Inside The Twins

Royce Lewis shines in return, but Twins drop series opener to Yankees

Lewis homered in his first game back since suffering a quad strain on Opening Day.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (41) during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium in New York on June 4, 2024.
Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (41) during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium in New York on June 4, 2024. | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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Royce Lewis didn’t disappoint in his much-anticipated return, but the Twins weren’t able to get much offense going in a 5-1 series-opening loss to the New York Yankees Tuesday night in New York.

Lewis returned to the Twins lineup Tuesday night for the first time since suffering a quad strain on Opening Day. Lewis homered in his first at-bat back then on March 28, and he picked up right where he left off Tuesday with a seventh-inning homer he sent 428 feet into left-center field. 

Lewis also provided a highlight at third base during the fourth inning when he dove on a ground ball that came off the bat of Gleyber Torres and beat him with the throw to first base. 

All in all, Lewis went 1 for 1 with the homer and two walks.

The Twins (33-27), however, found themselves in a 3-0 hole before Lewis’ homer got them on the board. Torres homered on the first pitch he saw from Twins starter Bailey Ober and just barely got it over the wall, taking a cutter 349 feet into right-center field in the second inning.

Aaron Judge hit a two-RBI double at the right-field line during the third inning that gave the red-hot Yankees (43-19) a 3-0 lead. The Twins, meanwhile, struggled to get much of anything together off Yankees starter Luis Gil, who’s in the midst of a Cy Young-caliber season. 

Gil was a former Twins prospect whom they traded to New York when he was just 19 years old back in 2018 in exchange for outfielder Jake Cave, who's currently with the Colorado Rockies.

Gil just allowed one hit and no runs while fanning six across six innings. 

Ober was solid, too, allowing just the three runs off three hits while fanning a pair across five. 

But the Twins’ offense just never really got going. They only mustered two hits on the night as Tommy Kahnle, Ian Hamilton and Luke Weaver combined to pitch three innings of one-hit, one-run ball. 

Cole Sands came on in relief of Ober and pitched a pair of shutout frames, and Caleb Thielbar had Minnesota one out away from going into the ninth inning facing just a two-run deficit. But Thielbar surrendered a two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton that provided the Yankees some insurance.

The Twins went down in order in the ninth inning anyway.

The Twins weren't able to get the win Tuesday, but they certainly saw some encouraging signs of what could be to come with Lewis back in the lineup. There's just a different energy with Lewis on the field.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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