Monday night, Byron Buxton is scheduled to compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby in Atlanta.
Logic suggests he should withdraw.
Logic doesn’t appreciate a good story.
Buxton is in the All-Star Game, and the Home Run Derby, because he is experiencing his healthiest season since 2017. Wednesday night, he took a fastball off his left hand. Thursday, he was held out of the lineup.
The Twins are three games under .500 with Buxton playing like a healthy superstar. Imagine how hopeless this team would be if he were injured.
So why would he agree to make a series of violent swings on Monday night and put himself at risk, and why would the Twins not dissuade him from competing?
Because no matter how much sports are defined by the quest for victory, they’re also always about much more.
They’re about stories. Memories. And moments.