MINNEAPOLIS -- It doesn’t matter where the Twins put ROYCE LEWIS in the lineup -- it’s seemingly inevitable that the big spots find him, to the point that the Minnesota coaches joke about exactly that in the dugout.
It’s no joking matter for the opposing team, though -- because boy, does Lewis have a knack for rising to the occasion. And only 50 games into Lewis’ MLB career, the Guardians already know that all too well.
That big moment found Lewis in the second inning of Monday’s series opener between Minnesota and Cleveland at Target Field. With the bases loaded and the Twins trailing by two, Lewis crushed a drive to the bullpens in left-center field for his second grand slam in as many days, and the rookie’s huge swing capped a six-run rally that pushed Minnesota ahead in an eventual VICTORY.
“I think of eight RBIs and two wins, that’s what I think of,” Lewis said. “It’s truly special, man. Our team, the way we’re rolling and all the quality at-bats we’re putting together at the same time in the same innings, these are the kind of explosive innings we can put together deep into the playoffs any given night.”
Lewis became the first player in Twins history to hit grand slams in consecutive games -- a feat that actually occurred elsewhere in the Majors earlier this month by Luis Urías of the Red Sox.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Lewis has hit three grand slams among his first 10 career home runs, becoming the 10th player in AL/NL history to do so, and the first since Chris Taylor did so for the Dodgers in 2016-17.
Royce Lewis is the 10th player with 3 grand slams within his 1st 10 career HR, joining:
Dom Dallessandro
Russ Derry
David Eckstein
Brian Johnson
Justin Maxwell
Brian Roberts
Shane Spencer
Jim Tabor
Chris Taylor
“The kid's special,” Carlos Correa said. “We've known that for a while now. Now, he's healthy and doing his thing. Couldn't be happier for him. He's a guy that deserves it. He's a guy that everybody loves here. He's easy to like. He's easy to love. Success comes to people that work hard and are good people. He's all of that.”
The fans made sure Lewis got his recognition, demanding a curtain call with a roar that grew to the point that Max Kepler had to take a timeout before the start of his next plate appearance so Lewis could emerge from the dugout -- celebratory fishing vest halfway off his shoulders -- to acknowledge the raucous crowd.