Brooks Lee came off the bench to deliver a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning, powering the Minnesota Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday at Target Field. The win completed a four-game sweep for Minnesota. Lee, who entered the game mired in a 5-for-30 slump, became the hero in a rally sparked by Matt Wallner and Victor Caratini.
Nobody in the Twins’ clubhouse needed a moment quite like Brooks Lee, who had struggled with as many errors as RBIs this season. Facing Tigers reliever Will Vest with the bases loaded and two outs, Lee worked a full count before poking the game-winning hit. “That’s a huge hit for him,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We know he’s been grinding a little bit. It was a really good at-bat.” Lee added, “I could see I was going to get up at some point... sure enough the next pitch, it happened.” The rally began with Wallner’s one-out walk and Caratini’s single. Royce Lewis beat out an infield hit despite twisting his knee, which required trainer attention; he later confirmed he was fine. Mick Abel started for the Twins, pitching six scoreless innings. Eric Orze earned the fifth straight save by a different Twins pitcher in the series, a rare feat since 1969 according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Orze noted the closer-by-committee approach: “Everybody ready to go at all times. Boys are doing their job.” Lee credited a talk with his father for clearing his head amid the pressures of a big year.
