MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Ryan pitched a three-hitter for Minnesota’s first complete-game shutout in five years, Byron Buxton became the first player in at least nine seasons to hit a pair of 460-foot home runs in a game and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Thursday.
Ryan (8-4) pitched his first complete game in 47 big league starts, striking out nine, walking none and facing no more than four batters in an inning. He had not pitched a complete game since 2018 for Cal State, Stanislaus.
“I’ve had a couple of opportunities where I thought I was pretty close and was looking at the scoreboard and thinking, ‘Oh, if I just line this up and do this and do that.’ Today, I didn’t,” Ryan said.
He pitched Minnesota’s first complete game since José Berríos' six-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on June 7, 2018, and first complete-game shutout since José Berríos' three-hitter at Baltimore on April 1, 2018.
Ryan threw a career-high 112 pitches, 83 for strikes. He mixed 75 fastballs averaging 92.5 mph with 35 splitters, one slider and one sweeper.
Just last Friday Ryan allowed a season-high six runs against Detroit that raised his ERA in June to 5.03.
“From beginning to end, he did everything to dominate that game," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He was in the zone. All of his stuff was good. He was throwing as hard as you’ll see him throw in the eighth and ninth inning right there. He looked sharp. He was commanding his pitches. Split was good.”
Buxton hit a 466-foot home run in the first inning and a 465-foot drive in the third, his ninth multi-homer game and first since June 10 last year. He is the first player with two 460-foot homers since Statcast started tracking in 2015.
Buxton is 5 for 11 with three homers and a double in his last three games after going 1 for 34 with 17 strikeouts in his prior 10 games. He has 13 home runs this season.
Minnesota got back to .500 at 38-38 and leads the AL Central.
After scoring 50 runs during a six-game winning streak, Boston has lost two in a row as Minnesota salvaged a series split.
Carlos Correa homered to the second deck in left field off Justin Garza (0-2), making his first career start as the Red Sox opener. Two batters later, Buxton hit a ball to the third deck, 3 feet shy of his longest career home run.
Buxton’s second home run landed in the second deck above the bullpens, a rarity at Target Field, and boosted the lead to 5-0 in the third inning.
Brandon Walter, a 26-year-old left-hander recalled from Triple-A Worcester, gave up Buxton’s home run. He allowed three earned runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings in his major league debut.
“I was just trying to keep us in the game, give us length, save the other bullpen guys, and try to get quick innings," Walter said. "I was able to do that some innings, other innings kind of got away from me, but overall, pretty good.”
PAIR OF FIRSTS
In his first career start, Boston SS David Hamilton singled in the eighth for his first big league hit.
RED SOX ROSTER CHANGES
Boston C Reese McGuire (right oblique strain) went on the 10-day injured list and the contract of C Caleb Hamilton was selected from Worcester. OF Alex Verdugo was placed on the bereavement list and INF Yu Chang (hamate fracture) was transferred to the 60-day IL. The Red Sox also acquired RHP Tayler Scott from the Dodgers for cash and transferred RHP John Schreiber to the 60-day IL.
KEUCHEL JOINS TWINS
Former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel has agreed to a minor league contract with Minnesota. The 35-year-old left-hander was 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA in 14 starts last year with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. A two-time All-Star and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, Keuchel is 101-91 with a 3.98 ERA in 257 starts and 11 relief appearances.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: 2B Pablo Reyes left in the fourth inning with abdominal soreness similar to what he experienced earlier this week. Manager Alex Cora did not have an update.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello (4-4, 3.49) starts Friday’s series opener at the Chicago White Sox, who start RHP Lucas Giolito (5-4, 3.54).
Twins: A nine-game trip begins Friday at Detroit. Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (0-4, 9.00) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL after recovering from a right triceps strain that has sidelined him since April 27. LHP Joey Wentz (1-7, 6.82) is to start for Detroit.
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