NEW YORK – In a game that saw the Twins lose their All-Star center fielder to injury, the club’s other All-Star representative was at his very best.
Byron Buxton chose to be smart when he departed Sunday’s game in the first inning after reaggravating the right hip injury that caused him to miss four games earlier this week. While Buxton’s exit provided a scare, Joe Ryan dealt the Twins plenty of good news. He authored seven scoreless innings to key a 6-1 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The Twins secured their first series win in the Bronx since 2014. It’s their first series win over the Yankees, home or away, since April 2023.
“Joe being Joe and doing what he does, it’s always fun,” Buxton said. “He was locked in today with all his pitches. … It just shows how great he is.”
Earlier in the week, Ryan felt like himself again for the first time since a lingering illness bumped back his start against the Dodgers last month. He said that he felt fresh heading into Sunday’s outing, and he sure looked it.
Ryan breezed through seven innings, allowing just four baserunners via three hits and one walk. He consistently gained count leverage, throwing a first-pitch strike to 20 of the 24 hitters that he faced, and he used his six-pitch mix to keep the Yankees off balance.
“It was a different level,” manager Derek Shelton said. “His ability to execute the fastball, to get the fastball in different quadrants. We know he’s got the low slot and the ride, but you could tell today there were a lot of uncomfortable swings, which I think was a testament to his stuff.”
This was Ryan at his best, recording strikeouts with four different pitches. He peppered his four-seamer at the top of the zone, where it zips over bats thanks to late ride. His splitter lived at the bottom of the zone, benefiting from a few mechanical adjustments that Ryan made between starts. The sweeper made right-handed hitters look silly, and the knuckle curve – a pitch Ryan added last season – played up against lefties.
In total, Ryan recorded nine strikeouts, tying his season high.
“It’s nothing new,” said infielder Brooks Lee. “He’s special. You’re not going to take any time off on defense, but you know if he gets to two strikes, there’s a pretty good chance he’s going to punch somebody out.”
Sure enough, Ryan ended his afternoon with an emphatic strikeout. On his 106th pitch, he unleashed a sweeper that generated a wild swing and miss from Amed Rosario, stranding a pair.
Ryan became the first Twins pitcher to throw at least seven scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium since Johan Santana on July 27, 2005.
“As close to the best we’ve seen him,” Shelton said.
Ryan spent the past two days heaping deserved praise on the Twins’ offense, a unit that continues to deliver, even without Buxton. Minnesota is averaging 4.92 runs per game, which is sixth most in the Majors. On Sunday, eight Twins hitters combined to rap out 12 hits against five Yankees pitchers. Lee, first baseman Royce Lewis and outfielder Austin Martin all recorded multi-hit games.
But as it turns out, Ryan did not need much run support at all.
“We had a good plan and executed it well,” Ryan said.
That combination steered the Twins to a series win at Yankee Stadium, which isn’t a phrase that anyone has gotten the chance to say over the past 12 years. It’s proof of the quality of baseball that Minnesota is playing right now: Heading into Tuesday night’s American League Central clash against the Guardians, the Twins have won six of their past seven series.
“To be able to come in here with a young group and get two out of three, I’m really proud of our group,” Shelton said. “I think we’re playing good baseball at the right time.”