Twins sink Cubs again, but Byron Buxton exits after being hit with pitch

Jerry Zgoda, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 9, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins won Wednesday’s game but lost All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton for at least the final seven innings of their 4-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Target Field.

Buxton was hit on the left hand — his non-throwing hand — leading off his team’s first inning and left the game an inning later with what the Twins called a contusion, otherwise known as a bruise.

Other details about the injury were not immediately known.

Buxton, 31, was voted into next Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, the second time he has reached the July classic. He hit a home run in one of his two at-bats for the American League at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2022.

He also has accepted an invitation to compete in the Monday night’s Home Run Derby.

Buxton will be joined by teammate Joe Ryan, who on Wednesday was named an American League All-Star Game replacement.

Buxton was hit Wednesday by Cubs starter Cade Horton’s pitch near his left hand.

There was an injury delay briefly while medical personnel checked out that hand, on which Buxton wears a pad because opposing pitchers like to crowd him inside with pitches.

It was originally ruled a foul ball, but a Twins challenge turned it into a hit-by-pitch play that helped the Twins take an early lead, like they did in Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over the Cubs.

Buxton stayed in the game, successfully stole second base and scored from there on catcher Ryan Jeffers’ single.

Jeffers made it 2-0 when he scored on Carlos Correa’s double to right field.

Brooks Lee entered the game in the Twins’ half of the second inning to pinch-hit for Buxton.

Buxton’s departure sparked a Twins defensive reconfiguration in which Harrison Bader moved from left field to center field, Willi Castro went from second base to left field and Lee remained in the game as the second baseman.

Twins right fielder Matt Wallner hit a leadoff homer to right field for a 3-0 lead to start the second inning.

The Cubs got two runs back, pulling within 3-2 in their fourth inning when Kyle Tucker singled and scored and Seiya Suzuki walked and scored.

The Twins scored an insurance run in their fourth, making it 4-2 when, with two out and runners on first and third, Wallner was caught trying to steal second, catcher to second to first, but Royce Lewis scored from third.

The game was played in 2 hours, 20 minutes on a beautiful summer’s night, before 33,470 announced fans.

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