Twins start with 3 HRs, Yanks’ Cole gives up career-high 5
Jun 9, 2022, 6:11 AM | Updated: 6:13 pm
Minnesota Twins' Luis Arraez jogs home on a solo home run off New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, left, during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa became the seventh trio of teammates to open a game with three straight home runs, starting a barrage of five long balls in 2 1/3 innings against New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Thursday night.
Arraez started the onslaught on a 2-2 changeup, hitting a tying drive 396 feet into the right-field seats for his second home run this season.
Buxton drove the next pitch, a hanging slider, 422 deep into the left-field upper deck for his 14th homer.
Correa fouled off a pitch, then pulled a cutter 413 feet into the left-field lower deck for his fourth homer and a 3-1 lead.
The previous trio to accomplish the feat was Arizona’s Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte and David Peralta off Jerad Eickoff at Philadelphia on June 10, 2019.
After Joey Gallo tied the score with a two-run homer in the second against Dylan Bundy.
Buxton gave the Twins a 6-3 lead in the bottom half with a three-run homer on a cutter, a 370-foot drive to left, and Trevor Larnach hit a solo homer on a fastball in the third, sending the ball 441 feet into the second deck in right-center.
Buxton had three two-homer games this season and six in his career, with a three-homer game at Toronto on Aug. 27, 2017.
Cole, who gave up eight hits and lasted 70 pitches, had not allowed more than three home runs in a game in his big league career. He had given up just six in 11 previous starts this season.
Other trios accomplishing the feat starting the first were:
— Peralta, AJ Pollock and Jake Lamb against Max Scherzer at Washington on July 21, 2017;
— Baltimore’s Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis off Colby Lewis of visiting Texas in a doubleheader opener on May 10, 2012;
— Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks, Hardy and Ryan Braun against Phil Dumatrait at Cincinnati on Sept. 9, 2007;
— Atlanta’s Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield off Jeff Austin of the visiting Reds on May 28, 2003; and
— San Diego’s Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk against Roger Mason of visiting San Francisco on April 13, 1987.
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