Byron Buxton avoids serious injury as Twins win home opener
Kevin Kelly’s pitch kept sailing further and further in until it collided with Byron Buxton’s right forearm. The Twins’ center fielder immediately dropped his bat, hopped up and down and walked straight off the field and into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. It was a painful way to start what would become a seven-run rally.
By the time it was over, the Twins had broken open the game — an eventual 10-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in their home opener at Target Field — and had already received some positive news on Buxton. The Twins announced in-game that Buxton had a right forearm contusion and that an X-ray taken was negative. As part of that rally, designated hitter Josh Bell drove in his second run of the game, bringing home James Outman, who came in for Buxton, to break open the game.
The Twins followed that up by working a pair of bases-loaded walks before Tristan Gray, up for the third time on Friday with the bases loaded, finally made his former team pay. Gray, whose sacrifice fly tied the game up as part of a three-run fourth inning, clubbed a grand slam that just cleared the wall in right field. He now has driven in a team-leading eight runs.
It was an eventful home opener for the Twins, who began the game almost an hour late because of a power outage that affected parts of downtown Minneapolis. The power went out at 1:51 p. m.
with the game originally scheduled to start at 3:10 p. m. It eventually began at 4:07 p.