Byron Buxton has home run, two triples in Twins’ 10-7 exhibition victory over Yankees

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Byron Buxton only saw six pitches in Saturday’s game, which doesn’t seem like much of a workout. Well, until you understand what he did with the last three of them.

Buxton smashed a two-run homer, a bases-loaded triple and another triple off the right-field wall on consecutive pitches from Yankees starter (and Buxton pal) Nestor Cortés, staking his team to a lead that New York could not overcome in a 10-7 Twins victory at Hammond Stadium.

“Plenty of a workout,” Buxton said with a laugh. “Got my track-speed [work] in, a couple of hits, it was good.”

Better than good, actually, Buxton said. “I wish the regular season started tomorrow,” he said. “You have a game like that, all right, I wish the regular season started tomorrow.”

If it had started Saturday, he would have made history. No Twins player has ever collected two triples and a home run in the same game, at least not in the regular-season. Though Saturday’s Grapefruit League performance won’t count, Buxton managed the feat in just four innings.

“He was high-flying, running the bases like we know he does,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It was a great way to start his first back-to-back — he’s also going to play tomorrow. … He lit up today. He was moving like himself. He’s been moving like himself, but today, I think he felt like himself.”

And that rubs off on his teammates, according to Bailey Ober, the beneficiary of all the offense.

“Very fun to watch, and I’ll take that any day I’m pitching,” said Ober, who mostly cruised through three innings. “Honestly, it feels very normal for him to be acting upbeat and ready to go. Last year, he was a little bit down, battling through a lot of stuff, but right now, he’s upbeat and he looks really good.”

Buxton wasn’t the only Twins hitter to enjoy a big day. The team racked up 19 hits and a spring-high 10 runs against six Yankees pitchers. Carlos Correa had a pair of singles, each of which drove Buxton home. Christian Vázquez and Willi Castro each lined three consecutive singles, and Royce Lewis doubled into the left-center gap.

Ober had trouble with the first two hitters he faced, with Anthony Volpe leading off the game with a dribbler up the first-base line that Ober couldn’t reach. The next batter, catcher Austin Wells, then lined a fastball up in the strong wind blowing toward right field, and it easily cleared the fence for a two-run homer.

But Ober didn’t allow another hit in his three innings, nor did Simeon Woods Richardson in two innings of relief, or Justin Topa, who struck out two of the three hitters he faced. Jorge Alcalá, however, allowed a home run to Yankees infielder Josh VanMeter, and Kody Funderburk gave up three runs in the eighth inning.

Edouard Julien was scratched from the game to let the soreness in his right wrist subside after he was hit by a pitch Friday. But Balldelli said there is no damage other than a bruise, and that Julien will return to the lineup as the Twins’ designated hitter on Monday.

Like most of the rest of the country, the Twins lose an hour of sleep early Sunday, when daylight savings time begins. But the team is perhaps better prepared for the switch than most.

That’s because they spent an hour Saturday morning hearing from sleep experts Drs. Michael Howell and Jonathan Parker, learning how they can be better rested during the season’s first month, when they have 15 afternoon games in their first 21, including eight consecutive to open the season.

“Our guys were very engaged. We stand a lot to gain out of this discussion, and some improvements that we can make in what we do,” Baldelli said. “They’ve made some real advancements and some real understandings of what can help people and help athletes perform. Some of it is gadgetry, some of it is studies and simply just making adjustments. It’s about winning, and this is part of it.”

The Twins scored an average of 5.24 runs per game at night last year, but a full run less during day games with just 4.22 on average. (The pitching difference was negligible: just 0.2 runs.) No wonder the Twins went 53-40 at night, but just 34-35 in the afternoon — a gap they hope to address with better preparation.

“I love it. All the information is great,” said Carlos Correa, who had an OPS of .788 at night and just .599 during the day last year. “It’s good to know about the circadian rhythm and the lights that you can use in the morning, and glasses to block the blue light. We’ll put it to the test and see how the body feels.”