Twins 7, Blue Jays 1: Byron “Bashing Baseballs” Buxton
It’s safe to say the Twins’ star found his swing.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 30: Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Twins finally found the solution to their bullpen: just score enough that they can’t ruin it. Byron Buxton did everything he could, and this time, the rest of the lineup was able to deliver the key hits they’ve been lacking these past two weeks.
It was a pitcher’s duel early, with both teams only getting two baserunners through the first three innings. I wouldn’t say either Bailey Ober or Toronto starter Kevin Gausman had their best stuff, but the vets were mixing pitches and keeping opposing batters off balance. I’ll focus the rest of this recap on the lineup, who deserve their flowers, but I want to again give a shoutout to Ober who keeps finding ways to get things done.
What he’s doing is completely unprecedented in the modern game, which makes me skeptical he can keep it up, but he keeps delivering solid start after solid start. His average fastball velocity of 88 MPH is the slowest in the game by a healthy margin. The average four seamer from a righty averages 95.
1 MPH. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up, but by golly he just keeps posting quality starts. I’ll take whatever we can get at this point.