By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) –
MINNEAPOLIS — After four hours and 50 minutes of baseball Sunday, the Twins finally found something Ben Revere couldn’t catch.
The right fielder made three terrific running grabs, helping force extra innings against the Brewers. But when Denard Span delivered the game-winning hit in the 15th, giving the Twins a 5-4 victory, Revere had a terrible time tracking his buddy down.
(PHOTO: The Minnesota Twins’ Ben Revere, right, chases Denard Span into the outfield grass in an effort to celebrate Span’s game-winning, walk-off hit against the Milwuakee Brewers in the 15th inning. The Twins defeated the Brewers, 5-4, at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sunday, June 17, 2012.)
Span singled to right field, scoring Brian Dozier, and the Twins burst from their dugout to start their celebratory mob session. But after rounding first base, Span kept zigging and zagging, eluding Revere and the rest of them until they got to short center field.
“Denard did juke me a couple times,” Revere said. “I was going to tackle him, like Ray Lewis. If we had won in the ninth inning, it would have happened, but it was 15, so I let him have the joy.”
The Twins needed the win to snap a four-game losing streak and avoid a sweep against their interleague rivals.
Corey Hart’s three-run homer in the fifth inning off Nick Blackburn gave Milwaukee a 4-1 lead, but the Twins came back to tie it with three runs off Zack Greinke in the seventh, when Jamey Carroll, Span, Revere and Joe Mauer all singled with two outs.
It rained for the first half of the game and started pouring again in the 11th. Span had a chance to win it that inning, but stranded a runner on third base before umpires halted play for 42 minutes.
“I told myself if I get a hit here, we’re going home,” Span said. “And four hours later, I was able to end it.”
The Twins wound up getting nine scoreless innings from their bullpen, including three from Jeff Gray right after the rain delay.
“Gray was pitcher of the game as far as I’m concerned,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Those three big innings he had were unbelievable.”
Gardenhire used that same word — unbelievable — to describe Revere’s defense.
At a time when one extra Milwaukee baserunner could have put the Twins in serious peril, Revere stole three would-be hits.
He darted in and toward the left-field line to make a diving catch on Taylor Green’s liner, leading off the eighth inning.
He hustled back to the warning track and reached up to grab a hard drive from Aramis Ramirez with runners at first and second in the ninth.
Then came the show stopper. Brewers leadoff man Norichika Aoki started the 11th inning with a liner to deep right field. Revere angled back at lightning speed, and reached for a sprawling catch, landing on the warning track.
“They hit some of those hard with top spin and diving,” Gardenhire said. “He just ran them down. That was a heck of performance by a defensive player.”
The Twins received similar right-field defense from Span in 2008 and 2009, when he first came to the majors and played alongside center fielder Carlos Gomez.
“He kind of reminds me of myself a little bit,” Span said. “Nah, I’m joking. He’s having a ball out there. He’s been fun to watch.”
Revere’s offense has been pretty good, too, as he went 2-for-7, leaving his average at .328. He was on deck when Span delivered the game-winning hit. Trevor Plouffe had just been caught in a run-down between third base and home, for a big second out, when the Brewers summoned seldom-used lefthander Juan Perez.
Span got the scouting report from Revere then said, “OK, time to eat some dinner.”
