The Minnesota Twins defeated the New York Yankees 11-4 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in a Fourth of July matchup. Byron Buxton returned from injury to spark a six-home-run outburst by Minnesota.
The Yankees recalled right-hander Brendan Beck from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start in place of injured left-hander Carlos Rodón. Beck struggled immediately, allowing the Twins to score five runs by the second inning on an RBI double by Buxton and home runs from Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson.
Buxton, back in the lineup after missing four games with a right hip impingement, reached base twice and added a sacrifice fly. Minnesota added three more home runs, including two by Josh Bell, to finish with a season-high six homers.
New York mounted a late rally but stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Manager Aaron Boone said the team put itself in a hole early.
Twins manager Derek Shelton noted Buxton's immediate impact and the team's ability to build on the lead. The Twins improved to average 4.91 runs per game this season.
