Donaldson homers twice in 2nd straight game

Blue Jays slugger hits 481-footer in first; has AL-leading 21 home runs since All-Star break, 30 overall

September 17th, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Josh Donaldson's homer-heavy second half continued with his second two-homer game in as many days during the Blue Jays' 13-7 loss to the Twins on Sunday at Target Field.

Donaldson, who finished the game 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored, hit a mammoth first-inning home run to the third deck in left field off Twins starter that traveled a projected 481 feet, according to Statcast™. It gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead and sparked a four-run frame.

"Yeah, that was a bomb," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "He can do that, though. We've seen him do that. He's a special player."

It's the seventh-longest home run in the Majors this season and the third-longest at Target Field since Statcast™ starting tracking home runs in 2015. The longest Target Field homers belong to Seattle's , who hit a 493-foot clout on Sept. 24, 2016, and the Twins' , who hit one 483 feet on June 20 against the White Sox.

Donaldson, who was unavailable for comment after the game, hit another homer to left field off Gibson in the second inning, a solo shot that was projected to travel 370 feet with an exit velocity of 96 mph, according to Statcast™. The homer gave the Blue Jays a 5-0 lead before the Twins rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the frame.

Donaldson leads the American League with 21 home runs since the All-Star break and has 30 this season. He went 4-for-5 with four runs and two solo homers on Saturday and had three hits, a homer and two RBIs on Friday. He now has 10 career home runs at Target Field in 19 games.

After going 2-for-3 against Gibson, Donaldson is now 6-for-13 with five walks and three home runs against the Twins right-hander in his career.

"When I finally got him out, [Twins manager Paul Molitor] asked me if I wanted the ball," Gibson joked. "I told him I wanted the first two, but they're probably in St. Paul, so he probably couldn't get them. You know what? If you're going to give them up, I guess you give them up."