The Washington Senators and the Minnesota Twins have some rich history between them.
The former existed from 1901 to 1960, then the franchise moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.
Some really good players were part of both franchises.
Yet, current Twins outfielder Byron Buxton joined a pretty exclusive club with his home run at the All-Star game on Tuesday.
In the fourth inning, and after New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton had tied the game at two runs apiece with a homer of his own, Buxton showed he can reach and punish a high fastball as well as anybody in baseball, depositing a Tony Gonsolin heater into the stands to give the American League a 3-2 lead.
The score wouldn’t move after that, and the junior circuit would claim the victory thanks to Buxton’s blast.
Only three additional members of the Senators and Twins had homered in a Midsummer Classic.
“Twins/Senators to homer in an All-Star Game, all-time: 2022: Byron Buxton; 2015: Brian Dozier; 1993: Kirby Puckett; 1971: Harmon Killebrew; 1965: Harmon Killebrew; 1961: Harmon Killebrew,” MLB analyst Sarah Langs tweeted.
Twins/Senators to homer in an All-Star Game, all-time:
2022: Byron Buxton
2015: Brian Dozier
1993: Kirby Puckett
1971: Harmon Killebrew
1965: Harmon Killebrew
1961: Harmon Killebrew— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 20, 2022
Buxton Joined An Exclusive Club
The great Harmon Killebrew was one of the game’s most feared sluggers in the sixties, and Brian Dozier enjoyed a peak power period in the mid-2010s.
Most Twins fans remember Kirby Puckett.
Now, Buxton is trying to enter Twins fans’ hearts like the aforementioned names did.
He already committed his future to Minnesota with a contract extension before the season, and his on-field performance has been marvelous.
This year, he is hitting .216/.293/.531 with 23 home runs and 50 runs scored.
He has also played his customary stellar defense in center field.
He became a true star, and as long as he can avoid the injured list, he will make the Twins relevant.
