Matt Wallner hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to rally the Minnesota Twins to a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
With the score tied, Wallner drove an 0-1 fastball by Arizona reliever Paul Sewald (3-2) 415 feet over the wall in right-center to drive in Jorge Polanco, who had walked.
The Twins, who won their fourth straight game, trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the ninth but tied it when Max Kepler drove Sewald’s first pitch 438 feet deep into the bleachers in right-center for his 18th home run of the season and third in three games.
Carlos Correa had a two-run single and Edouard Julien reached base four times with a single and three walks for Minnesota. Caleb Thielbar (2-1) picked up the win in relief despite allowing a go-ahead home run to Christian Walker in the top of the ninth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 3-for-5 with an RBI double and Corbin Carroll added two hits, two walks, a steal and a run for Arizona, which dropped its sixth straight game.
Walker, Jake McCarthy and Carson Kelly also had two hits apiece for the Diamondbacks, who lost for the 14th time in their last 17 games despite setting a single-game franchise record with eight stolen bases.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Kelly led off with a double, advanced to third on a bloop single by Carroll and scored on a fielder’s choice by Tommy Pham.
Minnesota took a 2-1 lead in the sixth against Arizona starter Zac Gallen. Willi Castro doubled with one out and went to third on a wild pitch. One out later, Julien walked and stole second. Correa then drove in both Castro and Julien with a soft line single to left.
The Diamondbacks tied it in the seventh when Carroll led off with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a double to right-center by Gurriel.
Walker then put Arizona back in front with one out in the top of the ninth when a he drilled a 2-2 fastball 399 feet down the left field line for his 23rd home run of the season.
Minnesota’s Dallas Keuchel made his first major league start since Sept. 2, 2022 and gave up one run on eight hits over five innings. The 2015 Cy Young Award winner with the Houston Astros walked two and didn’t strike out a batter. He left after throwing 74 pitches, 46 for strikes.
Gallen fanned eight and yielded two runs, four hits and two walks over seven innings.
–Field Level Media
