FORT MYERS, FLA. – The Twins won in a walk-off on Tuesday, though neither team walked off at the time.
Miguel Sano doubled home pinch-runner Drew Maggi in the final inning of a seven-inning game at Hammond Stadium, and the Twins, held to only one hit in the first six innings, eventually claimed a 1-0 Grapefruit League victory over the Orioles.
Two more Twins batted after Sano's game-winner, in order to give Baltimore reliever Connor Greene a few more pitches.
A strong, steady wind and some strong, steady pitching limited the Twins and Orioles to three hits apiece and kept the game scoreless until Minnesota finally broke through in the seventh. Jorge Polanco grounded a one-out single to right off Greene, and Sano followed by lining a 3-1 changeup into the left-field corner, earning the Twins their second straight victory and evening their spring record at 4-4.
The Twins managed only one hit, a single by Josh Donaldson in the first inning, before the seventh-inning rally. But they appeared to lose at least three home runs to a persistent gale that kept knocking down fly balls. Orioles left fielder Ryan Mountcastle even reached over the top of the outfield wall to snatch a Mitch Garver deep fly from breaking the shutout.
Kenta Maeda, meanwhile, threw three shutout innings in his second start of the spring, striking out four. The final nine of his 41 pitches were all strikes, and Maeda said, "I'm feeling more locked in as we go on in the spring."
Alex Colome struck out all three hitters he faced, and Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey each threw a scoreless inning.
