Kepler walks it off after becoming Target Field all-time HR leader

MINNEAPOLIS -- The first homer that Max Kepler hit at Target Field came exactly eight years and two days ago, a walk-off blast against then-Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes, and the then-23-year-old had even been surprised that day that he’d actually been strong enough to get the ball over the fence.

The 81st homer that Kepler hit in this building wasn’t another walk-off, but it was almost as significant -- a game-tying three-run blast in the sixth inning of Friday’s game that made him Target Field’s all-time home run leader.

And it turns out, there was still a walk-off in store, anyway.

Kepler cracked an RBI single off the glove of A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom with two runners on base in the bottom of the 10th inning to push the Twins to a 6-5 victory, capping his historic night by bringing the performance full-circle with another game-ending blow.

“I was thinking about bunting, then [assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon] said, ‘Screw that, swing the bat. You rake,’” Kepler said.

It’s hard to debate that now that Kepler has raked more than anyone else in this building.

That skinny rookie version of Kepler who hit that first walk-off in 2016 never thought of himself as a home run hitter -- and he still doesn’t. He still thinks of himself as a “quality at-bat” guy looking to hit the ball hard somewhere, and only once in his 10-year career has he actually led the Twins in homers -- having done so last season, with 24.

But after having also celebrated his 1,000th career game with the Twins earlier this season, Kepler has been around long enough -- and has been in enough of these situations -- to push himself to the top of a list that also features Brian Dozier (80 homers), Miguel Sanó (76), Eddie Rosario (68) and longtime teammate Byron Buxton (62).

“I ain't going to lie -- yeah, I knew,” said Buxton, who has been Kepler’s teammate for all 10 of those seasons. “When it comes to Kep, that's my boy. I keep up with just about everything he does. I don't care what it is. It's just cool to see him stick with one team and stay by my side. It's just something that keeps me going.”

“It hasn't really sunk in yet,” Kepler said. “Maybe the more you say it, it will. Living the dream.”

But because the record-breaking homer only erased a deficit, Kepler got another chance to step foot in the batter’s box to actually give his team the lead and finish the job -- though he almost didn’t have the chance to get there.

As part of the Twins’ game-tying rally in the eighth inning, Kepler took a 99.1 mph pitch from reliever Lucas Erceg square off his right elbow, leaving him doubled over in pain at home plate after his bursa sac in his elbow “blew up,” he later said. He underwent a lengthy examination from manager Rocco Baldelli and athletic trainer Masa Abe before walking gingerly to first base.

“We gave him a little time,” Baldelli said. “He wanted to stay in. And then he comes up against the lefty.”

After Jhoan Duran pitched two scoreless innings to send the game to the bottom of the 10th inning in a 5-5 tie, A’s left-hander Scott Alexander intentionally walked Carlos Correa to set up the left-on-left matchup against Kepler, who lined a first-pitch sinker in on his hands off the glove of Soderstrom and into right field.

It marked Kepler’s 10th career walk-off plate appearance, moving him into a tie with Kent Hrbek for third-most in Twins history. Only Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew have had more, with 11 -- and in a season full of Twins milestones for the longtime right fielder, it seems only fitting that Kepler is on the cusp of seizing another.

Kepler’s presence has been one of the stabilizing forces behind this recent era of Twins baseball in Target Field.

And even after Rosario, Sanó, Jorge Polanco and others have come and gone, Kepler is still here, perhaps in his final season with the organization -- and he’s spent a long time earning this place in the club’s record books, alongside some of the biggest names in team history.

“It's an honor to be part of that list,” Kepler said. “We've got a lot of work to do. Yeah, I'll soak it all in once we're done with the season and playoffs and what's next.”