MINNEAPOLIS — Anticipating the minutes he plays typically occur in high-leverage situations, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. often spends the ones when he’s on the bench engaging teammates and coaches in the hope of learning something new.
The 26th man on the Minnesota Twins roster wants to make sure he’s ready to deliver whenever he’s asked to pinch run or enter a game as a defensive replacement. Keirsey’s attention to detail, his easygoing personality and constant smile make him a favorite in the clubhouse, the guy they’re all rooting for to succeed.
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After taking over for defense in the seventh inning Sunday afternoon, that guy succeeded with the bat and the Twins went wild. Keirsey’s walk-off RBI single lifted the Twins to their eighth straight victory as they completed a series sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 7-6 win in 10 innings.
Not only did Keirsey’s first hit since April 16 keep the good vibes going but it also helped the Twins improve to 21-20, the first time all season they’ve had a record above .500. The team is off Monday before returning to action Tuesday night in Baltimore.
“He’s at the top of the list,” Twins starter Pablo López said. “He’s just a guy who takes every opportunity that he’s given and is like, ‘I’m going to go get it.’ … He’s always engaged. He finds ways to try to learn from the opportunities that he’s given but also learn from instances where he’s not playing the game. I was just so happy for him.”
Keirsey typically enters a game in one of two spots: as a defensive replacement when the Twins are winning or as a pinch runner in a situation when the club is looking to be aggressive on the bases. Rarely does he get an opportunity to hit late in a close game.
But with limited options on the bench, the score tied at 6 and Ryan Walker on the mound, Keirsey stepped in.
Before he had an opportunity, Keirsey first dealt with a delay as Twins manager Rocco Baldelli unsuccessfully argued with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott about a phantom pitched ball by Walker, one that occurred after the pitch clock expired but was ruled a no pitch because Wolcott said there was a pitch-clock malfunction.
After the wait, Keirsey took a first-pitch ball before lacing a slider and keeping it just inside the left-field line for the walk-off winner.
YEP, 8 STRAIGHT!!!! 🧹 pic.twitter.com/XSa8MW4SiS
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) May 11, 2025
After they showered him with hugs and high-fives near first base, Keirsey received an obligatory ceremonial ice bath during a postgame interview. Before retreating to the clubhouse, Keirsey stopped by the stands to give his playing cleats to his mother, Angela, who was in attendance for the Mother’s Day contest.
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“That was the first thought in my mind, was like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool,’” Keirsey said. “I just try to do what I can to watch the game, learn. I come in (for) high, intense situations. … I have to be as locked in and kind of know everything to do what I want to do.”
Here are more takeaways after the Twins completed another big sweep.
• He wasn’t sweating it, but Royce Lewis snapped a hitless streak that dated to September on Sunday, his sixth game of the 2025 season. He did so with a score-tying, bases-loaded single in the sixth inning.
Go figure.
Locked in an 0-for-36 spell dating to Sept. 24, including 15 hitless at-bats this season, Lewis ripped a 1-1 fastball from Erik Miller into center field to even the score at 4. He later blooped a second single to right, finishing 2-for-5.
ROYCE’S FIRST HIT, FOR THE TIE! 😤 pic.twitter.com/u7qweZh1bH
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) May 11, 2025
After Saturday night’s victory, Lewis said he’s been happy with his approach as he returned following a 34-game absence with a left hamstring strain. His execution hadn’t been as good, though progress was being made.
“I feel good at the plate,” Lewis said. “Timing is hard. I take for granted how — I just had six weeks off, I come back in and am facing these dudes that have crazy 18 inches of movement one way, 20 the other way. … (Sunday) was great for me. I’ll definitely take advantage of those at-bats and keep moving forward.”
In his career, Lewis is batting .454/.423/1.238 with five home runs and 31 RBIs in 26 plate appearances with the bases loaded.
• A big key to Danny Coulombe’s success is a cut-fastball he started to throw again with the Twins in spring training 2023 right before he was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles. Coulombe threw the pitch from 2014 to 2019 but eliminated it during his first go-round with the Twins.
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After he added a sweeper in 2022, Coulombe and the Twins decided to add the cutter back in to pair with the loopier slider. This season, Coulombe’s cutter has a plus-four Run Value.
Coulombe, who pitched a shutout inning Sunday, which extended his scoreless streak to 26 1/3 innings, throws five pitches, which is uncommonly high for a reliever.
“A lot of people say in the bullpen you want to have less pitches,” Coulombe said. “But I feel like if you can command them, you might as well have as many as you can. It’s different looks. It’s hard for hitters.”
• Brooks Lee produced another big game, homering, singling twice and scoring two runs as part of a 3-for-5 effort. Not only did Lee launch a two-run homer in the fourth inning to get the Twins on the board but he also opened the team’s two-run rally in the 10th with a leadoff single.
Lee, who also had a nice defensive game in a start at shortstop, previously delivered a go-ahead hit in the eighth inning of Thursday’s win over Baltimore.
“He’s a player that’s growing by the day,” Baldelli said. “He’s a player that can help you win a lot of different ways. You’re talking about a switch-hitting infielder who has adaptability, a good baseball head and IQ, and who is also making adjustments at the plate from both sides. It’s enjoyable to watch because it’s something new every day that he’s bringing to the table.”
• Baldelli was ejected Saturday night before he ever left the dugout. Enraged by what Umpire Auditors rated the worst called game of the season, Baldelli threw the lineup card, his hat and angrily pointed a finger at plate umpire Adrian Johnson after the 16th ejection of his career.
Baldelli said he learned the hat toss by watching former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. He also noted Sunday he hoped to redirect the collective anger building in the home dugout to allow players to focus on the game versus the umpires.
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The strategy appeared to work, too.
In the innings after Baldelli’s ejection, the Twins were locked in and executing in only the team’s fourth one-run victory of the season. The Twins improved to 4-6 in one-run games.
“Yelling and arguing isn’t something I do a lot in my life, not like that,” Baldelli said. “And when I do, my body needs a moment. So I sit for a minute and then I get back to the game.”
• Carlos Correa was out of the lineup Sunday, though it was nothing more than regular rest, Baldelli said. After a night game Saturday and with a day off Monday, Baldelli and the shortstop agreed it was a good time to give Correa a day off. Correa has appeared in 39 of the Twins’ 41 games, starting 38.
• On the injured list with a right shoulder strain, veteran reliever Michael Tonkin suffered a setback in his last outing Thursday. Tonkin’s rehab assignment will be halted because he has tendinitis in his right bicep and will receive an anti-inflammatory injection, Baldelli said.
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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