Buxton the catalyst in Twins' wild 12-inning victory

CHICAGO -- With the Twins down, 2-1, in the eighth inning and two outs, Byron Buxton stepped to the plate looking to do damage. And there’s no one else Minnesota would prefer to be up in a situation like that.

Buxton launched the game-tying home run, which the Twins parlayed into a 7-3 win in 12 innings against the White Sox on Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Even before coming here, I knew exactly the kind of player he was, watching all the highlights from him with offense, defense, running,” starter Pablo López said after allowing just two runs across seven innings. “It's been really fun to play on the same team as he is. The energy he brings, the leadership that he brings, how much he means to the Twins, to us as players, as a leader.”

When Buxton came to the plate in the eighth, the team needed a major spark. Minnesota was just four outs away from being swept in the three-game series and the offense had mustered just two hits. But like he always does for the Twins, Buxton came up clutch.

He sat back and pulled an 88 mph slider from White Sox reliever Reynaldo López for a game-tying 376-foot home run.

“Be aggressive,” Buxton said on his approach to the at-bat. “I’ve faced him a few times and got a little bit of an idea of how he was going to pitch me. So I went up there a little bit more aggressive, and he just happened to leave the pitch over the middle.”

Buxton also knows a thing or two about homering against the White Sox. He has slugged 17 of them against them in his career, the most against any team he's faced.

“It’s a battle when we play them,” Buxton said. “So it’s just one of those things when you see each other so many times, you get an idea how they tend to pitch you and you get a little bit more comfortable going up there.”

Buxton’s recent hot streak carried over at a crucial moment. He has hit safely in eight consecutive games and has a .345 average (10-for-29) with four doubles, five home runs and 11 RBIs during that stretch.

He only had one hit on Thursday -- finishing 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and two walks -- but his home run proved to be a key at-bat. The Twins piled on five runs in the 12th inning to secure the victory.

“[Carlos] Correa lining one over the fence [in the sixth], and then Buck with a big moment there too, we needed those things,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.

There might be no one as important to the Twins' lineup as Buxton is day in and day out. He’s a game-changer with his bat and has proved invaluable in the clutch. His game-tying homer is just another example of why Minnesota is primarily playing him at DH to begin the year.

“I feel good,” Buxton said. “Every day. I get to just focus on coming in and hitting, and it’s just one of those things where I’m not worried about getting hurt.”

Buxton has sustained his fair share of injuries, especially over the past couple of seasons. He hasn’t played more than 100 games since 2017, and he has been off the field dealing with injuries more than on it playing.

That’s why Minnesota is handling Buxton with caution this season. He has an AL Platinum Glove Award to his name and is an excellent defender in center field. But the Twins aren't at a point where they can afford to play him there just yet.

“For me, there’s no actual decision to make right now, because if he could go out there and play center field and we believed he could go out there and do it, he would be out there,” Baldelli said. “If that was realistic at the moment, we would do it. The most important thing, though, is that he can play today, and that he can play tomorrow and he can play the next day.”

Baldelli’s top concern is keeping Buxton healthy. If that means playing Buxton at DH to avoid injuries, Minnesota will take that because his bat is such a difference-maker in the lineup.

“He’s helping us win games right now,” Baldelli said. “He’s playing well. He’s running the bases well, and I don’t want to put that at risk at this point in the year.”