Twins walk-off winners over Royals on Ty France's home run

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 23, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Ty France hadn’t homered in any game at Target Field. Well, at least not until the ninth inning Friday.

France hammered a first-pitch slider from Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg to deliver a 3-1, walk-off win in their series opener at Target Field. It was the first walk-off homer from a Twins batter since Christian Vázquez on July 7, 2024.

In a game including little offense, a pitchers’ duel between Pablo López and Kansas City Royals rookie Noah Cameron, it was fitting that it ended on one swing.

Carlos Correa beat out an infield single with one out in the ninth inning before France blasted a 403-foot homer to center. Teammates mobbed France around home plate.

The Twins had lost seven of their past eight games against the Royals, dating to last year.

Correa received an ovation from the Target Field crowd, an announced 22,391 fans, when he stepped into the batter’s box for his first at-bat after a stint on the seven-day concussion injured list. Two pitches later, Correa bashed a solo home run beyond the wall in left-center field and the cheers grew louder.

It was Correa’s third home run of the season, belting an elevated fastball from Cameron, a left-hander with a five-pitch mix. Chris Paddack lightly placed the team’s Roman-style home run helmet upon Correa’s head in the dugout.

The Twins didn’t have any other answers for Cameron, a 25-year-old who completed his third big-league start. Cameron gave up only four hits in 6 2/3 innings while striking out eight.

After Correa’s second-inning homer, the Twins totaled one baserunner before Harrison Bader and Willi Castro produced back-to-back singles with two outs in the fifth inning. Cameron induced an inning-ending groundout against Ryan Jeffers on a first-pitch curveball, the one real jam Cameron faced all night.

Cameron, who surrendered two runs in 11 1/3 innings against the Class AAA St. Paul Saints this year, has permitted only seven hits through his first 19 1/3 innings in the majors.

López yielded seven hits and one run across 5 1/3 innings in his second start of the season against the Royals. He didn’t walk anyone, but he hit two batters in an outing in which there were no easy innings.

Striking out five batters, López didn’t give up a run after the first inning. He plunked his first batter with an errant sinker, then gave up a pair of hits, which included a two-out RBI double to Cavan Biggio.

He pitched around a leadoff double in the second inning after a sacrifice bunt attempt turned into an infield pop-up, striking out the final two batters in the frame. López stranded two runners in the third inning with a strikeout and a flyout.

Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ star shortstop, opened the fifth inning with a single to center. He stole second base, but he didn’t advance further as López retired his next five batters.

López, who has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of his nine starts, owns a 2.31 ERA this season.

Four Twins relievers — Brock Stewart, Louie Varland, Griffin Jax and Cole Sands — allowed one hit over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Varland pitched around a leadoff four-pitch walk to Jonathan India, inducing an inning-ending double play. After Jax gave up a leadoff infield single to Maikel Garcia, he promptly picked him off first base.

Jeffers, the Twins catcher, jumped up and pumped his fist when first-base umpire Nestor Ceja signaled an out after Jax’s pickoff move.