Twins’ Byron Buxton finds his rhythm in Home Run Derby, then falls out of it

ATLANTA — Two days after coming to the plate knowing he needed a home run to complete his first career cycle, the Twins’ Byron Buxton came to the plate Monday night knowing he needed another home run — and another one, and another one, and another one.

“I feel like I had way more pressure in the [Home Run] Derby than I did to get the cycle. Not even close,” Buxton said after advancing to the semifinals of the eight-man field, but no further. “In a game, I don’t put that pressure on myself. Here, it’s like, ‘Oops, that one didn’t go out. That one neither. That one neither. Ahhh, I better change something!’”

Change he did, and it worked. Buxton had only 11 home runs with 30 seconds remaining in the three-minute first round but added three more before the clock ran out. Then came the untimed bonus round, in which every swing is either a home run or one of three allotted “outs.”

Buxton suddenly couldn’t miss.

He added six home runs with his first seven swings, finishing the round with 20, third most among the eight participants.

“Just being able to take my time” made the difference, Buxton said. “Not being in a rush, being able to take a pitch. Kind of feels a little more like the regular season, I guess.”

Buxton had predicted earlier in the day that he would hit 18 in the first round. Did he surprise himself?

“I did. I ain’t going to lie, I did,” Buxton said. “Just went up there and had fun with it. I was pressing a little bit to start out, but when I let that go, it got fun. It was fun.”

In the head-to-head semifinals, Buxton was paired with Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, but it didn’t go as well. Buxton homered with his first swing but then hit seven straight pitches that didn’t leave the Truist Park playing field.

“Just didn’t get a rhythm there,” Buxton said. He called a timeout and hit five more in the two-minute round, then added a seventh homer in the bonus round. “I felt just as good [physically] but couldn’t really figure out the rhythm.”

Caminero could. He hit eight homers in just over a minute, eliminating Buxton.

The Twins outfielder wasn’t disappointed, not really. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“One of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Buxton said. “I’m pretty ecstatic right now. It’s not the outcome I wanted, but I’m ecstatic that my boys got to come out here and share this with me. It’s a memory we’ll have all our lives.”

It’s his two oldest sons, Brix and Blaze, in fact, who convinced him to take part. They got to bring him towels during breaks in his rounds.

“I never had interest in the Home Run Derby, never really cared to do it. Got asked this year and I was like, ‘I’ll consider it,’” Buxton said. “And when I asked my boys about this, they kind of — well, it’s like a dream to them. Being able to make that dream come true for my boys, you can’t put into words.”

Besides, the pressure was really on Twins coach Tommy Watkins, whom Buxton chose to pitch to him.

“I was so nervous — I was more nervous than him,” Watkins said, shaking his head. “I thought I was going to be sick.”

Caminero went on to finish runner-up in the final round to Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, who became the first catcher and second Mariner (after Ken Griffey Jr., the champion in 1994, 1997 and 1998) to win the Derby. Raleigh, the major league leader in homers with 38 (five against the Twins), managed only 17 in the first round to become the final semifinalist, but he eliminated Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz in the semifinals, then outhomered Caminero 18-15 to capture the title.