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  • Ranking the Top 5 Minnesota Twins Walk-Off Home Runs of the 2010s

    Matthew Taylor

    By Matthew Taylor

    In a time when we have no live baseball, sometimes the best way to cope is by reliving special moments from the past. While the 2010s didn’t provide many special end results, there were still plenty of special moments along the way.

    Image courtesy of © Ben Ludeman-USA TODAY Sports

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    In the decade of the 2010s, the Minnesota Twins hit a total of 19 walk-off home runs. Some of them were mired in the middle of a hopeless season, while others vaulted the club into a prime playoff position. Here are the top 5 Minnesota Twins walk-off home runs of the 2010s:

    5. Eddie Rosario vs. San Diego Padres - September 13, 2017

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYnoZEWsIHw

    The number five walk-off homerun in our countdown comes courtesy of Eddie Rosario, who blasted a two-run, two-out shot in the bottom of the 10th inning off of Padres pitcher, Phil Maton, to keep pace in the American League Wild Card race. At the point of this game, the Minnesota Twins were only two games up in the race for the second Wild Card spot, with every game having so much meaning. Rosario hugged the right field foul pole and blasted the walk-off right inside the Gate 34 entrance. This was Rosario’s first career walk-off home run, and allowed the Twins to maintain their two-game lead in the American League Wild Card race.

    4. Byron Buxton vs. Toronto Blue Jays - September 14, 2017

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-U5vIXkuo

    The two-game stretch from September 13 and September 14 of the 2017 season has to be one of the most thrilling and stress-inducing stretches that the Minnesota Twins have ever had. After capping off the game with a walk-off home run the previous night, Byron Buxton helped the Twins put on an encore for the Target Field faithful, blasting a walk-off of his own against Luis Santos and the Toronto Blue Jays, yet again in extra innings. After Matt Belisle gave up a tying home run to Justin Smoak in the top of the 9th inning, Buxton hit his first career walk-off homerun to save his pitcher and increase the Twins’ lead in the American League Wild Card to 3.5 games.

    3. Miguel Sanó vs. Atlanta Braves - August 5, 2019

    That sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of Miguel Sanó’s walk-off home run off of Chris Martin finally landing. Being called upon to pinch hit for Ehrie Adrianza, Sanó took a 1-0 cutter and blasted it 443 feet into center field, the 5th furthest ball he hit in 2019. The best part of this walk-off is that the moment Sanó made contact with the baseball, Ronald Acuña began jogging back to the dugout. Acuña was so sure that it was a homerun from the sound of the bat, that he didn’t even need to watch it, let alone chase it. This Sanó walk-off came at a time in the season where the Twins’ AL Central lead was down to just 3 games and every game was monumental.

    2. Brian Dozier vs. Detroit Tigers - July 10, 2015

    Arguably the greatest comeback in Minnesota Twins history, Brian Dozier’s walk-off home run off of Joakim Soria capped off a seven-run, 9th inning comeback for the Minnesota Twins over their division rival, Detroit Tigers. Entering the 9th inning of the game, the Minnesota Twins found themselves down 6-1 with a 0% win expectancy (per Baseball-Reference). After fighting back to make the game 6-5, Dozier stepped up to the plate with 2 men on and 1 man out. Dozier took the first pitch that he saw and launched it into the left field bleachers. Following the blast was an all-time call from Dick Bremer, “A drive to left field! Are you kidding me?!”. It was truly a memorable game for the Twins and earned the number 2 spot in our countdown of top walk-off home runs of the 2010s.

    1. Jim Thome vs. Chicago White Sox - August 17, 2010

    In their first ever AL Central pennant race at Target Field, this game was the first of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, over whom the Twins held just a 3-game lead in the AL Central. In a classic game that featured six different lead changes, Jim Thome stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Twins down 1 run. Facing a 1-0 count, Thome hit the ball so hard that it hit off the flagpole in the right field plaza, and gave the Minnesota Twins the walk-off victory. Not only was this the first ever walk-off home run for the Twins at Target Field, but it pushed the AL Central lead up to 4 games, and set the tone for what turned out to be a sweep of the White Sox and really cemented the Twins position in first place of the AL Central. Jim Thome will always hold a special place in the hearts of Twins fans, with this walk-off home run being the primary reason why.

    What was your favorite walk-off home run from the Minnesota Twins last decade? Did you witness any of them live? Leave a comment below and start the conversation.

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    Matthew Taylor has been a writer with Twins Daily since 2020. If you can't find him at Target Field you'll most likely find him at the movie theater.
    Follow Matthew Taylor on Twitter: MatthewTaylorMN

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    Dantes929

    Dantes929 4,529

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    • Posted

    Not sure what the criteria is here.    As far as memorable I immediately thought Thome, Dozier's two in 4 days and Joe Mauer's in 2017.   It was early in the season but hardly meaningless.  Certainly memorable.

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    stringer bell

    stringer bell 12,723

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    I was at the last game before the All-Star break in 2018. The Twins were playing the Rays, fell behind and rallied. There was tension and the dugouts emptied at one point. Dozier hit a walkoff grand slam in a game that took over four hours. I thought it might springboard the club into good things in the second half of the season, but they sold and the team floundered. Still a great memory.

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    Matthew Taylor

    Matthew Taylor 576

  • Twins Daily Contributor

    • Posted

     

    I was at the last game before the All-Star break in 2018. The Twins were playing the Rays, fell behind and rallied. There was tension and the dugouts emptied at one point. Dozier hit a walkoff grand slam in a game that took over four hours. I thought it might springboard the club into good things in the second half of the season, but they sold and the team floundered. Still a great memory.

     

    That's an awesome memory! Thanks for sharing.

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    sftwinsfan

    sftwinsfan 334

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    Figured Dozier and Thome would be 1-2. Those are the most memorable by far to me. Wasn't a walkoff I don't think but one of the other more memorable HR's for me was Kubel at the dome with what I think was a grand slam to complete the cycle and cap a big rally against the Angels. That game and the Dozier game above are the best comebacks I remember. 

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    Aerodeliria

    Aerodeliria 1,398

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    • Posted

    These are walk offs, but there have been some mighty big non-walk offs as well, such as Dozier's come-from-behind three run blast against the Indians in 2017 in late September in Cleveland to give the Twins some breathing room in the wild card chase.

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    big dog

    big dog 3,356

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    I think #1 is right, but I much prefer the White Sox broadcast for it. I can't find the video, but basically its Hawk being silent as Thome rounds the bases. 

    Yeah, I've looked for that and I'm sure the Sox have pulled it.  My recollection is that Thome swung, and Harrelson disgustedly said "Ballgame." or something like that.   think he just left the booth after that while the cameras rolled.  Beautiful.

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    Dantes929

    Dantes929 4,529

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    I was at that game. I had such high hopes for Arcia. He could make the baseball go very far.

    I had high hopes for him as well but think the "making the ball go very far" was the problem.    He was a .300 hitter in the minors and hit home runs at a better rate than in the majors but am guessing the ones in the majors went a lot farther and were more clustered down the right field line.    Just another guy that put on some muscle and fell in love with how far he could hit it rather than how often.

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    theBOMisthebomb

    theBOMisthebomb 2,010

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    • Posted

    I was at that game. I had such high hopes for Arcia. He could make the baseball go very far.

    Yeah, that was a fun night. Since it was my birthday, my wife and I left the children at home. At the time, that was a 5th grader, 4th grader, 3rd grader, and 3 year old. So, kind of a big deal. Arcia never came close to meeting potential with the Twins or after. Too bad since he was a likeable guy.
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    Nine of twelve

    Nine of twelve 7,163

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    Personal favorite was 4/25/16, Oswlado Arcia vs. Cleveland. It was my birthday so it was a nice present.

    Another noteworthy thing to mention about that game is that all the in-stadium video displays were purple-themed.

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