MINNEAPOLIS _ There's nothing like a good baseball debate. And Miguel Sano likely sent many into spirited dialogue Tuesday night during the Twins' 9-1 victory over Oakland at Target Field.
Sano, with a runner on in the third inning, launched a 95 miles-per-hour fastball into the Minneapolis night. Gray dropped his head as soon as contact was made, for he knew it was long gone.
Athletics center fielder Rajai Davis took a few steps and gave up. The ball soared over the center field wall and carried a few feet behind the batter's eye. The ball landed were fans sit in Catch, the center field party deck the Twins opened last season. The two-run shot gave the Twins a 3-0 lead at the time.
Everyone waited for the estimated distance. And the Twins announced the moonshot as 466 feet, tied for the fourth-longest home run hit in Target Field since it opened in 2010. The longest was a 490-foot blast by Jim Thome in 2011.
The Twins set a Target Field record with six home runs Tuesday, and right-hander Ervin Santana moved to 5-0 to continue his incredible start to the season.
Brian Dozier (twice), Jason Castro, Byron Buxton and Joe Mauer also homered for the Twins, who last hit six homers in a game June 26 at Yankee Stadium.
The power display helped the Twins win for the fifth time in their past six games.
But the game will be remembered for Sano's eighth home run of the season, a monster blast that led to a home run debate.
While the Twins announced the distance at 466 feet, Statcast, the service used by Major League Baseball, claimed it was 444 feet. What gives?
The Twins estimate home runs based on a chart that stadium architects drew up when Target Field was born. Statcast uses measurements based on exit speed off the bat and launch angle. Pressbox denizens scrutinized each one, trying to figure out who was accurate and who was relying on alternative facts.
When Jason Castro connected with a solo home run in the fourth to make the score 4-0, Twins officials thought their case was made.
Statcast estimated it at 428 feet, the Twins was 425. Statcast had Sano's homer at 444 feet and Castro's 16 feet shorter. And there looked to be more than a 16-foot distance between the two homers.
It was a nice cushion for Santana, who was not on top of his game. He threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of the first 12 batters he faced but also went to three-ball counts four times. He got through six innings, giving up three hits and three walks while throwing 96 pitches. Despite not having impeccable control, he avoid the fat part of Oakland's bats.
The Twins did all their damage off of A's right-hander Sonny Gray, who was making his season debut after recovering from a strained right shoulder. He flashed his 94-mph fastball, solid breaking ball and changeup.
But it was a hanging change up in the third to Brian Dozier that started the power show. Dozier crushed the ball to left for a solo home run to open the scoring. Max Kepler followed with a walk. Then Sano stepped to the plate and made everyone wish they had a tape measure with them.
