Twins 9, Diamondbacks 8: Kody Clemens' Three-Homer Night Fuels Wild Walk-off Win

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Box Score
Pablo López: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Home Runs: Kody Clemens 3 (17, 18, 19)
Top 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (.445), Byron Buxton (.198), Austin Martin (.167)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

We’re in the final act. Arguably, this has been the case since the infamous mid-summer fire sale set into motion that which became inevitable; that the Twins would play forgettable baseball; that what used to bring a modicum of joy would only serve as a monument to discarded potential; that pretentious nerds like this author would dictate such terms in purple prose. What were we talking about again? Oh, yes, a baseball game. 

Pablo López—a vestige of the before times—started for the Twins, his second appearance since his three-month injury absence. Brandon Pfaadt climbed the hill for Arizona. 

Early returns looked to portend the usual slop often put forth by Minnesota; Geraldo Perdomo walked, stole second, and extended his trip to third base off a Jhonny Pereda throw that the word “errant” finds egregious. A Corbin Carroll knock drove him home. Yes, there will be eight more innings of this.

Two shutout frames by Pfaadt exacerbated the struggle. Then, leading off the third, Kody Clemens worked the count full and smoked a solo homer to right. 

 

 

And Friday would be the day of Kody Clemens. The Twins came back in the fourth with a beautiful chance to score a crooked number. The bases were loaded with no one out. Brooks Lee hit a fly ball deep enough to score the runner. The throw was cut off, and a lethargic Matt Wallner was nabbed at second. A run scored, but at a terrible cost. A crooked number seemed out of reach… until Clemens stepped to the plate to hit his second homer of the game.

Skirmishes in the fifth added runs to the total, while López still didn’t have an earned run. Luke Keaschall was the offender this time, as he successfully slid to stop a grounder from bleeding into the outfield, then overthrew first base by such a margin that had a second Kody Clemens stood on the shoulders of the first one, the clone still likely would have missed the ball.

In the sixth, Clemens cracked another RBI hit—this one a measly double—to earn his tenth base of the game. Minnesota’s 6-2 lead lasted all of three combined batters, as Geraldo Perdomo rudely greeted Michael Tonkin with a massive blast to cut the advantage in half.

So the game stood until the ninth. Three measly outs. That's all they need. Even bad pitchers can often get those. Unfortunately, Cole Sands was a ticking time bomb. Or the wrong wire to cut. It's unclear how this metaphor works. He allowed one run to push the game state uncomfortably close before Gabriel Moreno unloaded a brutal gut punch: a three-run WPA swinger of a homer to catapult Arizona into the lead. 

Yet, the Twins weren't done. With no respect for writers who need to juggle pacing with timeliness in posting, Minnesota's batters went back to work. Clemens hit his third homer of the game, and the Twins followed his blast by loading the bases with no one out. It went smoother this time. Trevor Larnach worked a walk to tie the game, setting the stage for Keaschall with a chance to win the game. He didn't get a hit. But he didn't need a hit. A simple medium-deep fly ball ushered in Byron Buxton, as Minnesota walked off one of the craziest games of the season. 

 

Notes:

Kody Clemens' three-homer game was the 14th in team history and the first for a Twin since Miguel Sanó on May 18th, 2021. 

Pablo López reached the five-inning plateau for the 12th time in 13 starts this year.

Austin Martin is slashing .372/.509/.465 across his last 15 games. 

Jhonny Pereda is slashing .417/.462/.583 in 13 plate appearances as a Twin. 

Post-Game Interview:

 

 

What’s Next?
The Twins and Diamondbacks meet once for a Saturday melee, as Joe Ryan takes the mound opposite Ryne Nelson. First pitch is at 6:10 PM. 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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[Vanimal46]

During this slog of a season, Kody Clemens has been the difference for several games we won. No reason not to keep him heading into 2026 as AAAA depth at the very least. 

[jkcarew]

I’m concerned the bullpen might not hold up in the playoffs.

[Sjoski]

Sands gives up 4 hits, 4 runs, blows his 4th save, and earns ( cough cough) his 4th win.

His record is now 4-4. Era 4.27

 

[tony&rodney]

14 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Sands gives up 4 hits, 4 runs, blows his 4th save, and earns ( cough cough) his 4th win.

His record is now 4-4. Era 4.27

 

Baseball has crazy quirks and the failure is ever present, but Sands finished the inning and gets the W. 

[Bracky]

24 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

During this slog of a season, Kody Clemens has been the difference for several games we won. No reason not to keep him heading into 2026 as AAAA depth at the very least. 

Completely agree. I get he isn't an all star but same thought, we have won multiple games because of him and he brings a positive energy to the team. I hope he sticks around at a minimum for some depth. 

[DocBauer]

For the most part, Sands has thrown pretty well since the deadline. But this was the 2nd or 3rd time where he just blew up. Completely hot and cold. There's still a live arm there and someone who we might be able to count on in 2026. But he's got to settle down and find more consistency because at times he looks like his '24 self.

Clemens isn't great. Never has been and never will be. This might even end up being his career season. But he's shown enough defense and position flexibility, and power to be brought back as a LH bench option. He won't be expensive and he's low risk with solid help potential. 

 

[knothole61]

Fun game...really! The relief staff, however, is abominable. The Twins might have won 5 or 6 more games since the trade deadline if they had kept their bullpen intact--yes?

Julien had a hit!

[Doctor Gast]

In this age of analytics, all that many look at are stats. Yes, analytics are a useful tool, but if that's all we look at, we get into trouble. If you hit a lot of HRs in low leverage, you'll have a nice offensive & total WAR stat & admiration by many. But will that win you games? That is the most important question. IMO, there are more important attributes that need to be addressed that lead to wins, yet don't add to WAR much. Twins need to look at each of their players' strong points, develop them to the max & value them as part of a winning equation. 2 players that are underrated that I'd like to shine a light on are Martin & Clemens. Because Martin doesn't hit a bunch of HRs he is often devalued. But what is Martin good at? He's athletic, he gets on base at a high clip, he steals bases, he disrupts pitchers to make mistakes for batters behind him & he starts rallies. Clemens stats don't look that great but he often gets big hits when it really matters. They were a big reason why we won the game. For us to win games going forward, Twins have to throw out the window that old ideology of winning games for a more practical one, not trying to fit everybody into that old ideology & form a better value system. Especially since our BP is crap.

[Patzky]

36 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

In this age of analytics, all that many look at are stats. Yes, analytics are a useful tool, but if that's all we look at, we get into trouble. If you hit a lot of HRs in low leverage, you'll have a nice offensive & total WAR stat & admiration by many. But will that win you games? That is the most important question. IMO, there are more important attributes that need to be addressed that lead to wins, yet don't add to WAR much. Twins need to look at each of their players' strong points, develop them to the max & value them as part of a winning equation. 2 players that are underrated that I'd like to shine a light on are Martin & Clemens. Because Martin doesn't hit a bunch of HRs he is often devalued. But what is Martin good at? He's athletic, he gets on base at a high clip, he steals bases, he disrupts pitchers to make mistakes for batters behind him & he starts rallies. Clemens stats don't look that great but he often gets big hits when it really matters. They were a big reason why we won the game. For us to win games going forward, Twins have to throw out the window that old ideology of winning games for a more practical one, not trying to fit everybody into that old ideology & form a better value system.

There are Kody Clemens home runs, and there are Matt Wallner home runs. Some of us like to categorize relievers as low or high leverage depending on the situation in which they are needed. There's no reason batters can't be organized similarly. At the start of the season, there was no batter I'd rather see up with RISP than Ty France. His numbers never added up cumulatively but he passed the eye test as being productive in key situations. That faded eventually. But Kody Clemens also has that clutch ability to turn the outcome of games. It's intangible but so very effective and enjoyable when you're on the winning side.

I agree about Austin Martin. In 2023 MAT was never justly appreciated for how many times he jump started something bigger by simply having smart ABs. 

[Hubie29]

8 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

During this slog of a season, Kody Clemens has been the difference for several games we won. No reason not to keep him heading into 2026 as AAAA depth at the very least. 

I would even say more valuable than Wallner.  Clemens is definitely more clutch than Wallner. How often can you say Wallner had a night?

[Fatbat]

8 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

During this slog of a season, Kody Clemens has been the difference for several games we won. No reason not to keep him heading into 2026 as AAAA depth at the very least. 

Cody is out of options so he is either on the 26 man or off the 40 man. Seems simple enough that he would be on the 26 until he crashes. He may be a late bloomer that simply improves on his ‘25 season and has an even better ‘26.

[thelanges5]

Pablo day! 

[old nurse]

WPA ca be such a useless stat. 9 runs, each was equally important for the victory, not all count the same in WPA. Without the first runs, the last have no WPA

[Old Crow]

Hope Ryan can go long tonight.  Not much left in the calf pen.

[terrydactyls]

P	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	Chicago White Sox	57	91	0.385	-
2	Pittsburgh Pirates	64	84	0.432	7.0
3	Minnesota Twins	65	82	0.442	8.5
4	Atlanta Braves	65	82	0.442	8.5
5	Whatever Athletics	68	80	0.459	11.0
6	Miami Marlins	69	79	0.466	12.0
8	Los Angeles Angels	69	79	0.466	12.0
7	Baltimore Orioles	69	78	0.469	12.5
11	St. Louis Cardinals	72	76	0.486	15.0
10	Tampa Bay Rays	72	75	0.490	15.5
9	Arizona Diamondbacks	73	75	0.493	16.0
13	San Francisco Giants	75	72	0.510	18.5
12	Cleveland Guardians	76	71	0.517	19.5
14	Texas Rangers	78	70	0.527	21.0

[FlyingFinn]

I can't understand all the people that want Kody Clemens gone in other threads. As a bench player, he plays pretty good defense, covers 4 positions and he has some pop, along with the ability to go on a hot streak.

[LA Vikes Fan]

There’s ample reason to keep Clemens around for a 2026 bench spot. He’s earned it. However, a lot of us are concerned that the team is going to keep him as the starter at 1B for next season. We need someone better. Martin has earned a starting spot next year in LF IMHO. He’s far from perfect but he’s what we need, high OBP, speedy, athletic, can steal bases. Given time, I think he can improve to an above average. OF. Put him with Jenkins and Buxton, and we might actually have a high-end defensive outfield next year that can actually hit. Wallner can learn 1B  or DH. 

[jmlease1]

16 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

I can't understand all the people that want Kody Clemens gone in other threads. As a bench player, he plays pretty good defense, covers 4 positions and he has some pop, along with the ability to go on a hot streak.

Because in between those hot streaks, he makes a TON of outs...and because he's selling out for homers, he's making a lot of outs even during those hot streaks. The homers are memorable, and they've been important, but before this September hot streak we had 3 months where he couldn't come near a .300 OPS. We're coming off an August where Clemens hit like the much maligned (and deservedly so) Ed  Julien. Clemens is utterly unplayable vs LHP (it's a small sample this season, sure...but he's never hit LHP) so he's a platoon bat at best. I appreciate his hustle, the fact that he's viable at multiple defensive positions and actually adding something there. But guys who make that many outs are not who I want for this team. A final flurry of homers doesn't change that for me all that much. And here's the other thing: he's got no options left so what happens if/when he's bad out the gate next season? This franchise (like many) is bad at cutting bait on an underperforming veteran until it's far too late. Is Clemens getting better at 30?

It wouldn't be malpractice or anything if he made the final 26 next season, but the floor is fairly low and the ceiling isn't that high either. But hey, he had a great game.

Sands had been looking better lately, so it's a bummer to see him implode like this. Is Adams settling in to this new role? Would be great if he could be tapped as a more known quality for the bullpen next season. 

I'm still not panicking about Keaschall's throwing; let's see how the arm looks next season when he's further removed from the injuries, gone through an off-season program, etc. But it will be something to monitor.

[jorgenswest]

4 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Is Clemens getting better at 30?

Maybe. Experience against major league pitching is also a factor. This is his first season with sustained playing time for the majority of the season. I think he has a better chance of improving than Larnach who is a year younger.

He has been helpful when the Twins have faced a lefty handed starter. He has a better than league average OPS of .730 across 7 starts and 8 games off the bench when a lefty has started,

[jmlease1]

3 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Maybe. Experience against major league pitching is also a factor. This is his first season with sustained playing time for the majority of the season. I think he has a better chance of improving than Larnach who is a year younger.

He has been helpful when the Twins have faced a lefty handed starter. He has a better than league average OPS of .730 across 7 starts and 8 games off the bench when a lefty has started,

well, something's not adding up here: the page showing Twins vs a LH starter shows Clemens with a homer and quality OPS. His 2025 splits show zero homers and an unplayable OPS. I don't think he's been a league-average hitter vs lefties of any stripe this season...

[Jeff K]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

In this age of analytics, all that many look at are stats. Yes, analytics are a useful tool, but if that's all we look at, we get into trouble. If you hit a lot of HRs in low leverage, you'll have a nice offensive & total WAR stat & admiration by many. But will that win you games? That is the most important question. IMO, there are more important attributes that need to be addressed that lead to wins, yet don't add to WAR much. Twins need to look at each of their players' strong points, develop them to the max & value them as part of a winning equation. 2 players that are underrated that I'd like to shine a light on are Martin & Clemens. Because Martin doesn't hit a bunch of HRs he is often devalued. But what is Martin good at? He's athletic, he gets on base at a high clip, he steals bases, he disrupts pitchers to make mistakes for batters behind him & he starts rallies. Clemens stats don't look that great but he often gets big hits when it really matters. They were a big reason why we won the game. For us to win games going forward, Twins have to throw out the window that old ideology of winning games for a more practical one, not trying to fit everybody into that old ideology & form a better value system. Especially since our BP is crap.

I agree, but don't tell Baldelli that analytics aren't anything.  He might challenge you to a duel.  Pistols maybe.  Martin is hitting darned well and the fact that he is playing a lot seemingly has everything to do with it.

[Patzky]

56 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

There’s ample reason to keep Clemens around for a 2026 bench spot. He’s earned it. However, a lot of us are concerned that the team is going to keep him as the starter at 1B for next season. We need someone better. Martin has earned a starting spot next year in LF IMHO. He’s far from perfect but he’s what we need, high OBP, speedy, athletic, can steal bases. Given time, I think he can improve to an above average. OF. Put him with Jenkins and Buxton, and we might actually have a high-end defensive outfield next year that can actually hit. Wallner can learn 1B  or DH. 

Having Clemens Jenkins Martin Buxton Gonzalez and Keaschall in the order virtually guarantees improvement over this years version . Doesn't it?

[Patzky]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

well, something's not adding up here: the page showing Twins vs a LH starter shows Clemens with a homer and quality OPS. His 2025 splits show zero homers and an unplayable OPS. I don't think he's been a league-average hitter vs lefties of any stripe this season...

He and Keaschall have their issues with lefties.. Larnach and Wallner somewhat over came theirs but now can't hit righties either.  😁

[Blyleven2011]

10 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Baseball has crazy quirks and the failure is ever present, but Sands finished the inning and gets the W. 

It's the way the ball bounces ...

It was a good game , then it wasn't and then it was , good walkoff win ...

What a game for Kody , hes won some games for us this year ...

[Blyleven2011]

1 hour ago, Old Crow said:

Hope Ryan can go long tonight.  Not much left in the calf pen.

Not much left in the pen since the deadline to put it more clearly  ...

[jorgenswest]

34 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

well, something's not adding up here: the page showing Twins vs a LH starter shows Clemens with a homer and quality OPS. His 2025 splits show zero homers and an unplayable OPS. I don't think he's been a league-average hitter vs lefties of any stripe this season...

The stat lines are showing different things. He is doing damage against right handed pitching once the lefty leaves the game. Batting at the bottom of the order he probably sees that lefty twice at most. He is also doing damage as a pinch hitter. Pinch hitting is harder coming in cold so that is valuable. Larnach for his career also does well in games started by a lefty. Wallner has not done well in games started by lefty.

At the end of the day it is the bigger picture of performance that matters. As a Twin Clemens has a better than league average OPS in games started by a left handed pitcher and right handed pitcher. All of samples are small though. It is enough that I would want to see next year. Jeffers is another player that has this odd split. Over his career he has been better in games started by a right handed pitcher than left handed pitcher though the splits are quite the opposite. Jeffers finds his way to make an impact in those games in spite of starting with a platoon disadvantage.

[HarmonK03]

Sure enough, Clemens has a good game and everyone wants him in the lineup next year.  He could be a good bench piece but he is not a starter on a winning team.  He has had one really good game and a few good games, the perfect definition of a clutch bench piece.  Like others have said, he is the type of player that Rocco will play no matter what.  He is not a starter on a winning team.  Let's try and raise the talent level not keep sinking to the depths of the floor.

[MGX]

2 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Because in between those hot streaks, he makes a TON of outs...and because he's selling out for homers, he's making a lot of outs even during those hot streaks. The homers are memorable, and they've been important, but before this September hot streak we had 3 months where he couldn't come near a .300 OPS. We're coming off an August where Clemens hit like the much maligned (and deservedly so) Ed  Julien. Clemens is utterly unplayable vs LHP (it's a small sample this season, sure...but he's never hit LHP) so he's a platoon bat at best. I appreciate his hustle, the fact that he's viable at multiple defensive positions and actually adding something there. But guys who make that many outs are not who I want for this team. A final flurry of homers doesn't change that for me all that much. And here's the other thing: he's got no options left so what happens if/when he's bad out the gate next season? This franchise (like many) is bad at cutting bait on an underperforming veteran until it's far too late. Is Clemens getting better at 30?

It wouldn't be malpractice or anything if he made the final 26 next season, but the floor is fairly low and the ceiling isn't that high either. But hey, he had a great game.

Sands had been looking better lately, so it's a bummer to see him implode like this. Is Adams settling in to this new role? Would be great if he could be tapped as a more known quality for the bullpen next season. 

I'm still not panicking about Keaschall's throwing; let's see how the arm looks next season when he's further removed from the injuries, gone through an off-season program, etc. But it will be something to monitor.

Clemens OPS with the Twins by month - .985, .625, .805, .536 & after his bag game 1.113 in September. I'm pretty sure every hitter in MLB is inconsistent.

The thing I take notice of is his continual improvement since his debut - 2022 - 127 PA's - .505 OPS, 2023 - 148 PA's - .644 OPS, 2024 - 120 PA's - .706 OPS, 2025 - 335 PA's - .741 OPS. Hitting at the MLB level is difficult, improving in 3 consecutive seasons is especially difficult.

I'm not advocating he should be the starting 1B in '26, but he absolutely has earned a spot on the roster. He's a solid defensive player at multiple positions, he definitely has value.

[D.C Twins]

3 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

P	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	Chicago White Sox	57	91	0.385	-
2	Pittsburgh Pirates	64	84	0.432	7.0
3	Minnesota Twins	65	82	0.442	8.5
4	Atlanta Braves	65	82	0.442	8.5
5	Whatever Athletics	68	80	0.459	11.0
6	Miami Marlins	69	79	0.466	12.0
8	Los Angeles Angels	69	79	0.466	12.0
7	Baltimore Orioles	69	78	0.469	12.5
11	St. Louis Cardinals	72	76	0.486	15.0
10	Tampa Bay Rays	72	75	0.490	15.5
9	Arizona Diamondbacks	73	75	0.493	16.0
13	San Francisco Giants	75	72	0.510	18.5
12	Cleveland Guardians	76	71	0.517	19.5
14	Texas Rangers	78	70	0.527	21.0

We cannot afford to let Pittsburg get away from us!  :)