Lewis hits two home runs off Gausman in Game 1
Published
Royce Lewis went deep off Kevin Gausman twice in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card Series Tuesday as the Minnesota Twins led the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 in the third inning.
The first came in the bottom half of the opening inning with one out and Edouard Julien on first base following a leadoff walk. Gausman delivered a fastball over the inside corner of the plate that Lewis turned on and deposited in the left field seats to give the home side a 2-0 lead.
Lewis went deep again his next time up in the third inning, taking a fastball down the middle up and over the wall in right centre field. The blast made him just the second player in Twins history to homer twice in a postseason game, joining Gary Gaetti from 1987.
The former first overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft, Lewis was one of the Twins' best players during the regular season when he was on the field. The 24-year-old hit 15 home runs and drove in 52 runs while slashing .309/.372/.548 in just 58 games, missing time due to various injuries.
The Twins came into Tuesday's game having lost 18 consecutive postseason games, stretching all the way back to the 2004 AL Division Series. They've been swept in six consecutive playoff series since.
Game 2 will go Wednesday afternoon from Target Field in Minneapolis with Jose Berrios taking the mound against Sonny Gray. If necessary, Game 3 will take place Thursday afternoon.