MINNEAPOLIS — The combination of Salvador Perez and Danny Duffy has rarely been a harbinger of good things for Minnesota Twins fans. The Kansas City Royals’ longest-tenured players have had more than their share of match-ups with the Twins, and they’ve each enjoyed abundant success.
That trend continued in a big way Saturday afternoon as Perez etched his name in Target Field lore, while Duffy continued one of the most dominant stretches of any pitcher in club history. The Royals routed the two-time defending American League Central Division champion Twins, 11-3, in front of an announced 9,993 in the second game of a three-game series at Target Field.
The win for the Royals (16-9) evened the series at 1-1 and set up a rubber match on Sunday afternoon.
Duffy — who entered the day with an ERA (0.39) already slightly better than that of multi-time Cy Young Award winner and New York Mets pitching sensation Jacob deGrom — pitched seven innings, struck out seven and allowed one run on two hits in recording his fifth consecutive quality start in five games this season.
Perez went 2 for 3 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored in six innings before giving way to backup catcher Cam Gallagher.
Perez hit the first of four home runs for the Royals in the game. His third-inning mammoth blast to the right-center field upper deck gave him the most of any non-Twins player in Target Field’s history.
Andrew Benintendi, who had two hits robbed from him by Twins center fielder Byron Buxton on Friday night, blasted two home runs — one to right field and one to left field — to give him three during the road trip. Benintendi went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Ryan O’Hearn also belted his second homer in his fifth game of the season.
