Twins advance in first since ’02: ‘Not done yet’
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Caleb Thielbar was 22, freshly drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers but still a devoted follower of his hometown Minnesota Twins, when the most painful memory of his baseball fandom took place: 11th inning, Game 2 of the 2009 American League Division Series, Joe Mauer lofts a fly ball down the left-field line that’s ruled foul, even though replay confirms it landed fair.
Every Twins fan seems to have a bitter moment like that; this just so happens to be Thielbar’s. Minnesota’s record-breaking, 18-game playoff losing streak spanned 19 years before it finally ended Tuesday. And the Twins’ stretch without winning a playoff round spanned even longer, 21 years, all the way back to 2002 — until they finally vanquished it Wednesday, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 to sweep their wild-card series and advance to an ALDS matchup against the dominant Houston Astros.
Few savored it more than Thielbar, now a high-leverage reliever on a scrappy, dangerous Twins team that is already historic.
“It’s hard to fathom how many times you get to the playoffs, and then you’re swept and you’re out,” said Thielbar, a product of neighboring South Dakota. “It’s hard to realize how quick that happens. Whatever our playoff run ends up being — to have a little bit of an extended run, I know it means a lot to the people out there. It means a lot to us in here, too, to be a part of the team that ends that streak. A lot of the guys in here throughout the week were talking about it — that we wanted to be the team that ends it. That was kind of a chip on our shoulder for us going into this postseason.”
The Twins’ pitching staff — led by Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray, the two frontline starting pitchers who did most of the heavy lifting this season — held the Blue Jays to only one run in 18 innings, letting what little production their offense could muster hold up. In Game 1, it was Royce Lewis returning from a hamstring injury in time to belt two home runs. In Game 2, it was a brief fourth-inning rally — triggered by the surprising exit of Jose Berrios — that proved to be the difference. And all throughout, these Twins — some young, many of them unheralded — continually executed on the little things that mattered.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was inspired by it in his postgame speech, in the middle of a home clubhouse ready to explode in champagne and beer, when he went around the room and pointed to every contributor he could find.
Moment after moment after moment after moment — came through, came through, came through, came through.
Nobody came through like Carlos Correa, the star shortstop who spent most of the year hampered by plantar fasciitis but has long brought his best for stages like these. In Game 1, he retrieved a slow roller that trickled away and made an off-balance throw home to nail the speedy Bo Bichette, turning in a play that Baldelli believes “we will see forever.” In Game 2, he executed a pickoff of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second base with Toronto threatening, once again swinging the momentum of the game with one play.
Correa found Gray after the first inning and informed him that the Blue Jays’ baserunners couldn’t hear their third-base coach yelling “back!” because the Target Field crowd was so loud.
“He’s like, ‘The timing pick is going to be there,'” Gray recalled. “‘It’s going to be there.'”
The Twins held a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth, but the Blue Jays had runners on second and third with two outs and Bichette up to bat. When the count ran full, Correa gave the signal to a coach in the Twins’ dugout, who relayed it to Gray’s PitchCom headset.
Timing pick, second base.
Gray executed the pickoff perfectly, then returned to the dugout and was shocked to find out it had been put on by Correa.
Said Correa: “I felt it was the right spot to do it.”
“For me, it was just about executing the play,” Gray said. “But for him to have that awareness is what makes him special.”
The Blue Jays, with a decorated lineup that underperformed throughout the year, rallied often but barely came through. Their 15 hits was the most ever by a team to score one run or fewer in its first two postseason games, according to research by ESPN Stats & Info. This year’s Tampa Bay Rays held the record for only a couple of hours.
Maybe it was meant to be.
Lopez wore Johan Santana’s jersey prior to his Game 1 start, then became the first Twins pitcher to win a postseason game since Santana, who just so happens to be his boyhood idol. Afterwards, he alluded to the possibility of fate being at play. The following afternoon provided a different example, one that harkened back to the Mauer foul ball that still haunts Twins fans everywhere.
This time, the opposite occurred.
The bases were loaded with Blue Jays with only one out in the sixth inning and Louie Varland, another lifelong Twins fan, on the mound. Matt Chapman hit a line drive down the left-field line that would have at least tied the score. Instead, it drifted slightly, landing mere inches to the left of the chalk for a foul ball. On the next pitch, he bounced into the 6-4-3 double play that ended the threat. For the first time in a long time, the Twins had the October luck they needed on their side.
“It was a long time coming,” said LaTroy Hawkins, the former Twins reliever who was on the 2002 team that last won a postseason round and now works within the front office. “I’m just excited for this group. This is a different team now. This team is built around pitching, and as we know, pitching wins championships — pitching and defense. I’m just excited to see what the future holds. They’re not done yet.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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