Inside The Twins

Watch: Byron Buxton delivers superhuman sequence with glove, then bat

Two plays in the third inning on Wednesday showed why Buxton should be an All-Star.

Will Ragatz

Jun 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a three run home run during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Target Field.
Jun 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a three run home run during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Target Field. / Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
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A healthy Byron Buxton is capable of absolutely spectacular things. He showed off his rare athletic gifts on two different incredible plays in the third inning of the Twins' game against the Rangers on Wednesday night.

First, Buxton saved two runs with a diving catch in the left-center field gap in the top half of the frame. The 2017 Platinum Glove winner has been one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball whenever he's been on the field during his career. His speed and ability to finish plays in the outfield is remarkable.

Then Buxton came up to bat with two runners on base in the bottom half of the third and somehow managed to do something even more spectacular. He took a 2-2 slider from Jack Leiter on the outer half of the plate and launched it an estimated 479 feet to center for a three-run home run that gave Minnesota the lead. It left his bat at 111.6 miles per hour and landed above the limestone at Target Field, a place few blasts have gone in the ballpark's 16-year history.

The homer was the longest of Buxton's career, the longest hit by a Twins player since 2021, and the second-longest in baseball this season, behind only Mike Trout's 484-foot shot in April.

Look no further than that two-play sequence to see why Buxton is one of the most electrifying players in all of baseball, and why he should make his second trip to the All-Star game this summer.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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