royce Lewis saw the first-pitch sinker and launched it with a powerful swing into the second deck at Target Field, a two-run home run that stretched Minnesota’s lead in the sixth inning before the game against Colorado tensed up for a bit.
Whenever Lewis is in the lineup, though, the Twins are always on the verge of cutting it loose.
After smoking that ball off Rockies rookie Angel Chivilli on Wednesday, Lewis stood to admire the 424-foot journey for a second before whipping his head toward the dugout to shout at his teammates in celebration as he began his latest circle around the bases.
He pointed to the relievers in the bullpen as he approached second, crouched down to tap the veins in his forearm on his jog-by slap of hands with third base coach Tommy Watkins and was exuberantly greeted by Carlos Correa after crossing the plate. Then in the dugout, Lewis dabbled in a couple of different dances to complete the show exactly seven years to the date of his selection by the Twins with the first overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft.
Sometimes it’s difficult to discern the greater source of enjoyment: Lewis simply being on the field, or the rest of the Twins watching him do his thing.
“Honestly, I feel like at this point, it’s just who I am. I just play the game. I have fun, and I do what I do,” Lewis said, before bringing up his injury history without prompting. “This is what all the teammates and people that are around me, staff here, are telling me, ‘This is what you do. We need you healthy.’ Obviously, I know that. It’s not like I’m choosing to not be. The goal is to just keep fighting to be out there every day and have fun with my teammates.”
