NEW YORK -- There are only so many ways to broach the subject of Didi Gregorius' hot streak, and so the Yankees' shortstop allowed himself a crackling laugh after Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Twins, fielding an all-too-familiar inquiry about being locked in at the plate.
"Same question as yesterday," Gregorius said, grinning for the cameras.
As Gregorius' productive results continue, so will the attention, and he is not shying away from the spotlight. Gregorius homered for the fourth consecutive game on Wednesday, mashing a third-inning solo drive into the right-field seats off Twins right-hander Lance Lynn.

The game-tying blast, Gregorius' team-leading ninth homer, established the 28-year-old as the first Major League shortstop since at least 1908 to collect nine homers and 29 RBIs through his first 23 games of a season. Yet Gregorius insists that he should still not be considered a home run hitter.
"I do have a lot of home runs, but it's not like I'm going out there and trying to hit them," Gregorius said. "I'm not the power guy like [Aaron] Judge or [Giancarlo] Stanton, guys who hit 50 to 60 and up. Those are the guys that actually hit a lot of home runs.
"If there's one year where I hit five, then you'll ask me where that power went. I'm not that type of guy. I try to hit line drives. I think you can check, too, most of my home runs went as line drives, too. It's not like I'm going up there trying to hit deep fly balls."

Including last year's American League Wild Card Game, Gregorius has homered in each of his past five contests against the Twins. He wasn't done, finishing Wednesday night 3-for-3 with two walks, reaching base in all five plate appearances as he continues to show improved plate discipline.
"This game is not easy, but we've got good game plans from our coaches, and I try to stay consistent with it," Gregorius said. "That's one thing I always had trouble doing. I try to manage it now and keep it in control, and try to stay with pitches in the zone and don't try to chase as much as I used to before."
Gregorius leads the Majors with 29 RBIs, notching a first-inning RBI single off Lynn -- extending his hit streak to nine games -- before homering in the third, then being issued an intentional walk in the fourth. He has hit all nine homers in the Bronx, collecting all but four of his RBIs in pinstripes.

"What a great night," manager Aaron Boone said. "He's playing great, he really is."

Facing Zach Duke in the sixth, Gregorius alertly dropped a bunt single against the shifted infield, noting the movement of third baseman Miguel Sano.
"They backed off and gave me an opportunity to bunt, so I was like, 'Why not?'" Gregorius said.
Gregorius wrapped his evening by working an eighth-inning walk from Taylor Rogers that helped set up a Stanton sacrifice fly, then he made a nifty barehanded play to pick Eduardo Escobar's slow roller off the wet turf for the final out.

Asked if he could be surprised by anything Gregorius does, Judge replied, "Not anymore."
"It's pretty cool just to see that as a teammate, all the hard work he's put in over the years," Judge said. "Even last year, when he got hurt and was out the first month, we missed him. Coming back and being red hot, and this year having a good spring, coming out and just doing what he does -- I'm excited for the rest of the year for him."