Praised by his manager pregame for his rock-star defense in left field, seven-year major league veteran Harrison Bader provided the offense helped the Twins beat Tampa Bay 4-3 in the heat Friday at Target Field.
He hit a first-pitch, walk-off home run, his second homer of the game, in the bottom of the ninth inning.
It was a comeback Fourth of July victory his team needed so much, in the first game of a nine-game homestand that’s their longest of the season.
“You need guys to come in, do some big things sometimes to win a game and just step up and win the game for you,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “And Harry did that today.”
Bader’s fifth-inning, first-pitch solo homer made it 1-0. The Twins trailed 2-1 and 3-1 before scoring the final three runs, including the winner that led to Bader’s teammates emptying the water cooler over his head.
Starter Chris Paddack struck out five, walked none and allowed two runs in five innings. A parade of relievers followed before Louis Varland came on to pitch two scoreless innings and get the win. He’s more accustomed to one-inning stays.
“They asked me if I was ready to go and I said yes,” Varland said. “I didn’t ask for [a second inning], but I was eager to do it. I’m sure the whole team was willing to do anything to win the game. That was just my part.”
The Twins turned consecutive hit-by-pitch batsmen into the tying run in the seventh inning. Then they left the bases loaded when Carlos Correa struck out to end the seventh, and they had baserunning errors that cost them two runs, too.
