Twins put away Yankees 6-1 behind Sonny Gray's dominance, Joey Gallo's booming home run

It wasn't quite déjà vu all over again, as a quotable old New York Yankee once said, but the Twins' 6-1 victory over the Bronx Bombers on Monday night at Target Field was close enough.

Eleven days after they sent New York starter Jhony Brito to the showers after he retired just two batters, the Twins didn't chase him from this one until two were out in the third, when they took a 3-0 lead.

That ended up being more than enough for Sonny Gray, the former Yankees righthander who pitched seven shutout innings. Gray has given up two runs in 29 innings this season, a 0.62 ERA that's the best in the majors — just below Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's 0.64.

The last time the Twins faced Brito, they scored nine runs — finishing with three consecutive home runs — in the first inning April 13 and won 11-2 in a Yankee Stadium that has haunted them.

On Monday, Brito pitched two scoreless innings but faltered in the third, when he gave up three hits, walked two and departed with two out and three runs in. Jorge Polanco, moved up to the No. 3 spot in the batting order in his fourth game off the injured list, drove in the first two runs with a bases-loaded single and finished 2-for-5 with three RBI.

In the fourth inning, another former Yankee, Joey Gallo, hit a home run deep into the right-center field upper deck on a cold night, putting the Twins up 4-0.

"You pitch against former teams and it always has a little bit of a bigger meaning," said Gray, who went 15-16 with a 4.51 ERA — a run higher than his career ERA — in 41 games for the Yankees in 2017 and '18. "You always feel a little bit different going against those teams. But having said that, we need to focus on us. We need to continue to build and grind out this homestand. First game of a series, get a new team. We fought through the last series and got the last one. You want to grab some momentum when you can and just build on it."

"I didn't know if I was going to get that opportunity or not," Gray said. "For Rocco to let me stay and continue to fight and then with Franchy up next, I knew I had a good plan against him. Grateful for that opportunity, but then to go out and execute it, that was very nice."

Gray gave up three hits and walked two while striking out eight, throwing 107 pitches. He struck out batters with four different pitches, including a particularly effective curveball.

He held 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge to a 1-for-4 night that included a fourth-inning double. Judge struck out with a runner on to end the sixth inning with the Twins up 4-0, and he left two other men on base as well.

Gallo's home run was his sixth in only 13 games this season — best on the Twins despite missing 10 games injured, including the entire four-game series at New York. Last season, he had 12 homers while hitting ,159 in 82 games, with 106 strikeouts in 233 at-bats, for the Yankees before getting traded in August.

"There's always a satisfaction going against one of your old teams, that we know and most guys say that," Baldelli said. "They went out there and had huge days. I'm sure this is one of those nights they will sleep good and they will feel good when they lay their head on the pillow. They're going to go to bed feeling really good and they should."