BOSTON – A day later, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was still reveling in the way his beleaguered bullpen responded to the challenge of a 12-inning game, of keeping the Red Sox from scoring even when the Twins failed to score in the 10th and 11th innings.
Seeking a bullpen arm, Twins recall Brent Headrick in place of Ronny Henriquez
The Twins called up a lefthander who has yet to appear in the majors this year, demoting a young reliever who blew a two-run lead Wednesday.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 22, 2024 at 1:53AM
Especially given the playoff-push stakes.
“I’d probably say it’s the biggest win of the season, and it might not even be close,” Baldelli declared of the Twins’ 4-2 victory on Friday. “That was fantastic, and at a time of year when we needed it. We needed massive efforts from different guys. … And everyone stepped right into the roles they needed to.”
That included rookie Ronny Henriquez, who was entrusted with the ninth inning of a tie game in an unfamiliar ballpark. His outing was far from uneventful — but the Red Sox didn’t score.
Jarren Duran led off with a line-drive single, but Henriquez struck out Rafael Devers — the star third baseman’s final at-bat of the season. Boston put Devers on the injured list Saturday because of inflammation in his left shoulder, an injury that has lingered for the past several weeks.
Henriquez also struck out designated hitter Tyler O’Neill, but allowed Duran to steal second, and then take third on a wild pitch. Louie Varland was called upon to finish the inning, and he did so by whiffing Wilyer Abreu.
After the game, as his teammates celebrated the victory, Henriquez received some bad news from Baldelli: The Twins were sending him back to St. Paul in order to bring in a fresher arm, that of lefthander Brent Headrick. Henriquez had given up three runs to the Guardians in the 10th inning on Wednesday, blowing his first career save opportunity, and that made him the most obvious candidate for the demotion.
Not that it was an easy call, Baldelli said.
“Ronny’s a great kid and he works very hard. What I would say is he understands, and he’s going to keep working hard,” the manager said. “I like the way that Ronny handles his business.”
A late-season return
Headrick’s phone rang a little before midnight back in St. Paul, a surprise to the lefthander who hadn’t pitched in the majors since last September.
“I got a call at 11:30, and I was out of my apartment by 4:30 [Saturday] morning,” the 26-year-old said with a laugh. “Wanted to get here as early as I could. I started to pack a full bag like for a road trip, and then realized, oh, it’s only two days till we’re back.”
Headrick said he was “thrilled, a million times yes,” to get the call, but he already knew his season wasn’t ending on Sunday, when the Saints’ season does.
“I was told [last week] to stay back, stay ready,” the Illinois native said. He was to be one of several players the Twins asked to keep working out in case they needed an injury replacement during the postseason.
“I was hoping to get a chance sometime, but you never know,” he said. “This is a great opportunity.”
The 5-by-25 club
Second baseman Willi Castro moved to third base in the 11th inning Friday, a typical move for the Twins’ utility man. But the occasion made it more than typical.
The switch meant Castro was a third baseman for the 25th time this season, and it made him the first man in major league history to play 25 games at five positions in one season.
“I’m really proud, because I came here last year and I wasn’t playing a lot even though I made the team,” said Castro, whose versatility made him an American League All-Star in July. “Now I have a place every day, so I really enjoy every time Rocco puts me in there. The mentality that I have is to go out there and do little things to make us win the game. It feels really special to be an everyday player here.”
Shortstop, where he played throughout the minor leagues, and center field are his favorite positions, Castro said, but he believes second base is his best one. He’s also handled third base and left field regularly as injuries have impacted the Twins roster this season.
“I’m very proud to manage the young man,” Baldelli said. “He has done an awesome job for us.”
Saints fall
Indianapolis blew a seven-run lead but got a tiebreaking single from Ji Hwan Bae in the sixth inning to beat the Saints 8-7 at CHS Field. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had three hits for the Saints.
Pablo López will face Kutter Crawford in the first game while Zebby Matthews is matched against Nick Pivetta in the nightcap as the Twins try to hang on to a wild card spot.
