Miranda breaks club record, Twins nearly overcome eight-run deficit in 13-12 loss to Houston – Twin Cities

Even if you watch baseball often, you’ll probably never see a crazier game than the one on Friday at Target Field.

After Jose Miranda hit 4 for 4, tying the Twins record for hitting safely in 10 consecutive at-bats, the Twins nearly turned a 13-5 deficit into a win.

Carlos Correa hit a two-out grand slam against Houston Astros closer Josh Hader to make it 13-12, but Hader got Manny Margot swinging with a strikeout to end a wild game in front of the remaining 28,129 fans.

“I really wanted this comeback,” said Miranda, who watched the comeback from the bench after being substituted for pinch hitter Austin Martin at the start of the ninth inning. “When Correa hit that home run, I was super excited. It means a lot to our team too because we were never out of the game.”

Miranda passed Joe Mauer and tied Tony Oliva — as well as Mickey Hatcher and Todd Walker — with nine consecutive hits before outstripping them all and earning a spot of his own. He hit a single, a home run, a double and another single in his four batting appearances, becoming the first Twins player to ever have a sure hit in 10 consecutive at-bats, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It means a lot. It obviously means a lot of hard work and it’s exciting,” Miranda said. “Obviously it’s pretty cool when you hold a record. It’s pretty cool to have it.”

Miranda’s performance was nearly overshadowed by his teammates – at least for the evening – but the ninth-inning comeback wasn’t quite enough.

Brooks Lee had three hits with two RBIs in his third career game. He hit a two-out RBI single as the Twins scored six runs with two outs against reliever Luis Contreras in the ninth inning. Christian Vazquez followed with a two-run double to make it 13-8, and Willi Castro worked a walk to load the bases — leaving Correa to bat with the bases loaded and the tying run in sight.

The shortstop, who was previously 0 for 5, cleared the left field fence and hit a grand slam to make it 13-12, but Hader then brought in Margot to give the Astros their 13th win in 15 games.

Jeremy Pena had three hits with three RBIs, Jose Altuve had two hits before leaving the game after being hit in the left hand by a pitch from Minnesota relief pitcher Josh Winder. Alex Bregman hit a three-run home run off Kody Funderburk in the ninth inning for the Astros.

The Twins had 17 hits, one more than Houston.

Miranda tied the game 3-3 with his eighth straight hit against Mauer when his solo home run just inside the left-field foul post tied the game 3-3 in the third inning. He then tied the club record with a double into the left-field corner that scored Margot and gave the Twins a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning.

The last player to have hits in 10 consecutive plate appearances was Corey Dickerson for the St. Louis Cardinals from August 23-25, 2022. According to Elias, no player has had a safe hit in 11 consecutive plate appearances since 1961.

“Pretty incredible … at the major league level,” Baldelli said. “That’s hard in Little League and video games and stuff. He’s doing it on a major league field right now.”

“I don’t want to talk about it too much anymore and I’m not going to talk to him about it. I’m just going to keep patting him on the back and letting him work.”

Miranda, who also extended his hitting streak to nine games, a new career high, has the chance to make history with his first pitch on Saturday at 1:10 p.m.

“For me, it’s just ‘keep going,'” he said. “I’m going to come out there tomorrow, do my job in the cage, get ready for the game, get ready for the pitcher I’m facing tomorrow. Then, like I said, I’m going to take it one pitch at a time and try to have a good swing.”

Oliva, Hatcher and Walker each had a safe hit in nine consecutive at-bats for the Twins. The record is held for at-bats, but Miranda also did it in 10 consecutive plate appearances.

Oliva, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, hit a sure hit in nine consecutive at-bats on September 8 and 9, 1967. Hatcher did it on September 27 and 28, 1985, and walked on July 24 and 25, 1989.

Miranda broke the record with a single in the seventh inning and then scored from second base on a single by Max Kepler. Including his last at-bat on July 3, Miranda is 10 for 10 with six runs scored and five RBIs.

The Astros overwhelmed Twins right-hander Pablo López in the second inning, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three runs on four hits – all singles to right field. Jeremy Pena, Cesar Salazar and Altuve all recorded RBIs.

Bryan King (1-0) earned his first major league win after allowing one run on two hits in the fifth inning. Lopez (8-7) had six earned runs on eight hits and two walks and struck out six times, but by the end of the game it was hard to remember who started the game for either team.

“It was an entertaining game,” Correa said. “It was probably one of the most entertaining games of the season so far. I know we didn’t win, but still, these are two great baseball teams playing good baseball. It’s a joy to watch, especially if you’re a baseball fan.”