CHICAGO _ Miguel Sano went someplace completely new on Friday, at least in the field. At the plate, though, he was same-ol'-Sano.
And as a result, the Twins are someplace they haven't been in three decades.
Sano made his first career start at first base a memorable one, fouling off five pitches in the sixth inning before crushing a 3-2 delivery to the wall in right-centerfield, a blast that delivered the go-ahead run in a 3-1 victory over the White Sox. The opportunistic Twins improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1987.
Yeah, that season ended in a dogpile in the Metrodome, but let's not get too crazy. For now, the Twins are just enjoying their unexpected stretch of timely hitting, strong pitching, and even a little bit of luck.
It's hard to tell which was Friday's most heartening development for the Twins, the strong return of right-hander Phil Hughes, or the continued impact of Sano, who has six RBIs in four games. Hughes gave up only five hits over six innings, striking out three. He got some help from the Twins' speedy outfield defense, which turned at least four balls which appeared to be certain extra-base hits into long, deflating outs. Byron Buxton twice caught 400-foot fly balls at the center-field wall, Eddie Rosario raced over to make a difficult catch in the left-field corner, and Max Kepler dove for a run-saving catch at the foul line to end the fifth inning.
Great defense, for a team whose manager was a little worried about defense before the game. Paul Molitor grabbed a glove during batting practice and held an impromptu review of the fundamentals of playing first base for Sano, working on footwork around the bag, when to stretch for a throw, and how quickly to move away when holding runners.
With ByungHo Park and Kennys Vargas in the minors, Sano is Joe Mauer's backup at first base, at least for now. It's a position he's played for only five innings in the majors, four of them in an extra-inning game in 2015, and one on Wednesday.
Molitor didn't play Sano there during spring training because "I didn't want to clutter his mind, as he tried to lock into being our third baseman." He probably also didn't expect both Vargas and Park to be sent down. But Molitor is optimistic Sano can handle the position.
"He's in a good place. He's had good at-bats, and I think he's feeling good about his game," Molitor said. "The timing seems right to give it a shot."
Sano's timing hasn't faded. He came to the plate in the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1 and Robbie Grossman on first base, and immediately got locked into a nine-pitch showdown with Derek Holland, Chicago's free-agent addition to its rotation. Sano worked the count to 3-2 and kept fouling off pitches until he got a 92-mph sinker on the outside corner. His blast sliced between White Sox outfielders and one-hopped the wall, giving Grossman time to score the go-ahead run.
Hughes and the Twins' bullpen did the rest. The Twins have allowed only six runs in their first four games.
Minnesota' first run was a gift from Chicago. Grossman led off the fourth inning with a double just inside the right-field line, and moved to third when Holland's pickoff throw sailed into center field. With one out, Sano popped up behind first base, and Jose Abreu, Tyler Saladino and Avisail Garcia all converged under it. Garcia reached out to catch it, but it dropped to the ground, allowing Grossman to score.
The Twins added another in the seventh inning, when Holland walked Eduardo Escobar. Catcher Chris Gimenez greeted reliever Nate Jones with a double inside the third-base line, which a fan reached over and grabbed. Since Escobar was already approaching third base, umpires awarded him home, and upheld the call after the White Sox challenged.
The Twins have opened only four previous seasons with four straight victories: 1968, 1970, 1979 and 1987. The '68 Twins hold the franchise record with a 6-0 start.
