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MN Twins Past and Present Make Major Impact on MLB All-Star Game
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- MN Twins Past and Present Make Major Impact on MLB All-Star Game
Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins landed Byron Buxton on the American League All-Star Game roster right after the starters were announced. He probably should have been in the lineup instead of Javier Baez . At least he got to make the appearance in his home state.
Joe Ryan joined him , and after Buxton participated in the Home Run Derby , the pair combined to make their impact on the game itself. The American League came back from a six-run deficit in part because of former first round pick Brent Rooker .
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With pitchers used up, and a tie not possible, we got a home run swing-off. Substantially more exciting than Rob Manfred's ghost runner, the historical moment lived up to the hype.
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Minnesota Twins fingerprints highlight All-Star Game
Joe Ryan pitched the fourth inning for the American League. Minnesota's starting pitcher made his outing look easy. He put up a pair of bookend strikeouts after Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal opened the game by allowing two runs.
Twins starter Joe Ryan faced the NL's 5-6-7 hitters during his one inning of ASG duty tonight.
— 10 pitches, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts —
Machado: K (4 pitches)
Smith: F4 (1 pitch)
Tucker: ꓘ (5 pitches) pic.twitter.com/OE04DvAeOh— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 16, 2025
Down 6-0 in the 7th inning, former Twins draft pick Brent Rooker stepped to the dish. He got robbed during the Home Run Derby on Monday night. There was nothing cheap about his three-run big fly on Tuesday.
407 feet off the bat of Brent Rooker! #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/Jg6ZOXLvFS
— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
His 407-foot blast didn't need any rounding errors this time around. It put the American League in position to pounce. Bobby Witt Jr. drove in Kansas City Royals teammate Maikel Garcia before the inning was over and the deficit was just two.
We've got another Buck Truck sighting in Atlanta!!! pic.twitter.com/4fRa6mLSA5
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 16, 2025
Byron Buxton took over in centerfield for Baez (who went 0-for-2) and made a couple of routine catches. In the 9th inning, with the game on the line, he started the rally by recording a one-out hustled double. Buxton scored on a Witt Jr. double and Steven Kwan made it an AL Central party to tie the game at six.
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Former MN Twins slugger Brent Rooker has first swing-off home run
Bug Selig is gone and there are no more ties in the All-Star Game. Although the winner doesn't determine World Series home field advantage, no one goes home feeling like they were cheated. Instead the new format is a three-player, three-swing, home run derby swing off.
#AllStarGame Swing-off
AL – 2
NL – 0
Brent Rooker HOMERS TWICE! pic.twitter.com/MLAzVNaw2e— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
Rooker was up first for the American League after participating in the Home Run Derby a night before. He popped out on his first swing but launched the next two into the seats. Unfortunately Randy Arozarena and Jonathan Aranda flopped while Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies went 3-for-3.
#AllStarGame Swing-off
AL – 3
NL – 4
Kyle Schwarber GIVES THE NL THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/NPZJciVTYn— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
The National League wound up taking home the victory by a 4-3 tally, and previous Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso never needed to step up to the plate.
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Related: Byron Buxton Advances in MLB Home Run Derby, but Can't Hang
It would have been fun for Aaron Boone to use Buxton, a night after his second round exit in the derby, to compete for his home state. Either way, the event was electric and once again proved why Major League Baseball has the greatest exhibition in professional sports.
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