Pottsville Area graduate Travis Blankenhorn made his 2021 debut for the Minnesota Twins Wednesday.
He even scored a run, coming into the game in the top of the 10th inning as the Twins pinch runner at second base. But ultimately, his team lost in the bottom of the 10th, 13-12.
Blankenhorn Debuts for Twins in Minnesota’s 13-12 Loss to Oakland
Blankenhorn was placed at second base to start the 10th inning. A new rule in Major League Baseball has extra innings start with a runner on second for the batting team.
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton brought Blankenhorn in with a 2-run home run. That gave the Twins a short-lived lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. The A’s spoiled the extra-inning magic for the Twins by scoring 3 runs to win their 11th game in a row.
Blankenhorn stayed in the game for Minnesota in the bottom half of the 10th inning, playing second base. He committed a fielding error in the 10th which led to the first of Oakland’s 3 runs that inning. Another infield error allowed the tying and winning runs to score to seal the victory for the Athletics.
It’s unclear how long Blankenhorn will remain with the Twins at the MLB level. He was recalled on Tuesday after several others on the Minnesota roster either tested positive for COVID-19 or were identified as a close contact.
Blankenhorn played in 1 game in 2020 for the big club. He went 1-for-3 with a double and was hit by a pitch.
Minnesota has started the 2021 season with a 6-11 record.
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