Inside The Twins

Kody Clemens joins 3-home run club in Twins' dramatic walkoff win

Clemens is just the 11th player to ever hit three homers in a game in a Twins uniform.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 12, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first base Kody Clemens (18) rounds second base after hitting a home run off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (not shown) in the fourth inning at Target Field.
Sep 12, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first base Kody Clemens (18) rounds second base after hitting a home run off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (not shown) in the fourth inning at Target Field. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

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Kody Clemens joined a fairly small club (and one much smaller one) with an incredible, career-best performance on Friday night at Target Field. He bashed three home runs and also hit an RBI double in the Twins' wild 9-8 walkoff win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Clemens is just the 11th player to ever hit three homers in a game in a Twins uniform, and the first since Miguel Sano in 2021. It's only happened six times by a member of the home team at Target Field. Here's the full list of 11 Twins with a three-homer game:

  • Kody Clemens (2025)
  • Miguel Sano (2021)
  • Nelson Cruz (twice in 2019)
  • Max Kepler (2019, 2016)
  • Eddie Rosario (2018, 2017)
  • Byron Buxton (2017)
  • Brian Dozier (2016)
  • Justin Morneau (2007)
  • Tony Oliva (1973)
  • Harmon Killebrew (1963)
  • Bob Allison (1963)

As you can see, it's now happened nine times in the last decade after happening just once from 1974-2015, but it's still a rare feat. Clemens, who hit in the 8 spot in the lineup on Friday, joins Rosario as the only Twins to ever do it from lower than fifth in the batting order.

Perhaps a more impressive stat: With 14 total bases, Clemens tied the franchise record set by Kirby Puckett in a six-hit game in Milwaukee back in August 1987. They're the only two players to ever record 14 TB in a game for Minnesota.

Clemens, who the Twins picked up from the Phillies for cash considerations in April, had really been struggling at the plate over the past month after hitting quite well for most of the season. His OPS was .792 on August 9 and had dropped to .691 coming into this game. In one single night, he got half of that drop back, boosting his OPS up to a solid .741.

In the third inning, Clemens tied the game at 1-1 with a 422-foot laser to right-center off of Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt.

He got Pfaadt again one inning later, hitting a two-run shot just over the limestone overhang in right. It marked the first time he'd ever hit multiple homers in the same contest.

Clemens then hit an RBI double to left to put the Twins up 6-2 in the sixth. But things would get crazy in the late innings. The Diamondbacks cut it to 6-4 in the seventh. In the top of the ninth, they scored four runs off of Cole Sands, taking an 8-6 lead on a three-run shot by Gabriel Moreno.

But Clemens and the Twins had a response. Leading off the inning, Clemens hit a changeup from Arizona's Jake Woodford — on the ninth pitch of the at-bat — into the bullpen in left-center. It left his bat at nearly 110 miles per hour and traveled 419 feet to the opposite field.

The Twins then went single, hit by pitch, walk, and RBI walk to set up a walkoff sacrifice fly by Luke Keaschall, sending the crowd home happy after a rollercoaster inning.

Win probability chart from Twins-Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Win probability chart from Twins-Diamondbacks on Friday night. | ESPN.com

But while Keaschall and Byron Buxton combined on the winning run, the story of the night was clearly Clemens. The 29-year-old, who was set to be DFA'd by the Phillies before the Twins acquired him, had a night he'll never forget amid a breakout career year. The homers were his 17th, 18th, and 19th of the season, giving him plenty of time to reach 20 before the season ends.

His dad was certainly impressed.

Pablo Lopez allowed two runs, both unearned, over five strong inning for the Twins (65-82) in Friday's win. Joe Ryan starts on Saturday evening against the Diamondbacks (73-75). It's a 6:10 game.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. 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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