Byron Buxton, still not quite up to speed, sits out wild-card series

If the Twins needed Byron Buxton in the wild-card round, he believes his knee probably feels good enough where he could play.

Buxton, however, doesn't think the team needs him when he's not 100% healthy.

"It's all about contributing," Buxton said after the Twins won Game 1 of the wild-card series over the Toronto Blue Jays. "I can go out there and do what I want to do, but it wouldn't probably be at the speed I want it to be and that's one of those where I don't want to hurt the team. I don't want to put a team in a bad spot with me coming back at 50, 60, 70 percent."

Buxton played in a pair of rehab games with the Class AAA St. Paul Saints on Sept. 21 and Sept. 24, then participated in workouts at Target Field along with other rehabbing players throughout the past week. There is still soreness in his right knee. Plus, the Twins had Royce Lewis starring as their designated hitter Tuesday, so there isn't a clear role for Buxton even if he was healthy.

"There are guys in here that have done a great job of keeping us where we're at," Buxton said. "It's kind of knowing your body, knowing who you are and just putting yourself in a place to help the team."

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he had a "hard, emotional talk" with Buxton when they decided to leave him off their postseason roster, but it wasn't a close call because of his physical condition.

Baldelli didn't rule out Buxton potentially returning in a later round if the Twins advance in the playoffs.

"That's what we're hoping," Buxton said, "but the situation is the situation. I'll do what I can — not to say change their mind but make it a little harder."

When Sonny Gray rode to Target Field on Tuesday in the family car with his two sons, Gunnar and Declan, his children had a couple of requests.

Gunnar, 8, gave his dad some baseball cards that he wanted Blue Jays players to sign, so he could add them to his collection. Declan, 5, asked his dad if they were in the playoffs.

"I go, yeah, we are," Gray said. "[Declan] said, 'You better not lose.' I was like, 'You know what, Declan? I'm going to do my best.'"

It's been six years since Gray pitched in a playoff game. Speaking on the eve of Wednesday's Game 2, Gray repeated winning in the postseason is "truly, truly, truly the only reason that I am still playing this game." Then he grew a little emotional, pausing for a couple of seconds as he thought about his kids.

He's often with them before games. Sometimes, he'll throw them batting practice in the team's indoor batting cages. When it was raining before a game in Chicago in mid-September, he played catch with them in a hallway outside the clubhouse.

"When my boys got older, they really showed me how to love the game again," Gray said. "They pushed me to be better. It's what drives me now."

José Berríos has faced the Twins five times since he was traded to the Blue Jays at the 2021 trade deadline for Simeon Woods Richardson and prospect Austin Martin.

Wednesday will have much more on the line than his previous starts, but it's a comfortable setting for him.

"I'm going to enjoy it," the Toronto righthander said. "I've got my family here. My little one, Diego, he was born in Minnesota. It's going to be special pitching against old friends, old teammates."

* Pablo López arrived at the ballpark for his Game 1 start Tuesday wearing a Johan Santana jersey. López, who idolized Santana growing up in Venezuela, knew Santana was the last Twins pitcher to earn a postseason win back in 2004. "Some people believe in fate," López said. "Some people believe the things we do today drive what we do tomorrow. Sometimes things line up too perfectly to pass up."

* Jhoan Duran credited a mound visit from pitching coach Pete Maki for giving him a breather after he walked Whit Merrifield with two outs in the ninth inning. "When I got two outs, I celebrated a little bit," he said. "I wanted that moment. Thanks to Pete for coming to the mound."