Making a splash: Byron Buxton hits for cycle in Twins’ win against Pirates

On a day when Minnesota fans were in line hours before first pitch to get their hands on a Byron Buxton bobblehead giveaway the Twins leadoff hitter put on a show worthy of being immortalized in sports memorabilia form Buxton one of two Twins bound for Tuesday s All-Star Contest in Atlanta went for and became the first participant in Target Field history to hit for the cycle He capped off the rare feat with a seventh-inning home run to deep straightaway center field as Minnesota trounced the Pittsburgh Pirates - winning for the sixth time in its past eight games Buxton singled in the first tripled in the second hit a ground-rule double in the third singled in the fifth and homered late becoming the first Twin to hit for the cycle since Jorge Polanco did it in an April contest in Philadelphia Feels good Obviously I ve got my teammates there The promotion they have amongst us in that dugout is pretty incredible I think that was a big reason to note Buxton who missed a battle earlier in the week after taking a pitch off the hand They kept me going Buck you re going to do it at present They notified me that It was just one of those where you have to believe in yourself that you re going to do it I think all of those guys in there believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes Opener Cole Sands pitched two perfect innings before a trio of relievers came on to finish the challenge Travis Adams - got his first major league win with four innings of work Kody Clemens Matt Wallner and Willi Castro also homered for the Twins who improved to - with the win Justin Topa struck out two Pirates in the ninth to close the challenge Obviously the hitters are better here So just being a little more precise with executing my pitches and knowing where I can miss and not miss announced Adams who was making his second major league appearance And I think just to be a little more aggressive with hitters I had a little better mentality and results were better Pittsburgh starter Matt Burrows - was hit hard early and lifted after innings While Sands needed just pitches to cruise through the first two innings Burrows had two Twins on base in the first inning then hit a serious snag in the second With one out Burrows walked Royce Lewis with control problems and followed by hitting Ty France with a pitch Next up Clemens sailed the first pitch he faced deep into the right-field seats for a - lead Buxton who had led off the competition with an infield single tripled just beyond the reach of Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz and came home when Willi Castro s swinging bunt died between the mound and the plate for a - lead Following a walk of Trevor Larnach Castro came home on Ryan Jeffers single to right which chased Burrows from the competition The first batter faced by Pittsburgh reliever Genesis Cabrera Brooks Lee dropped a double down the left-field line to count Larnach for a - lead before the Pirates got out of the inning In total the Twins sent to the plate in their half of the second inning They touched Cabrera for three more runs in the third Adams on in relief of Sands pitched a perfect third but encountered turbulence in the fourth With one out he walked Andrew McCutchen then allowed a single to Bryan Reynolds for Pittsburgh s first hit of the contest Nick Gonzalez hit a hard grounder to third but Lewis misplayed the ball and McCutchen scored on the fielding error Adams initial pitch of the fifth became a souvenir when Jack Suwinski popped it into the second deck in right field It was Suwinski s first homer of the season and made the outcome - Buxton came up for the fifth time with two outs in the seventh and blasted an Andrew Heaney pitch feet over the park s deepest fence He left the battle but not before coming out of the dugout for a curtain call prompted by the fans One of the hardest things to do in our meeting is to try to hit a home run and then proceed to hit a home run mentioned Twins manager Rocco Baldelli who noted that he was taking two of the bobbleheads home one for himself and one for his daughter You only maybe if you re lucky and play a long time and you re a great sportsman only maybe get a couple of opportunities to complete a cycle And do it by hitting a home run when you need a home run I don t know I ve never seen it I don t think I ve ever seen it before Wouldn t doubt if I never see it again Unless he does it the subsequent day Buxton became the th Twin ever to hit for the cycle and the first to do so in a home championship since Michael Cuddyer did so in May versus Milwaukee at the Metrodome It s special I d be lying if I noted I wasn t nervous before the encounter started just knowing it was bobblehead day Obviously you want to come out and do something good Buxton mentioned after becoming just the second sportsman in baseball to record a cycle this season So to be able to come out on bobblehead day and have a day like this is something I won t forget Obviously it s the first one So cherish it and move on the next day The series concludes on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for p m Minnesota will send right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson - to the mound to face Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller - Related Articles Why the Twins nearly had to pull Joe Ryan after one inning Friday Joe Ryan survives early struggles as Twins beat Pirates ace Paul Skenes Baldelli says marquee pitching duel is must-see TV Twins prep for all scenarios ahead of Sunday s first round of the MLB Draft Twins can t complete sweep as Cubs bats definitively wake up