Byron Buxton is probably getting tired of Cedric Mullins by now
Less than a week ago, on Sunday, in the first inning of a contest between the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Twins’ Buxton popped what looked like a sure extra-base hit to deep right-centerfield.
But a spry Mullins jumped toward the wall for the Orioles and snagged the ball, robbing a possible RBI from Buxton, who was up with a man on first.
On Friday night at Target Field in Minnesota, the 28-year-old Mullins did it again — but this time took away a homer.
Buxton, 29, in the bottom of the fourth with runners on second and third, lifted one to deep center, where Mullins robbed him of a three-run home run, which proved to be a huge play in the Orioles’ 3-1 win over the Twins in Minneapolis.
“Just trying to see if I could time the jump if I have room to,” Mullins said. “I was able to do just that.”
Mullins said his other catch was the better of the two.
“I think the one the other day was more difficult just because of the speed in which I had to get to the wall, back-handing it,” Mullins said.
A bewildered Buxton, while standing on first after missing out on the long ball, smiled at Mullins, motioned his arms in the air, and offered him a salute before retreating to the Twins’ dugout.
Buxton was robbed of those two hits over the last week but entered Friday with 15 home runs and 34 RBIs as a follow-up to making his first All-Star team last season.
To add insult to injury, the Orioles subsequently won Friday’s game, 3-1, after scoring two runs in the top of the 10th inning.
Mullins, for his part, logged one of the team’s three RBIs.
The win moved the Orioles to 52-35 on the season, remaining firmly in second place in the American League East.
With the loss, the Twins dropped to 45-44, but they hold a 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over the Cleveland Guardians.
— with AP
