Ryan Jeffers' big night sends Twins to 12-1 victory over Diamondbacks

Ryan Jeffers always believed he could be one of the best offensive catchers in the majors, and he put on a show the same day the Twins inducted Joe Mauer into the team's hall of fame.

Jeffers hammered a two-run homer in the second inning, an RBI double in the third and a solo homer in the fifth to highlight the Twins' 12-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Target Field. It was the second multihomer game of Jeffers' career, and the most runs the Twins scored in a game since May 14.

"He's had good at-bats all year," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It's hard to miss now. It's kind of in your face when he's doing stuff like he's doing."

Jeffers rebuilt his swing in the winter with Twins hitting coach David Popkins, who repeatedly told Baldelli about his excitement for Jeffers' progress. Among the 43 MLB catchers with at least 150 plate appearances this year, Jeffers ranks second with an .895 OPS, trailing only Atlanta's Sean Murphy.

The 26-year-old catcher credits his overhauled mechanics. His sole focus is on his approach instead of worrying about how best to set up his swing.

"I knew this is what I had in me and the player I know I can be," Jeffers said. "It just took a little while to get there. Now, it's just stay consistent."

The Twins trailed by a run in the second inning when their hit parade began. After Matt Wallner blooped a single to right field, Willi Castro hit a game-tying triple to right field as D-Backs right fielder Corbin Carroll stumbled while fielding the ball.

Jeffers launched the next pitch, a fastball, over the wall in right-center field to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Jeffers flipped his bat to the side after taking his first step out of the batter's box, then had a couple of nervous moments as he watched the ball's flight.

"I pimped it thinking it was gone, then realized how tall that wall was out there," said Jeffers, laughing.

Arizona starter Ryne Nelson was pulled after a three-run third inning, which included Carlos Correa snapping an 0-for-17 skid. Two batters after Matt Wallner hit an RBI double down the first-base line, Jeffers drove in Wallner when he ripped a double down the third-base line.

After Nelson gave up eight hits and six runs, the hits kept coming. Michael A. Taylor greeted reliever Joe Mantiply with a solo homer off the foul pole in right field on Mantiply's third pitch.

In the fifth inning, Jeffers lined a low cutter from reliever Tyler Gilbert to the top of the left field wall. The ball left his bat at 116 mph, bounced off the top of the wall and ricocheted from the stands back onto the field. Jeffers briefly stopped at second base in confusion before he finally saw an umpire signal a home run.

With Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list, Baldelli confirmed Jeffers will receive more at-bats as a designated hitter when he isn't the starting catcher.

"You can't swing the bat like that in major league baseball games on a consistent basis and not force my hand," Baldelli said.

Kepler, in the sixth inning, became the ninth Twins player since 2016 to hit a home run to the Delta 360 Sky Suite above the center field batter's eye, a solo blast on a first-pitch fastball. StatCast estimated the distance at a conservative 435 feet.

"No chance," Jeffers said. "Just like all Babe Ruth and them were hitting them 530 [feet]. There was no chance of that, either."

It turned into such a one-sided game the D-Backs used a position player, catcher Carson Kelly, to pitch in the eighth inning. Jordan Luplow hit an RBI single off Kelly in his first at-bat with the Twins.

All the offense obscured a stellar start from Twins righty Kenta Maeda, who permitted only two hits and one run in six innings. He retired his final 14 batters.

"On this special night for Joe Mauer, I was under pressure," Maeda said through interpreter Dai Sekizaki. "If I gave up a lot of runs early on, what would I do? I'm glad that didn't happen."