In homer-happy game, double off wall sinks Twins in 9-8 loss to Blue Jays

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Aug 27, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

In a game that featured a combined eight home runs, it was a two-run double from Addison Barger that bashed off the top of the right-field wall that turned into the game-winning hit.

The Minnesota Twins, looking to win consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 6-8, blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning during a 9-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. The Twins ended their six-game road trip against Toronto and the Chicago White Sox with a 2-4 record.

In the bottom of the eighth, Twins left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera allowed a solo homer to Ty France, France’s first since he was traded by the Twins. Cabrera allowed a pinch-hit single to Alejandro Kirk before Michael Tonkin entered the game. Tonkin issued a five-pitch walk to George Springer, then surrendered the go-ahead hit to Barger.

One day after the Twins rallied in the ninth inning for a surprising win, it was their turn for a kick to the gut.

The Twins’ loss spoiled a turn-back-the-clock game from Byron Buxton.

Eight years to the day Buxton hit a career-high three homers in a game against the Blue Jays at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, he started a slugfest with two home runs. All nine Twins starters recorded a hit, and the team stole a season-high five bases.

Buxton, playing in his 100th game this season, homered on the sixth pitch of the game. He launched a cutter from Blue Jays lefty Eric Lauer over the center-field wall for his seventh leadoff homer of the season.

In the third inning, with the score tied, Buxton crushed an elevated fastball from Lauer to left field for another solo homer. Lauer entered Wednesday with 10 homers allowed in 88 innings. He looked almost in awe that Buxton hit two in three innings.

It was Buxton’s 16th career multi-homer game, which is tied with Kent Hrbek for the fourth most in Twins history. The only Twins players with more multi-homer games were Harmon Killebrew (35), Justin Morneau (20) and Tony Oliva (18).

The Twins broke a tie game with a three-run fourth inning. Austin Martin hit a two-out single and Edouard Julien followed with a double in the left-center gap. Martin scored from first base while Julien ran to third on a throw to the plate. Catcher Tyler Heineman, attempting to toss out Julien, made a wide throw to third, allowing Julien to successfully run around all the bases.

Buxton, the next batter, ended up at second base after reaching on a throwing error. Ryan Jeffers followed with an RBI single to left field.

Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson, activated from the injured list after he regained some of the weight he lost from a parasite in his digestive tract, recorded only 11 outs despite a seven-pitch first inning. He yielded five runs on five hits and two walks.

Woods Richardson gave up two homers to Davis Schneider, including a solo blast two pitches into the bottom of the fourth inning. Andrés Giménez ended his outing two batters later with a 401-foot homer on a splitter left over the middle of the plate.

In a one-run game in the fifth inning, Brooks Lee bashed a solo homer to left field. It was a bit of revenge after he lined out to center on a leaping highlight catch from Blue Jays center fielder Dalton Varsho. Kody Clemens extended the rally with a single and a stolen base, scoring when Royce Lewis poked a two-out, two-strike RBI single to right field.

The Twins led by three runs, but they couldn’t make it stand against a relentless Blue Jays offense.

Giménez was credited with an RBI double in the sixth inning when he bounced a chopper past a charging Luke Keaschall, the Twins’ second baseman.

The Twins had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the eighth inning, a chance to extend their lead, but Seranthony Domínguez struck out Buxton on a full-count sweeper out of the strike zone.

Keaschall, who hit a solo homer in the third inning, hit a two-out double in the ninth inning before Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman secured his 29th save of the season.

____