Blue Jays 7, Twins 3: Byron Buxton Blast Not Enough to Overcome Avian Outburst

Box Score
Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 ⅔ IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Home Runs: Byron Buxton (9)
Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.410), Ryan Jeffers (-0.090), Josh Bell (-0.090)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

One day after the Great Night in Minnesota Sports, life went on. The Twins - by far the least glorious member of the previous day’s winning association - returned to Target Field to play the Blue Jays. Champagne and celebrations occurred elsewhere; at the ballpark, it was business as usual. 

That business was spearheaded by Simeon Woods Richardson, owner of the starting rotation’s most ghastly ERA. 2026 hasn’t been kind to him: the young righty has seen his swing-and-miss ability plummet while his earned runs have ballooned. He entered the day with 15 strikeouts. All season. Across 30 innings. Even a product of the public education system could see he had issues. Would they continue on Friday?

The two teams exchanged a gentleman’s shutout first inning before Toronto struck in the second. Two singles and a wild pitch placed runners at second and third. A chopper hit to Josh Bell should have cut off the runner to home. It did not. Bell unleashed a Tyler Rogers sinker that grew wings and flew beyond the grasp of catcher Victor Caratini, forcing the poor backstop into a Daulton Varsho collision as the ball caromed out of bounds, allowing the trailing runner to score as well.

The blunder gave the Blue Jays the early advantage, but Minnesota had a trick up its sleeve: Byron Buxton. Although considering his name was on the lineup hours before the game started, precisely how tricky his appearance was appears dubious. In any case, Buxton stepped up to the plate in the third, correctly guessed how a Patrick Corbin breaker would spin, and blasted the low-and-inside offering just over the left field wall, scoring two.

The good news ends there. For a time.

The Blue Jays flocked with two more in the fourth, two in the fifth, and… one in the seventh. Kazuma Okamoto homered twice. Woods Richardson tried in vain to find an offering that would fool Toronto’s hitters, yet hard contact followed him with each selection. He continued to stumble with two outs in the fourth before Derek Shelton called it a day for the hurler and went to his bullpen.

Meanwhile, Twins hitters could do little. Not nothing, but only a little. Corbin proved too tricky on Friday. As did Toronto’s onslaught of relievers—Minnesota did load the bases against Jeff Hoffman in the eighth, but a sacrifice fly served as the only run they could net off the struggling former closer.

They probably should have done more. Toronto sent Louis Varland out for the ninth. They didn't just rub salt in the wound: they widened the gash before dropping enough sodium to salt McDonald's French Fries for the next decade. Despite a pair of baserunners, Minnesota couldn't get a rally going, and they fell to the Blue Jays in a sloppy contest.

Notes:

Post-Game Interview:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Blue Jays continue their Great Northern Battle with a mid-day foray on Saturday. Connor Prielipp starts opposite Dylan Cease. First pitch is at 1:10 PM.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet