmer ended streak after streak after streak by cracking a fastball up the middle, a hard ground ball that split the defense and drove home Trevor Larnach to earn a raucous 3-2 victory over the 2022 World Series champions.

Or so he's told.

"Honestly, I didn't see it because of the shadows" that creep through Target Field in late afternoon, Farmer said. "I knew I hit it OK and it got past the pitcher."

It got past the shortstop and second baseman, too, exactly the sort of perfectly placed hit that the Twins have frequently lacked in an otherwise strong start to 2023. The announced sellout crowd of 38,465 roared in delight, Farmer was mobbed by teammates and the Twins won their home opener for the fifth time in six seasons.

"Probably one of the loudest Opening Days I've ever had," said Byron Buxton, who scored the tying run moments earlier, on Jose Miranda's third single of the day. "To be able to go out and get an electric win like that was something for us to build off of, not just today but for the whole season."

He's probably a little overexuberant there, given that 155 games remain. But if Sonny Gray and the rest of the rotation continues dominating like it has in these first seven games, Buxton might be on to something.

"That was probably the best I've seen him, which is pretty cool," said Farmer, a teammate of Gray's in Cincinnati from 2019 to '21. "It was a lot of fun to watch, because when Sonny competes, no one can hit him."

Funny thing is, Gray was worried about that last week at Kansas City, even after five shutout innings.

Friday, he had a sharp slider and startling curveball, breaking pitches that accounted for more than half of his 98-pitch outing, his longest yet with the Twins.

"A lot of swings and misses there. Everything was working. It was amazing to watch," catcher Christian Vázquez said . "It was a great adjustment from Kansas City to today. He told me, 'I've got you, the breaking ball is going to be there today.' "

They were; those pitches produced 14 swings and misses alone and at least one strikeout in all seven innings he pitched. The only blemish came in the third inning, when Alex Bregman lined a two-out single to right, scoring Mauricio Dubón.

But the Twins gave up only four hits through nine innings, and though they fell behind in the 10th when Dubón singled home free baserunner David Hensley, the noisy crowd seemed to sense the rally that was missing all day was coming.

They were right. Miranda singled in Buxton with one out. After a second wild pitch in the inning by Ryne Stanek and an intentional walk to Solano, Farmer came up with the din growing even louder.

"The crowd was unbelievable. That's the first time I've played in front of a packed house in a long time," Farmer said.

One game-winner later, Farmer made the ballpark even louder.

Friday's game was the fifth Twins walkoff victory in a home opener and the first at Target Field. The previous four all came on the first game of the season. Here are the five games, with how the winning run scored:

April 12, 1966: Twins 2, K.C. Athletics 1; Sandy Valdespino RBI single

April 7, 1987: Twins 5, Oakland 4 (10); Kent Hrbek RBI single

April 5, 2004: Twins 7, Cleveland 4 (11); Shannon Stewart three-run HR