There have been long moments of frustration with Byron Buxton for Twins followers. As well as a learning process, strikeout-filled slumps and the constant injuries that were deemed by many to reflect a personal shortcoming rather than horrible luck.
There were 50 coaches and teammates and ex-players trying to come up with one secret that would create more consistent contact. Who can forget the magic that would come from employing a leg kick?
The legend of the injuries became that if Buxton would stop running into fences he could stay in the lineup. When you're the best center fielder on the planet, you're getting to more balls in full flight, and there can be a mishap.
Yet, in truth, a majority of the down time has come from joints, muscles and bones that bent the wrong way on a slide, a race to a base or a dive attempting to pull off the spectacular. Or that have gotten in the way of a pitched baseball.
On Tuesday night, Buxton was starting for the 43rd time in the Twins' 49th game of the season. All of those have been as the designated hitter, which has led to more complaints that he should be playing center field with some regularity.
When Buxton left for a pinch hitter late in Saturday's game in Anaheim, the alarm sounded. He had leg soreness, was out of the lineup Sunday and the outcry became: "Here we go again.''
Buxton was back in the lineup Monday, and on Tuesday, he hit a two-run home run to give the Twins a head start. He also had an infield hit and a stolen base.
Unhappily for the home crowd, Sonny Gray lost command in the sixth, and Jovani Moran, Brock Stewart and Jorge López (especially López) eventually coughed up a three-run lead to give the feisty Giants a 4-3 victory.