MINNEAPOLIS — A night after suggesting he’s not close to done finding the bleachers at Target Field, Byron Buxton proved to be a man of his word.
The Minnesota Twins center fielder continued to show signs Tuesday night he’s heating up at the plate, blasting two homers as part of a four-hit effort. With Buxton extending his own Target Field home run record twice and Mick Abel delivering a dazzling pitching display, the Twins toppled the Boston Red Sox 6-0 in front of 16,220 fans, winning for the eighth time in nine games.
Abel struck out 10 batters over an efficient seven innings, and the Twins — who have won three straight series — head into Wednesday afternoon’s finale with the best record in the American League as they look to complete a series sweep of Boston.
“When (Buxton’s) healthy, he’s an impactful player,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I hate to say it, but he’s fun to watch as a baseball fan. As a manager, when he’s playing like that, it’s very hard. He’s electric.”
Buxton and the Twins generated minimal electricity during a slow, painful 3-6 start to the season.
Still, the Twins insisted there was no panic.
One reason for their confidence was that Buxton still hadn’t found a groove at the plate, posting a .415 OPS in that span. After he returned from the World Baseball Classic on March 20, Buxton knew he needed to catch up after playing only a part-time role for Team USA.
Even with additional work on the back fields and playing in several games, Buxton wasn’t up to speed when the season started, which limited his chances to impact the scoreboard with his powerful stroke and game-changing speed.
“Obviously, three weeks and (nine) at-bats, that’ll set you back a little bit,” Buxton said. “I think I tried to rush my swing back within the first couple weeks. It was like ‘I know you ain’t got it, but we’re still going to go out here and get a hit.’ But it’s not that easy. It’s baseball. (My teammates) did a good job of keeping me sane.”
Now, Buxton has started to drive opposing pitchers crazy.
Byron Buxton AGAIN!
He’s 4-for-4 with 2 homers 👏 pic.twitter.com/HEgyaD9a4x
— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2026
When he homered on Monday, smoking a 420-foot blast to center late in a blowout victory, Buxton eclipsed former teammate Max Kepler for the most home runs hit at Target Field with 85. Shortly after the Twins celebrated the occasion in the postgame clubhouse, Buxton told reporters it was meaningful, but that he wasn’t done yet.
Three innings into Tuesday’s game, he made his statement ring true.
Already giving the Twins a lead in the first inning with his blazing speed, scoring just ahead of a throw home on Luke Keaschall’s single, Buxton extended his team’s advantage. Former teammate Sonny Gray threw a first-pitch curveball and Buxton belted it to left for a solo homer and a 2-0 lead.
Gray wasn’t unhappy with his pitch selection to Buxton. He’d executed the curveball he wanted and Buxton hit it. What caught Gray’s attention was Buxton’s second homer, a sixth-inning solo shot on a 2-0 slider below the zone from Jack Anderson, the only run the rookie allowed.
“It was a 2-0 breaking ball like three balls under the zone,” Gray said of Anderson’s pitch. “When you’re homering on a 2-0 breaking ball three balls below the zone, that’s a hot player and a hot team.”
Buxton also walked in the first inning, sparking a go-ahead rally after he advanced on a Gray balk and scored on Keaschall’s blooper to center. He also singled in the fourth inning off Gray. Only Aroldis Chapman slowed Buxton, striking him out in the eighth.
Buxton finished 4-for-5 and is hitting .343 over the team’s last nine games. During Buxton’s hot stretch, the Twins have scored 60 runs and are averaging 6.7 per game. Over their first nine games, the Twins tallied 38 runs and won none of their first three series.
“Buck hitting is the least of my worries,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “I have a lot of worries in my life. That is not one that I’m worried about. He’s going to hit, he’s going to be the leader of our group, he’s going to do things like he did tonight. That’s not what keeps me up at night.”
Brooks Lee also homered for the Twins and Trevor Larnach continued a strong start to the season with a walk and a two-run single, though he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.
Mick Abel struck out a career-high 10 batters over seven innings against the Red Sox. (Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)
Abel dominates again
Give the Twins rookie pitcher good working conditions, and he will deliver.
For the second start in a row, Abel was outstanding. Featuring a six-pitch mix, he struck out a career-high 10 batters over seven innings. Abel generated 15 swings and misses in 90 pitches and never got into trouble.
He struck out a batter in every inning but the fourth, pairing a strong fastball with a good assortment of off-speed pitches. He identified his changeup as key.
The Red Sox only put one runner in scoring position against Abel, whose first two appearances were trying. He debuted in the back end of a piggyback outing in Baltimore and pitched in a 24-degree wind chill in his April 4 start against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Facing the Detroit Tigers in improved conditions on Thursday, Abel delivered six scoreless innings in a victory.
“It’s easy to say I had no issue with it, but I definitely had some issues with it as far as how mechanics were feeling and just where I was at,” Abel said of his first two games. “It wasn’t the best spot. But thankfully we were able to have some conversations here, and I was able to get back in comfortably.”
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